Davide Palluda
Aiming straight!
By Laurent Feneau

Traditional and technical, Italian but universal, Davide Palluda's cuisine takes its inspiration from the Piedmont region, better allowing him to use the trans-alpine landscape as his culinary backdrop.

aCanale, from the terrace of the "Enoteca", there are views over one of the most beautiful landscapes in Piedmont: that of Roero. Here, from sunrise to sunset, the pure sunlight pours onto so many steep hills clothed in vines. Barolo, Barbaresco, Asti or Alba, just as if they had been haphazardly scattered by the wind, towns and villages sing out like the names featured in the region's strong wine-growing and culinary traditions. "I am inspired by the region, not just in terms of its geographical and preservation aspects but rather as a very simple approach using local produce ", explains Davide Palluda. There follows a demonstration with pesto tortellini! This is what the Enoteca's chef calls "country cooking"… Two ravioli enclosing pure Liguria pesto and which, like two flowers blooming in the morning, blossom in the mouth as you bite into them.

A sensitive countryside
In the distance, we have the sparkling white of the snow-covered Alps while, in the South, the azure of the sky merges with the blue of the sea. At the foot of the hills, the Tanoro river bisects the region: on the one side, the Roero and, on the other, the Langhe. In other words, a changing landscape that quickly transports the traveller from the wild beauty of the mountains to that of the forests, connected by the neatly planted slopes of Piedmont vines. In brief, countryside that is full of contrasts and which totally reflects Davide's cuisine. Some call his approach "regionalist". That overlooks the subtlety that is always his and that finally enabled him to free himself from tradition. A feat in itself when we learn that, having trained at the Barolo hotel school, he has never worked outside his region. But that does not mean that he does not have an open mind. This chef is unrivalled in his use of technique and in sublimating a basically traditional approach to cooking. "For me, low temperature, vacuum technique and, if necessary the use of a few additives are just a way of capitalising on the sensitivity of a dish ", argues the cuoco*.

A peasant style cuisine
If he talks about "respect for the product and for the history of cooking", it's mainly so that he can tread a dividing line between traditional and contemporary cuisine. Although he lays claim to a "peasant style cuisine", this does not prevent Davide from applying a delicate touch. For instance, there is his scampi with their almond sorbet. The crayfish is just slightly more melting than the ice cream that accompanies it … It's all a matter of nuances and contrasts. Between regional cuisine and modern cuisine but also between the content and the presentation. Because although this chef does not particularly work on his presentation, he deliberately looks to the "sounds and the music that are specific to a given dish ". And then, "there are the sounds of cooking, the sizzling but also the pleasure of hearing the guest eat like in Japan where you have to "slurp" loudly when eating your noodles to show your appreciation". This has led to the pomegranate seeds and scampi combination with its sorbet. If only for their music as the little seeds are crunched between the diner's teeth!

Football in the kitchen
Defining the identity of a cuisine means trying to establish that of its chef. Because, far from being Italian, Davide's cuisine is universal. Indeed, it loves combinations as much as its creator loves meeting people. Like Alain Ducasse in 2008 or Michel Bras, who visited two years earlier to discuss cuisines and kitchen gardens. "I love Juventus, Del Piero - the team's captain - is a bit like the Michel Bras of football! They both have unrivalled touch and sensitivity … ", the Enoteca boss states in all seriousness. Let's not be mistaken. There is nothing bizarre about this comparison. In the Piedmont, football is a real religion. And so is cooking …

Beyond all this, signore Palluda shares the same passion with Michel Bras: gardening. Except that Davide's concept is very different: "a garden is like an altar in a church before which we kneel down to gather fruit and vegetables ". And when the Roero chef bends his knee before a plant, he does so preferably before a date tomato, the only variety capable of reaching maturity without a single drop of water. Incredibly sweet, it is served at the Enoteca with a Piedmont veal tartar. Therefore, no prizes for guessing that tomatoes are Davide's favourite produce, especially when he signs off with a hearty laugh " I'm sure that there is a little tomato juice flowing through the veins of every Italian ". Mama mia…

* Cuoco: the Italian for chef.

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