Sustainability in the kitchen is not just a trend, but a necessity to safeguard the planet and people's health. Cultivating one's own vegetable garden, choosing seasonal and zero-kilometer products, and reducing waste and emissions are some of the practices that an increasing number of Italian chefs are adopting to create quality dishes, while respecting the environment and valuing the territory. We will tell you how chefs' gardens are becoming a source of inspiration and innovation for Italian cuisine, and how the young generation Z and future cooks at the Congusto Institute can learn from these experiences.
Chefs' gardens: a growing trend
Cultivating their own vegetable garden is increasingly an opportunity for chefs to personalize and add a distinctive touch to their dishes. It is a way to convey a philosophy that embraces themes related to sustainability, product seasonality, and respect for the environment. There is an increasing awareness of the need to recover a direct relationship with seasonal raw materials, which are capable of providing greater flavor in the kitchen. It often doesn't matter where, but having a small piece of land to grow aromatic plants, vegetables, and greens to use in one's own preparations is a real must.
The benefits of chefs' gardens for the environment and health
Having fresh raw materials available, produced without the use of chemical agents, industrial fertilizers, and pesticides, is truly important to make certain preparations unique. It is a sort of rediscovery of forgotten flavors and an opportunity to promote responsible consumption and save money. Because a chef who tends to their own garden is prepared to preserve, recycle, and not throw anything away. Every bit of waste is eliminated for the benefit of taste, freshness, and also the creativity of the cook, who will produce healthier dishes with a simple yet excellent flavor.
The best Italian chefs who cultivate their own gardens
There are many Italian chefs who cultivate their own gardens, among the best is the three-Michelin-starred chef Enrico Crippa of the Piazza Duomo restaurant in Alba. His garden includes a greenhouse and a plot of land, where organic and biodynamic vegetables, herbs, and flowers are grown, which Chef Crippa picks personally every morning and which then end up in his dishes. Starred chef Massimo Spigaroli, in Polesine Parmense, also draws very fresh raw materials for a surprising and colorful cuisine from his garden at the entrance of the Antica Corte Pallavicina. Chef Michelangelo Mammoliti (2 Michelin stars at La Rei Natura) also puts the plant world at the center. Aromatic herbs, spices, roots, and plant species that he personally cultivates in the garden and greenhouse are the foundation upon which his cooking philosophy is built. Antonia Klugmann creates and experiments at the L’Argine a Vencò restaurant. Her work starts from the garden next to the restaurant, highly linked to the wild herbs characteristic of her territory, and deeply rooted in the concept of foraging. In the south, the garden of Peppe Guida of the Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa (1 Michelin star) overlooks the Gulf of Naples from the Sorrento Peninsula, while the cook-farmer Pietro Zito of Antichi Sapori (Andria) cultivates the garden's produce in the spirit of patience, waiting, and simplicity, with excellent results at the table.
How to follow the chefs' example and create your own garden at home or in the city
You don't necessarily need large spaces to create your own vegetable garden; you can even start from a small garden, a terrace, or a balcony, or develop a vertical garden in pots. Curiosity, passion, and plenty of care, together with sun and water and the acquisition of good practices, will grow the seedlings that will turn into aromatic herbs and healthy, truly zero-kilometer vegetables.
Chefs' recipes with garden ingredients
Enrico Crippa's 21-31-41 salad is world-famous. The name indicates the number of sprouts, flowers, and leaves that compose it at different times of the year, which varies with the seasons. "Giardiniera del 1991" is a dish by Michelangelo Mammoliti where the plant world and very sharp acidity manage to truly surprise. Another well-known dish is the green spaghetti with wild garlic, borage, lettuce, dried borage, saltwort, and matcha tea by Antonia Klugmann. These are just some of the most famous dishes.
All these experiences are the result of passion, research, and talent. If you also want to become a successful chef, at the Congusto Institute you have the opportunity to prepare yourself by attending professional cooking courses that respect ethics and sustainability. You will learn the basics, the techniques, and everything necessary to perform a profession with passion and competence.
Contact us for more information and come discover the universe of the Congusto Institute.
We look forward to seeing you in class!
Cover photo of Enrico Crippa's kitchen (credits: Facebook Ristorante Piazza Duomo)
