During an Open Day at the Congusto Institute, a student asked a simple but dense question: “ Why do some chefs remain models and others, who have made history, seem to have disappeared? ” It is a question that often comes up. The answer is not immediate.
In his article “Chi resta e chi spari” for Grande Cucina, our founder Federico Lorefice tried to answer. Not with slogans or prepackaged formulas, but with a reflection on time. What passes and what leaves a trace.
Today the world of catering runs. Languages are fast, images speak louder than words, social media rewards effect and immediacy. But cooking is not just this. It is not just performance.
Real cooking needs time. Depth. Silence.
There are chefs who, without ever seeking the spotlight, have left solid footprints. They have innovated without declaring it. They have transformed tradition into vision. We know some names: Marchesi, Lopriore, Parini. We may come across others in the classroom, during a workshop, or by reading a curriculum carefully.
This is the point: are we still able to recognize talent when it doesn't make any noise?
Those who work in training – like us – have a responsibility.
Not just teach techniques. But educate to a longer, less superficial look. That knows how to distinguish between models and masters, between those who seek the scene and those who simply build their own path every day.
It takes patience. And memory.
Not everything that is unseen is gone.
Some chefs are still there. They continue. They resist. They are not out of fashion, we are the ones who have perhaps changed direction.
This is exactly what we want to say to our students: look beyond trends, look for substance. Don't settle for the perfect dish for Instagram. Look for the gesture that lasts, the coherence, the meaning. Over time, this is what makes the difference.
Who stays and who disappears, ultimately, is also decided by those who learn.
