If there is one thing that we Italians are 100% sure of, it is the absolute superiority of our cuisine. It goes without saying that in the same way we are sure that other cuisines are, at best, so-so: the French use too much butter, the Germans too many potatoes, the Americans don’t even know what good food is. Yet, fast food Made in the USA has also had its share of success in Italy, despite the reluctance. Perhaps then Joe Bastianich is not completely wrong, as he is convinced he can conquer Italy with American cuisine.
Moreover. The former judge of Masterchef goes almost to blasphemy, saying he is sure that Italians will go crazy for the overcooked and hyper-seasoned pasta of his Mac & Cheese, the macaroni and cheese recipe that every self-respecting American family puts on the table whenever they feel like cuddling.
Mac & Cheese is in fact one of the strongest dishes of his brand new American Barbecue, just opened on the first floor of Mercato Centrale Milano. An ambitious project, which for the first time brings to Italy all the most authentic traditional culture of the United States of America: give her burnt ends in Kansas City al whole hog from North Carolina, from BBQs chicken wings with meatballs of pulled pork spicy, ranging from dishes from Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Joe arrives at this umpteenth opening of his small restaurant empire (he owns premises in New York, Los Angeles and Friuli, his family’s homeland) after a long period of playing bluegrass – a typical American musical genre, cousin of country – with his band, La Terza Classe.
Was it nice to be back on stage?
“Very beautifull. Sure, it’s still a bit complicated to play, but for three months we toured Italy from north to south, bringing our music, and it was really exciting ”.
The music, the food: he took it into his head to let the Italians know the “flavour” American?
“But no, I just took the things I love the most and I’m offering them to you. I think the beauty of these things really lies in the authenticity of what we do: we want to bring a true, visceral, super cool piece of America to Italy. This is probably why we are having all this success ”.
Before now he had always done the opposite, that is to bring Italy to America: what has changed?
“It’s true, a large part of my career has been based on this. But I think the time has come to do the reverse. Probably, it is also due to the period we are living in: in the post Covid the world is opening up more and more, and even countries like Italy, very tied to their culinary and musical tradition, seem to me more ready to appreciate different things, to travel with the mind, with the flavors, with the atmospheres, since they can do it less in person “.
What is the American cuisine you want to tell Italians like?
“It is a cuisine based on even poor cuts of meat, very rough dishes, but really good. This is also the case for music: what we play are sounds that are born in poor places, places where tourists don’t go, but this is true native American music. Well, for me there is no better and more American combination than barbecue and bluegrass ”.
We Italians are always a little wary of new foods, perhaps because we love ours too much. Do you really think you can change our minds?
“Let’s face it: when Italians go abroad they feel cool: in New York they eat Thai and sushi, in India they eat Indian food, but then when they return home and go to a Chinese or Thai restaurant they want Italianized dishes. This is not good, because you have to leave those who know how to cook their own food the opportunity to do it in their own way, also because otherwise you have a false version of it. Italians are very spoiled in this “.
And you, it seems to understand, have no intention of spoiling them?
“For nothing. We will make the barbecue 100% authentic, just like they do in America. There are American guys in the kitchen, and we won’t make any kind of compromise. I’ll tell you more: I want to conquer Italy with our Mac & Cheese: overcooked, overcooked pasta, exaggerated in all senses ”.
A heresy: are you really sure?
“Look, it’s a big bet for me. I am proposing to the Italians the exact opposite of what their tradition teaches them, but I am really convinced that we can shock Italy with our Mac & Cheese. Imagine overcooked pasta, as you ate it when you were six months old, but super cheesy: sure you don’t like it? “
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