Martino Ruggieri: who is the most loved Apulian chef in France

No hot comments: Martino Ruggierion social media, leaves the words to the scream of joy of his staff, gathered in front of the screen for the news of the second Michelin star to his Maison Ruggieri Paris. An extraordinary result, if you consider that the restaurant in Rue Treilhard, in the eighth arrondissement of the French capital, only opened in autumn 2022. Two stars in less than two years: an almost impossible result, which tells of the great success of an Italian who moved France.

Yes, because this result brings a bit of celebration also in Puglia, in Martina Franca, where the chef was born and raised, before following the path of haute cuisine. Road that led him over the years to the greatest: Riccardo Camanini on Lake Garda (one of the best in the world, according to The World's 50 Best Restaurants), Heinz Beck in Rome (three Michelin stars) andAtelier de Joel Rebuchon, the first of the two sacred monsters of French cuisine whose techniques Ruggieri learns. The second is Yannick Allenohis great teacher (and great cultivator of talent), who makes him head chef at his Pavilion Ledoyenbefore giving him the approval (and suggesting the name) for his solo restaurant project.

The kitchen of Maison Ruggieri

Martino Ruggieri's idea of ​​Parisian dining is built around an intimate restaurant, which tastes like “home”, but on a special occasion. A place where you can serve someone «generous, exploratory, avant-garde cuisine».

The menu Maison Ruggieri evolves with the seasons, drawing from the products of local suppliers such as Crèmerie Delacour, a historic dairy in the eighth arrondissement of Paris (where butter and cheeses come from) or Moulins de Chérisy, a family-run company from which the chef gets the flour for his breads.

Very contemporary (and commendable) as well the approach to the no-waste philosophy, with very little food waste thanks also to the use of fermentation and drying processes of vegetables, meat and other products. Not only from a culinary point of view: Martino Ruggieri, with the idea of ​​reusing leftovers, has also transformed from chef to sculptor. “Almost four years ago, during a reception, an enormous quantity of food was ordered,” he says. “At the end of the service, the observation was distressing: there were tons of leftovers.”

From there, together with the Maison Ruggieri team, the idea of ​​reusing them to make works of art was born, drying them and transforming them into something else, something malleable. «We stratified these sole skins and dried them for a long time in very specific conditions, thus creating a new material», explains Ruggieri. «The drying process created elegant architectural sculptures. From there a world opened up. Of course there have been failures with some food scraps, but that is the very essence of experimentation. Today we have evolved the process and are able to include seaweed, vegetables and even the bones of the pieces of meat used in the kitchen to create sculptures.”