The meeting in the brigade of a great chef, a small disused oven in Greco, a northern suburb of Milan, two Japanese and 40 thousand lollipops. The history of the restaurant To the touch and of Sara and Cinzia it is an intricate match of skill and luck in which it is difficult to untangle one from the other.
One of the best moments of their story is when, leaving the kitchen of Gioia and chef Pietro Leemann – the first vegetarian restaurant to receive a Michelin star, where they met – they open a vegetarian catering service and dream of being able to open also a small bistro.
They renounce the possibility given to them by a financing partner because they want to remain free to invent and experiment, they don’t want to end up in the logic of an elegant place with ironed tablecloths and silver cutlery. It is in that moment, when they chose freedom but don’t have the money to build it, who from their door to Greco enter two Japanese who change their future. They propose to supply the entire Lexus pavilion at the Salone del Mobile with sweets: the girls sthey shut up in the laboratory for a month, give up all other jobs and churn out 40,000 lollipops. The result? They save money to open a vegetarian bistro. Don’t think who knows what. Altatto is 30sqm large, like a garage, it is in Greco, not really a central area of Milan. There are 4 tables for 4 people: 4 × 4 = 16 seats. Only if they manage to do two shifts in the evening, can they also stay there with the expenses. Altatto was born like this, and they, Sara Nicolosi and Cinzia de Lauri aged 34 and 29 are the New Talent of Vanity Fair (which here answer our questions together).
How is Altatto doing?
“The period, needless to say, is disastrous, but we try. Thanks to the concessions for the occupation of public land by the municipality of Milan, we put four tables in the street and two umbrellas and last summer we served drinks with some dishes. Now the guys from the courtyard next door have proposed us to use their garden for lunches and dinners on the weekend. It is a good opportunity and our agreement is in friendship: we only pay if we work. For example, it’s raining tonight and we won’t pay. ‘
Is it beautiful, is it the famous solidarity born of the pandemic?
«Yes, it is a difficult time for everyone, but we help each other and try to remain flexible. We are a young company, on the move. And we are a group, which helps to overcome crises, because we build strength and share ideas ».
And Pietro Leemann, your former employer, came to your garden for dinner?
“Yes, he has come, even if he is always very busy. He supports us a lot, he also wrote the introduction to our book and he loves our micro-seasonality recipes very much ».
What is micro-seasonality?
«Micro-seasonality is the direction of our kitchen. Normally we speak of “seasonality” with a card that changes every four months. With us, however, the card changes every month, or even once a week. Ours is a menu that honors the raw material of the moment to the utmost, relying on trusted producers: based on what is available we create our dishes ».
What do you eat at your place?
«Our tasting menu is a succession of dishes in consistency, cooking, colors. To try with the “touch”, to feel in the mouth. With us there are no longer first and second courses and desserts, also because using vegetables we can afford not to follow the classic pattern. In addition to an amuse-bouche, we serve four main dishes, with a “gustatory shock” in the middle, and then a small pastry. It’s a quick menu, which costs € 42 ».
Why did you choose vegetarian cuisine?
«We had love at first sight: vegetarian cuisine is a cuisine that is an infinite world of experimentation. Then there is also the aspect linked to ethics: we want the future to be different, and we think that vegetarian cuisine is closer to the future, more respectful of the environment, especially by choosing the right products ».
What should a product be like?
«We choose our producers through extensive research. They are almost all local producers, many of them organic and very small. For example, we take butter from a lady who will have 12 cows at the beginning of Valtellina. We fall in love with how they work ».
What is the value of making such choices?
«It goes without saying that products made with love are also the best. But there is also a question of consistency. Catering has a great impact on production. Financing small and nearby producers can really change the future ».
For those who come to you is it important that you pay this attention to ecology?
“Very. It also happens that the quality of our products pushes our customers to change their choices when they shop ».
What is the most important change in an ecological food transition?
«As far as restaurants are concerned, it means having a very small menu. Very long cards are always suspicious: either everything is frozen, it’s old or you throw away a lot of things ».
Don’t have scraps at your restaurant?
«No, we are small and we shop carefully. It is unlikely that anything will be left over and in case we have a staff of 6 people… ».
Are you interested in fame? Would you like a star?
“I don’t know if we’re right for Michelin. We don’t have long, pressed tablecloths, we don’t have well-dressed waiters, we don’t have silver trays and bottled water. Unless they choose us for the “Green Star”. In sustainability we are doing a lot, for example in delivery we do not generate waste but we send home a metal container which we then collect ».
What is your greatest talent?
«Creativity and maximum concentration, even a little obsessive (Sara). Strength and pragmatism (Cinzia) ».
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