Scents of Abruzzo in the contemporary cuisine of chef Mario Martino – Virtù Quotidiane

CASTEL DI SANGRO – “Mine is a contemporary cuisine, linked to seasonality and excellent quality raw materials. I love autumn very much, coming from the mountains, for its flavours: there are truffles, mushrooms. I love game and lake fish. I prefer local products and small producers, zero km, as much as possible. I currently work in Veneto. I don’t offer actual Abruzzo recipes, but my cuisine remains linked to my origins.”

Among the former students of the three-starred chef Niko Romito who have made their way in the catering field with their talent, there is Mario Martino. Born in Castel di Sangro (L’Aquila) in 1990, he is the son of an artist: his father Angel he is a cooking teacher at the Hotel Institute of Roccaraso, which Mario attended.

“My father passed this passion on to me. I had the opportunity to have very formative experiences while I was attending hotel school. The most significant at the Grande Albergo di Roccaraso, under the guidance of Michele Casciato who gave me all the basics, trained me to be in the kitchen. I did my first season away from home when I was 19 in Riva del Garda. I then had the opportunity to work with William Zonfa and his Michelin star in L’Aquila, at the Magione Papale for about a year and a half”.

Then, the return to Riva del Garda, to the Lido Palace, and the idea of ​​leaving for Switzerland. The latter, however, left room for the desire to attend Niko Romito’s Academy: “A call for higher education for chefs had come out, so I preferred to stay at home and try to enter the chef’s academy in Castel of Sangro”. The idea turns out to be a winning one.

“The course was very important for my education. I did the internship at the Reale restaurant, a truly formative experience: I got along very well with the other chefs, there was a good atmosphere between us, we were very cohesive, so the work didn’t weigh at all, we tried to do more and more. The relationship with the chef was always splendid, he really appreciated the fact that I worked hard.”

After the internship at Reale, Mario leaves for Switzerland. In 2015, however, he returned to work for Niko Romito, this time at Spazio Milano. The desire to improve himself even further pushes him to leave for London. In the English capital, he works in the pastry department of The Langham Hotel (it was 2017) – with the pastry chef Andrew Gravett – and also had the opportunity to gain experience as a private chef for a family who lived between London and Geneva.

“They particularly liked my lasagna. I went to London because I wanted to learn a language well. It was important to work in a pastry department, I think a chef must be complete. After this experience, I became passionate about sweets and artistic chocolate. I really love the world of leavened products.”

Brexit shuffles the cards a bit and Mario returns to Italy, to Riva del Garda. During the pandemic, the young chef decides to add another piece to his training and take the first level of sommelier, and then attend a course to become Food and Beverage Manager. “I wanted to be as complete as possible. Being in the kitchen requires a lot of perseverance, discipline and a great desire to do and update yourself. I still continue to do it, even if time is short, with the help of online courses; the last one I attended was about panettone and great leavened products”.

The chef today works in Veneto, in the restaurant of the Hotel Sailing Center in Malcesine (Verona), on Lake Garda. “My dishes are mainly fish-based. I use trout a lot. Among the proposals, also recalling my Abruzzo origins, there is a dish based on trout, black summer truffle and blackberry”.

In the drawer, however, there is still a desire: “I would like to return to Abruzzo and open something of my own”.