The first edition of BluRhapsody Chef Challenge 2022, a creative cooking contest dedicated to young chefs, organised by BluRhapsody in collaboration with Alma, the International School of Italian Cuisine, ended on 20th June. The winner is Enrico Maridati, represented by Luca De Rentiis, with his dish “Città, lago e mare” (City, lake and sea).
10 emerging young chefs, selected by Alma and coming from all over Italy, competed on the theme “Italy in a Sphere”. The aim of the contest was to create a dish inspired by the cultural identity of an Italian region while enhancing BluRhapsody 3D pasta Sfera, one of the most iconic shapes in the collection.
The contest stemmed from the need to find the perfect connection between tradition and innovation, to give life and consistence to the idea of digital craftsmanship in which the true soul of BluRhapsody is expressed. As the jury repeatedly highlighted, all competing chefs hit the mark, telling a lot about themselves, expressing their style, speaking through their dishes about their lands and their culture. However, the most complex element to be assessed was undoubtedly the interpretation of 3D pasta, which can be defined as revolutionary precisely as it allows abandoning the more traditional concept of pasta and interpreting it as a container of ideas.
In the end, the winning dish was the one that managed to break the rules more than any other, finding an unconventional way of communicating pasta that is meant to be pioneering: “Città, lago e mare” is the creation that enabled Chef Enrico Maridati, of MIRO Osteria del Cinema restaurant in Milan, to be awarded the first prize of BluRhapsody Chef Challenge 2022.
A dish conceived as a tribute to Milan and the lifestyle of Milanese people, with their ‘aperitivo’ in the city and weekends out of town, in a storytelling passing through Campari jelly, lake fish and cacciucco sauce.
The second and third prizes were respectively awarded to the creations of Chef Cesare Gasparri with his dish “Sfere al nero di seppia con triglie alla pesarese” (Squid ink spheres with Pesaro-style mullets) and Chef Barbara Settembri with “La tradizione Maceratese in una Sfera” (Macerata tradition in a sphere).
Dishes were judged by a panel of excellence: Andrea Grignaffini, journalist and food and wine critic, Alberto Cauzzi, food and wine critic and director of Guida Ristoranti Passione Gourmet, Matias Perdomo 1 Michelin Star “Contraste” Chef, Arianna Consiglio “Exit Pastificio Urbano” Chef, Francesca Gambacorta Personal Chef and TOP 20 Food Influencer Forbes, Valerio Cabri, ALMA lecturer of the Cooking Techniques and Italian Pasta course, Giacomo Bullo ALMA Communication Manager.
If you want to know all the details and see the 10 dishes that participated in BluRhapsody Chef Challenge 2022, visit BluRhapsody Instagram page.
