Chefs from Brussels Restaurant Racines to Cook at the Academic Tables

A contemporary project rooted in traditional Italian cuisine

The Racines project, which for some years has been enlivening the gastronomic scene in Brussels, has its roots in the Italian regions of Campania and Tuscany.

Behind this restaurant, which is also an épicerie, enoteca and garden, are Ugo Federico, from Capri, and Francesco Cury, from Florence.

Both had worked at Fausto Picchi’s Cibreo in Florence before deciding to launch Racines together in the heart of Europe in 2015. The name means “roots,” and its Italian-inflected menu is inspired by the cooking of the chef’s grandmothers, using local, seasonal produce.

The dishes are based on fresh, handmade pasta, the catch of the day and locally sourced, seasonal vegetables, paired, of course, with the best Italian wines, chosen with an eye to biodynamic and organic viticulture.

Members of the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance, Ugo and Francesco have created a very special place in the Ixelles neighborhood: a contemporary restaurant, a place for learning and meeting, a flagship for a new generation of “made in Italy.”

The Racines duo will be cooking at the Academic Tables in Pollenzo on Tuesday March 20, Wednesday March 21 and Thursday March 22.

Here is their menu for each day:

On Tuesday lunch will start with a zuppa asciutta (“dry soup”) with pumpkin and fritters filled with buffalo milk ricotta and pecorino, followed by fresh homemade gramigna pasta with scorpionfish broth and celeriac parmigiana, and to finish a lemon Caprese cake.

On Wednesday, bread soup with a soft egg will precede chickpea crêpes with pumpkin, squid braised with greens and potatoes, and to finish a chocolate pudding.

On Thursday, the chefs will be preparing seasonal roasted vegetables with onions, fresh homemade ziti alla Genovese with Atlantic bonito, mullet or gurnard reduction with lentils and hazelnuts and for dessert a pumpkin crema sabauda.

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