'People, not Ingredients!' Alumnus Paolo Tucci explains the philosophy behind ‘Tucci Atelier Gastronomico’.

Tell us about your path: What brought you to Pollenzo for the Master of Gastronomy: food in the world in 2016?
After graduating in Economics from Bocconi University, I learned about the University of Gastronomic Sciences in 2013 through meeting prof Gabriella Morini. Wanting to arrive at Pollenzo prepared, I decided to spend two years in Australia before attending, working in restaurants, wineries, at sustainable farms and wine bars dedicated to natural wine, rotating in sales, marketing and cooking roles. Oceania is a continent that is rich in heterogeneous, fresh and authentic gastronomic cultures thanks to recent migrants from Asia and Europe. In the space of an afternoon, you can drink an excellent espresso, get together to practice Gong Fu Cha, buy Bánh mì for your roommates to share during a Gravner-based dinner. A unique continent to learn, but I was missing literature that could make sense of the complex gastronomic reality surrounding me.

What values ​​did Pollenzo leave you that you carry with you in your everyday life, and what importance does the alumni network have for you?
The habit of constantly relating to products, food processing and people with a different background from mine, trying to find links and connections through constant study, combined with a 360° vision of problems, from a technical-scientific, humanistic, ethical, and economic point of view. Multiculturalism and multidisciplinarity are fundamental traits that still characterize Tucci Atelier Gastronomico today and that we try to convey to colleagues, customers and stakeholders. During the master's program in Pollenzo, I thought I had found only a few answers. What I realized after graduating was that I had acquired a mindset focused not on giving answers but on trying to ask the right questions, an element of value within the current, constantly changing job market. Knowing that I have a network of alumni facing the same challenges, travelling companions on this bumpy journey, was fundamental. The collaboration with Beatrice Guzzi, UNISG alumna and manager of Tucci Atelier Gastronomico, is proof of this.

'People, not Ingredients!' is your slogan; Tell us more about this company philosophy:
Working in the world of Food & Beverage, it often seemed that the discussion was monopolized by the food product, real or imaginary, pushing people to the margins, including them only in storytelling with other motives, ethical or commercial. At Tucci Atelier Gastronomico, we believe that it is the person who is the central element of every project, the protagonist whose needs we must respond to.

Entrepreneurs, cooks, farmers, researchers, artisans must all be put back at the centre of a discourse that is less concentrated on dogmas related to denominations, arbitrary qualities and origins but more on the ability to respond to the needs of the world effectively, to find genuine feedback, which rewards the ability of the individual to add real, economic, social and environmental value to the food chain.

We believe that gastronomy is defined by transformations, not by-products and that it is based on people, not on ingredients.

Tucci Atelier Gastronomico opened in 2020; How was the project born?
It was born from an intuition at the end of a career as an employee that tied me to Japan for several years during the 2020 crisis: the world was changing, and, like with every crisis, different opportunities had opened up. After a year of work, during which we built a network based on over twenty customers, including Michelin-starred chefs, hotel schools, restaurant chains, wineries, importers, distributors, processors based in the USA, Italy, Spain and Japan, we were happy to have grown and welcomed other gastronomes in our studio. The recent creation of Acetyca, a biotech startup focused on R&D and culinary dissemination in the world of vinegar, set up by Beatrice and me together with vinegar master Andrea Bezzecchi of Acetaia San Giacomo, represents the next step in our growth path as professionals.

Tucci Atelier Gastronomico was created to demonstrate to the actual market that being a gastronome is not a pastime or a role without concrete applications. It is not the boring choice of a person who thinks about filling the (very long) hours that separate lunch from dinner.

Being a Gastronome is a Profession, full stop.