The first day of Identità Golose 2018 began with excitement in the air -as well as a blizzard-. The theme of this edition is Il Fattore Umano (the Human Factor): focusing on the human relationships that distinguish the world of culinary arts and restaurants.
Who better than Bros’ can fully represent this factor? A brigade of youngsters, of brothers and a millennial as icing on the cake. Together they decided to present themselves as Pellegrino Bros and dedicate their lives to the signature restaurant. They built, step by step, a team of young people in love with the cooking, who are not afraid to travel the world to collect as many points of view possible. That’s why, says Floriano (the elder of the brothers, who is 27) -speaking about his brothers Francesco- the pastry chef of the family, after the ritual passage from Berasategui, he studied with Paco Torreblanca and Jordi Roca, while Giovanni – the youngest – has already understood that living with the suitcase in his hand is the best way to find his own way and already boasts internships from Pierre Gagnaire and Ryu Gin (in Hong Kong).
Globetrotting chefs who have no intention of stopping, but Floriano for some years have found a new home to meet to make the most of the experience gained: Lecce. A lively, Salentinian, Southern city: one lives on the streets and it represents him best.
But the eyes of the Sala Blu are all focused on Her. But who is Isabella Potì?
Born in 1995. Pastry chef, sous-chef and co-owner at Bros’, inserted in 2017 by the American magazine Forbes in the “30 Under 30” list, the culinary talent combines charm and beauty.
Isabella Potì tells of the many tests and reinterpretations she makes before inserting a new confectionery creation in the Bros’ restaurant menu.
Also talking about her future and the inclusion in the important list of Forbes, Potì always sees herself working at Bros’: “The tests to do before approving a dessert? Desserts also depend on the rest of the menu, a consistency that sometimes takes longer. In other cases a test was enough and the dessert was ready. Future? I see Isabella with Bros’! We are not a prison, be it clear, nor do I see the decision as a limitation: mine was a ‘choice’, the choice to enter a family that likes to define itself as ‘culinary racketeering’. It is a deliberate choice, and I have every intention of pursuing it to the end. Forbes is an important goal, it is the umpteenth stimulus that leads me to do my job well”.
What is striking about this team, family and ‘brigata’ is their determination, creativity and unity as its strenght.
Their motto is “the essential is visible to taste”. The cleanliness that guides the cooking line can be perceived right from the menu, where the accent falls on the ingredients, all quality raw materials (many local), even if “here it is very difficult to work with excellence, especially for logistical obstacles”, reveals Floriano accustomed to the organization of international cuisines.
The restaurant offers a conceptualized territorial cuisine, with the idea of returning to the essence of the Salento tradition. The modus operandi is based on the enhancement of seasonal food, changing menus for each equinox / solstice and analyzing each ingredient vertically and horizontally.
The territory can offer really great resources, from the carrot of Polignano to the potatoes of Scorrano, to the fish of the Adriatic. In their menu, for now, there is also meat – on the other hand, the passage in France must not be forgotten – but the goal is to progressively reduce the use of animal proteins, working mainly with vegetables in season, keeping reasonable prices and running for “the star”.
