Villa Crespi

It is impossible to say who is more enthusiastic about the cuisine at Tonino Cannavacciuolo, whether it is he or his wife Cinzia Primatesta. Together, they make a perfect couple, completely engrossed in their work. He occupies himself with the cooking while she manages the palace-like establishment on Lake Orta, where originally the last maharaja spent his days. Grandeur, passion and ambition have taken them far in life; they play a winning game. And the truth of the matter is that the chef is in full expansion mode, growing, maturing and devoting himself to a cuisine that is committed to culinary art. If he travels around, can convert himself into a slave of perfection and exercise some self-criticism, this thirty-something chef will join the highest culinary ranks of Italy. For now, he has already reached a quite honorable level.

What we like about Tonino is the way he knows how to combine the best of both the north and the south of Italy. He uses Sicilian products, takes inspiration from the traditional cuisine of Naples, the city where he was born and that gives him his character, and works with the knowledge of a northern chef. He manages this symbiosis of cultures with utter balance, adding a little imagination and color here, sometimes lightening things up a bit there, and suddenly he is converted into a creative author of culinary narration. This is where the young chef should concentrate his efforts: in sensible creations with historic references – a field in which he already obtains very good results.

The burrata cream with escarole soup, anchovies in vinegar and a crispy corn garnish is a dish to cheer about for its color, freshness, contrasts of flavor and texture, and overall for its beauty and intelligence. Another marvelous testimony of nature, lightness and modernity with historical references is the squid tartar in the form of a quenelle, the tentacles sautéed as a prolongation of the body, over a renovative sauce of its ink: proud and pure. From this essential composition we pass to another electric creation, as praiseworthy or more than the first: broccoli ravioli with clam water air, razorshell clams, caviar and a few other elements (I stopped counting) – a dish where the pasta becomes a sublime garnish to the seafood delicacies. For a more traditional and gourmand experience, one mustn’t miss out on the Gragnano linguine pasta with calamari and a toasted onion and bread sauce: intense. Nor the insolent “macaroni” with a Napolitano ragu: which in reality are made with fillo pasta, impeccably so, filled with meat and tomato and a colossal Parmegiano-reggiano. The lamb, squab crépinette and the ox tail with foie gras escalope serve as a marvelous climax to the feast.

The chef’s father also happened to be one of the finest pastry chefs in all of Italy and Tonino has inherited his culture, creating desserts from the classic Napolitano to ethereal, super-refreshing