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CARLO CRACCO: “COMBINING HEART AND MIND”
Every chef has their own personal philosophy of cuisine, and that of Carlo Cracco revolves around three fundamental concepts: challenge, research, and synthesis. For the chef, it is not diversity that should be emphasised when bringing flavours together but the new tastes that emerge as a result—their uniqueness.
Experience, observation, and knowledge of the world are all determining factors in the cuisine of Carlo Cracco. But how did his career and his in-depth research into taste evolve?
To answer that question, we need to go back to 1986 when, at only 21 years of age, Chef Cracco met his mentor in Milan, Gualtiero Marchesi—the first Italian chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars. It was the beginning of a turning point that led to his role as Executive Chef of the restaurant Cracco-Peck, which quickly became one of the most popular restaurants in Milan and earned two Michelin stars.
Coffee Lens: The Coffee Design Project by Cracco
In 2004, Cracco became a Lavazza Chef Ambassador, and his culinary expertise merged with Lavazza Coffee Design, a project by the Lavazza Training Center that explores and reinvents classic coffee-house concepts, sometimes with a touch of irony. The Coffee Lens is a product of this collaboration and consists of actual contact lenses made from coffee—a playful nod to the sense of sight, acknowledging that the eye has a role to play as well. The base, made from coffee and kappa gelatine (a gelling agent derived from seaweed), is processed at a constant 80 degrees and then placed into the designated moulds. The design phase also paid particular attention to the product's hydration, much like the care given to real contact lenses.
In the kitchen, combining heart and mind
In 2011, Carlo Cracco made his TV debut alongside Joe Bastianich, American entrepreneur and restaurateur, and Chef Bruno Barbieri. They were the three MasterChef Italia judges, and the show made him known to the wider public for his culinary identity, which he himself defines as a marriage of “heart and mind”.
Egg alla Cracco and Kafa Forest Coffee: experiments in cuisine
In 2018, one of the most iconic spots in Milan became home to an icon of Italian culinary excellence. Thus Cracco in Galleria was born. Guests were welcomed into the restaurant by boiserie wood panelling in light blue-grey tones, leading into the three dining halls and two private rooms of the restaurant where they could enjoy a menu with unexpected courses. For example, a marinated egg yolk, to be eaten in a single mouthful, became nothing short of a scientific experiment based on a great love of food and its flavours, so research never strayed from the intensity of the taste.
Scents and traditions at Cracco Portofino
But Cracco is not content as a chef alone, and in 2020 he and his wife, Rosa Fanti, opened Vistamare, a farm in Santarcangelo di Romagna (RN) where crops are transformed into fruit juices, oil, wine, and sweets. A selection of special products that carry his signature and enrich the offering in his first online shop: Craccoexpress.
In July 2021, he launched his spectacular new restaurant: Cracco Portofino—a true voyage among the scents and flavours of the regional tradition of Liguria, reinterpreting it with contemporary flair. In this space, suspended between dreams and reality, facing out onto the Gulf of Tigullio, every small gesture towards his guests becomes a truly special occasion, even the coffee ritual at the end of the meal.
As the chef himself says, the coffee ritual is the most important moment because it represents “the grand finale”, which finds its greatest expression here in the specialty blend Cocoa Reloaded 1895 by Lavazza Coffee Designers, which blends the most disparate taste notes with its refined notes of chocolate, cinnamon spice, and orange marmalade. According to Chef Cracco, this specialty blend can only be brewed with the moka pot. This traditional extraction method, in addition to maintaining a certain charm, highlights the importance of every detail in the preparation, offering a bona fide sensorial experience—a voyage commencing from the moment in which the air is filled with the aroma of a coffee rich in flavour and character.
The chef is always ready for a change of scenery, trying out authentic experiences.
