SOURCE & CREDITS: inthefoodforlove.it
Donato De Leonardis was born in 1990 in Basilicata. He lives in Lavello, a town in the province of Potenza overlooking Mount Vulture. After graduating from the culinary school in Melfi in 2009, he moved to Colorno to attend Alma, the prestigious International School of Italian Cuisine, where he refined his technical skills and knowledge. This was the beginning of a professional journey that led him, after completing his studies, to work in Alpago, a small mountain community nestled in the Belluno Dolomites between Cansiglio and Lake Santa Croce, at the Michelin-starred “San Lorenzo” restaurant. After this important experience, he moved to Campania, to Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi on the Sorrento Peninsula, to work at Don Alfonso 1890, a two-Michelin-star establishment and a cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine in southern Italy and beyond. After rediscovering the air of the south, he moved to Milan to work at the Trussardi alla Scala restaurant, first under the guidance of Chef Andrea Berton, and then as part of Chef Carlo Cracco’s team. In 2012, he joined the ranks of Gualtiero Marchesi, considered the founder of “New Italian Cuisine,” where he spent five pivotal years, eventually becoming Sous Chef in 2014 and, in 2015, at just 25 years old, Head Chef. In 2018, he returned to Lavello to elevate Lucanian cuisine, bringing all his experience to the luxurious San Barbato Resort Spa and Golf ***** Luxury project.
This goal was fully achieved with the awarding of a Michelin star in 2021. We meet him in his kitchen at Don Alfonso 1890, which is temporarily closed to the public due to the Covid-19 emergency.
**Donato, you started from Lavello, trained and specialized elsewhere, and then had the fortune to return to your hometown and even earn a Michelin star… Is there a traditional dish or product that you’re particularly attached to and perhaps want to (or plan to) rework into a gourmet version?**
Dear Daniele, I’ve had the perseverance and strength to set aside many things in life. I spent my youth far from friends and family, giving up even a few days of vacation, just to stay in those coveted kitchens and nurture and see my greatest passion grow over time—cooking. I’ve always believed in dreams, never backing down from the sacrifices I knew I had to face to make them achievable. Today, I can say that I’m very satisfied to have achieved one of those dreams: bringing a Michelin star back to the province of Potenza, after the death of Frank Rizzuti, in this enchanting place to which I owe so much and where it all began. There are many dishes and products I’m attached to, but I have a special connection to the everyday farm life of my grandparents. Eggs, free-range chickens, rabbit, game, and all the fresh produce from the garden. I remember with fondness and nostalgia the olive harvest, watching the milling and oil extraction, and the grape harvest and tasting the new wine. All of this has inspired many dishes on my menu, such as risotto, egg, and rabbit.
**You’ve paid your dues in the kitchen. What ingredients or dishes have stayed with you and inspired your culinary philosophy?**
Let’s say we have many ingredients, but few dishes—or rather, two. Two dishes shape my culinary philosophy: the tomato spaghetti from Don Alfonso 1890 and the Gold and Saffron Risotto from my two great mentors, Alfonso Iaccarino and Gualtiero Marchesi. High-quality ingredients, technique, and a touch of creativity. Few elements, but treated with the respect they deserve to give them their full value. One day, a mentor told me that it’s easy to make a dish with many elements—if I make a mistake with many, it won’t be noticed. But with a dish with only four or five elements, if I make a mistake with one or two, the entire dish will be ruined!
**How do your dishes come to life? Which one is the most representative? Can tradition and innovation go hand in hand?**
My dishes come from a continuous exploration of everything our territory offers, with a constant preference for those who preserve traditional methods and quality over intensive and industrial practices. I also constantly draw on what I’ve seen and experienced firsthand during my career. I firmly believe that tradition and innovation can go hand in hand because I think tradition is the foundation of any chef, and innovation and experience add the personal touch to each dish.
**2020 was a year you’ll always remember—your first Michelin star and the birth of your first child. For many of your colleagues, it was a year to forget. What do you expect from 2021, and how do you think it will be?**
We are going through a dark and difficult time, but we must never give up. We must continue to think, study, and stay on top of things, maintaining the principles and balance that are the foundation of our work. Determination is what ultimately rewards us. I’ve had the persistence to always see the glass as half full, and I’ve been rewarded in the values I believe in the most—my passion for my work and the bond and love for my family, to whom I owe so much. I hope that 2021 brings back smiles and the desire to start anew after so many setbacks. I wish for myself, my loved ones, and those around me to regain the carefree spirit we’ve lost during this period and the strength to face the future positively.
I want to dedicate this achievement to all the people who are no longer with us, both near and far, who would have rejoiced with me over this recognition. Because life is the most important gift we all have, and we must always be grateful for it!
