Davide Oldani – creator of pop cuisine – will be the brand ambassador of the 1st Level Master in Food and Wine Criticism
“My pop cuisine was born from the desire to mix the essential with the well done, the good with the accessible, innovation with tradition. I am convinced that great Italian cuisine is great – as well as for variety and taste – also for the possibility that it offers to be constantly reinterpreted: I did it with simplicity, giving value to all the ingredients and making the seasonality and high quality of the products two fixed points. To these key points I added a principle that guide in the preparation of each dish: the search for harmony in the balance of contrasts, which for me means not only a promise of sweet in the salty and a “memory” of salty in the sweet, but the harmonious coexistence in each dish of everything what stimulates the palate: soft, crunchy, warm, cold, sweet, bitter “.
All this, for Davide Oldani, must find a composition in a light but tasty, healthy but varied, simple but surprising cuisine.
To complete his idea of pop cuisine: the continuous passion and research, the indispensable teamwork and the welcome of the guest. Sober but elegant, the latter is based on the belief that beauty must also be functional, like all the objects that Oldani has created for his guests.
How important is it, especially in this particular moment, to support training in all its sectors and, in particular, in the food and wine field?
“When it comes to information, culture, study, it is always a very important issue. All this must be done with the right criteria, to ensure that young students can learn in the correct way”.
Teaching the fundamental principles in order to become aware critics, knowing how to mix passion and skills in a conscious way. How much can good catering professionals benefit from a critical class capable of understanding all the nuances of the world of food and wine?
“It is always good to have a critical confrontation, as long as it is constructive. The background of experiences that everyone accumulates in their life leads to receiving comments from critics. These can be considered more or less fair, accepted with greater or lesser serenity. It is therefore the comparison with a well-trained and aware criticism is fundamental in order to continuously improve “.
How important is it for Davide Oldani to be a brand ambassador for such an innovative and important project for the sectors of journalistic writing, catering and food and wine?
“My presence is important – like that of other colleagues – to the extent that my experience can be useful in increasing the children’s ambition to grow professionally. I do not go beyond my experience as a chef.
I think yours is an ambitious project, so I am pleased to be of help “.
“There is nothing more democratic than cooking”, he said some time ago when releasing an interview for our magazine. Is the thesis of the importance of creating competent critical information validated? Do you think that in this way a sort of fourth estate can be established for a non-specialized public, but guided by those who put their skills at the service of information?
“I think it is a correct reasoning. When judging it is essential to have knowledge, otherwise you risk entering a judgment mechanism that is an end in itself, therefore incorrect, which harms information. On the other hand, a judgment based on experience and knowledge must be accepted and must be a push to improve “.
Do you feel like leaving a thought in particular or a message of encouragement to students who are preparing to begin this new chapter of their academic career?
“I wish them to be consistent in their future profession, as it should be in life. To believe in their dreams and to putting into practice the knowledge acquired on a daily basis “.
