What if Gualtiero Marchesi had he not been a cook, but a musician? This alternative vision is suggested by the format Culinary harmonya special dinner in which its historic dishes are expressed through the music proposed byAlinde Quartet. The debut took place on the evening of 94th anniversary of the birth of the Maestrolast March 19, in the only restaurant in the world that brings his authentic gastronomic works to the menu, the Gualtiero Marchesi Terrace at Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
At the table I was lucky enough to be in the company of co-protagonists of this important piece in the history of Italian cuisine: on the one hand the Maestro’s son-in-law and right-hand man, Enrico Dandoloand on the other i Mr and Mrs De Santis, owners of the hospitality facility and family friends. There are many unpublished anecdotes that paint a portrait of Gualtiero Marchesi much more human than what the books want us to believe – for example, those evenings concluded with chocolate ice cream and Crêpes Suzette despite diabetes, described affectionately by Mrs. De Santis (also a great fan of La Cucina Italiana).
Investigating the human side of great figures enriches official portraits with even unexpected nuances: hearing from Enrico Dandolo as he knew Simona Marchesi (volunteering in the Red Cross was a prisoner) and he asked the Master for her hand is exciting to say the least. Enrico was indispensable for 27 years alongside his father-in-law, going from computer scientist to his right-hand man, to put it simply – after all, it was he who computerize the Marchesi restaurant at La Rinascente first, then at the Fondazione. «He came to the office in the morning with a new idea, when there were 100 others still to be developed!, Like the (mis)adventure of Marchesi signature sandwiches for McDonald’s in 2011he says smiling, aware of the great treasure that together with his family he is destined to protect and disseminate.
Seeing your eyes shine Simona Marchesi in the memory of his father he is engaging as are the words he chooses to describe him with disarming sincerity: a harmonious, sweet, affectionate, refined, elegant, always light-hearted, optimistic, humble, simple person with brilliant creativity, very determined and courageous, above all a man free from preconceptions, open and very curious about life, in search of beauty – a man of intellect in search of essentiality. And yes, adds the Master’s daughter, perhaps cooking was not his ambition, but a way of expressing his need to search for beauty and therefore to make the dish immortal through the sublimation of the cuisine used: «as he himself maintained, the cuisine of truth, the cuisine of form, the cuisine of matter. Attracted by art, music and adventure, Gualtiero Marchesi felt the need to develop his inclinations and passions, so he cultivates his artistic talent through frequenting artists, painters, sculptors and musicians. He even starts studying the piano, ending up marrying his teacher, Antonietta Cassisaa wonderful pianist, daughter of art, who becomes his muse.
