It all seems easy, but it’s not. You have to go upwind and not always follow the wind that blows: Sacco, who was an excellent windsurfer in his youth, knows this well. “Is that you have to steer your own coursedon’t give in to trends: too many have been French, Spanish, Nordic, Peruvian… Me I’m a great travelerI love the foods of the countries I visit but when you go home you have to enhance the territories because Italian cuisine is like the Divine Comedy: a cultural and historical heritage, which everyone must know and perhaps learn. Starting from the assumption that local cuisines are the basis while you make mistakes in moving from one trend to another: real revolutions do not come from outside but arise from ideas like Lake people or Care’s where chefs, patrons and producers work in synergy to give emotions to the guest. I would like a hundred more initiatives like this.”

Sacco has the (deserved) reputation of being a talent enhancer: many good professionals and some champions have come out of Piccolo Lago, first of all Paolo Griffa. «I still like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, becoming more and more the coach of those who work: my generation has a duty to help young people find their way, teaching above all respect for the customer. Today more than ever there is no point in acting cool and cooking for yourself. We’ve come down from the pedestal we were in a few years ago and I think it’s right.” But do they understand his route? «If affinity exists, you see it immediately in the pleasure of discover the area around the Piccolo Lago: there are kids who on their day off go to visit this or that supplier, they commit themselves to looking for the best frogs and snails, they listen to the elders of the profession. For me, this makes a difference and I hope it always does. Then, as happened to me, with experience you avoid mistakes.

Beautiful words, from a chef who has an old dream in his drawer: wander for three years, on three continents, with a large camper where half the space is taken up by a kitchen. «I want to pay for my trip by doing street food at each stop – she anticipates with a smile – I hope to leave in 5-6 years at most. It will mean that I have followed a clear path, passing my hand on to my children Jessica and Simone but in general to the new generation.” In the meantime (we’re biased) stay at Piccolo Lago, with lots of freshwater fish on your plate.