From the old controversies concerning him to the most ambitious projects now in the pipeline: Carlo Cracco he told Fedez in the last episode of the podcast Wolf. Moreover, the friendship between the starred chef and the rapper that began years ago and is also demonstrated by the Ferragnez’s romantic dinners in the Galleria is nothing new. During the hour-long interview, the two talked about various topics starting from being entrepreneur in cateringfrom here here are 5 things we discovered about him, that perhaps you didn’t know.
Carlo Cracco tells his story to Fedez: 5 curiosities
1. The new restaurant
This year Carlo Cracco will open a new restaurant in Rome, in Parliament Square, inside a hotel of the Corinthia chain, in the historic building that housed the Bank of Italy. «I’ll take care of everything food & beverage, from breakfast in the morning onwards. There will be plenty of seats, and I’ll be part of a great team. Rome, then, has great opportunities, it could grow a lot, but it is undervalued. Milan was luckier, thanks also to the people who work there, but Rome could be ten times as much.”
2. The project in the countryside: the agricultural estate
In 2020 Carlo Cracco and his wife Rosa Fanti discovered an old estate in Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna, in the hinterland, not far from Rimini, and they fell in love with it. They began to renovate it and cultivate the vineyard, olive grove and vegetable garden (which provides them with a good part of the vegetables they use in the Milanese restaurant). And no, I won’t make a restaurant there, but a farmhouse, explains Cracco, «with everything you need to relax: you will leave the car outside to get on your bicycle or electric car. There was an already active vineyard on the estate, and we are continuing it too a project for wine productionwhich is giving us a lot of satisfaction.”
3. The controversy over receipts
Many times the receipts from Cracco’s restaurant in Milan have gone viral and sparked bitter controversy over the cost of water or coffee. «I’m in the Gallery: if you want to come and be served a glass of water, you have to take into account that it will cost more, replies Cracco. «How can I pay the staff if I don’t charge for water? Service done well has a price: low cost cannot be done in the Gallery. Catering always has very high costs: I have seen few Italian chefs who have managed to get rich.”
4. The potato chip commercial
This is another recurring criticism leveled at Cracco, “guilty” of having lent his image to advertise the chips. But he does not deny his choice: «I had in mind to open the restaurant in the Galleria: that was my goal, and to achieve it I had to earn money. I’ve done it. I always want to grow, and working towards a goal is the best thing. I always say this to the guys who work with me too.”
5. The most welcome guest
Was Patti Smith. «She came to the Gallery and, at the end of lunch, I went to say hello to her. I didn’t ask for her photo because I didn’t want to disturb her. I was about to leave, when they asked me to wait a moment, because Patti wanted to sing something. I immediately had the music and her turned off he adapted one of his songs by putting the two dishes he had eaten into it. I really had chills.”
If you want to see the interview in full, here is the direct link.
