Edited by Giorgia Del Bianco
When cuisine comes from the land, feeds on travel and looks to its future with ambition
Class of 2000, Manuel Dal Ben is a gastronomic discovery in many respects.
His homeland remains his fixed point. He may leave, travel, experiment, but he will always return to Gradisca d'Isonzo, on the border between Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Slovenia. He is one of those shy chefs, who tells his story little by little, just like his dishes. Essential but profound, immediate yet capable of surprising. He is very clear about his distinctive traits, the way he conducts his cooking and the direction he wants to give to each creation.
Minimal
You don't need many ingredients to make a dish: five, six, sometimes even three. What really counts is quality: fresh, local, seasonal products. This is the only way to fully savour the authentic taste of the raw material, without altering it, but enhancing it with small details, such as wild herbs in his case.
Every chef has a motto
One never stops learning. Every new guy who joins the brigade can make an important contribution to the birth of a dish. He brings fresh air into the kitchen, a different outlook, perhaps an experience far removed from that of others. And it is precisely this diversity that is of fundamental value.
Simple cooking
He defines his cuisine as simple and complex at the same time, characterised by predominantly acidic and bitter notes. An imprint that comes from the food he grew up with and that has inevitably shaped his palate. Precisely because of this, he sometimes has to be careful not to overdo it: his taste is naturally more prone to these two nuances.
Travelling
What has had the greatest impact on the person he is today has been travel. From the smallest ones, such as discovering an interesting restaurant, to overseas experiences.
New York introduced him to new flavours and unexpected combinations. Working at Central, Peru, allowed him to come into contact with unfamiliar ingredients and techniques he had never experienced before. A trip to Australia also enriched his sensory background, further broadening his gastronomic horizon. But the most significant experience is undoubtedly that alongside Chef Klugmann. Three years spent with her brigade, from the age of nineteen to twenty-one, immersed in a unique reality, capable of leaving a deep mark.
Leitmotiv: experimentation
Over time he has explored different techniques, special processes and ingredients he has never encountered before. What fascinates him most is to understand how a single element can transform and give completely different results.
He especially loves experimenting with vegetables, convinced that they can offer new facets and unexpected flavours every time. He has also dedicated himself to controlled fermentations, such as tempeh and tofu, and uses preservation methods, such as pickled wild asparagus, to be able to use them out of season.
Wild herbs
They are and will always remain an indispensable presence in his cuisine. They represent that added value that completes and harmonises the dish.
However, one must know, understand and respect them. In summer, they can be harvested as early as the early hours of the morning to get the best flavour; in winter, on the other hand, you have to wait until midday for them to reach their ideal balance.
Essential Elements
The tomato is one of those ingredients that is never missing from his summer dishes. He loves working with it, deeply appreciates its taste and wants to include it in his creations.
Winter, on the other hand, results in a drastic reduction of available local elements. This is why it produces fermented products and preserves what it can, so that it has living matter even in the coldest months. Game is one of those meats in which it finds an authentic taste. It is not something that everyone appreciates, which is why it rarely appears on his menus, but for him it represents an element of great interest.
Affective knives
They are the tool a chef is most proud of: the one he never part with, guarded with almost jealous care. Sure, he may lend one out for a quick cut, but with an ever watchful eye.
Golden Rules
Sustainability must be an integral part of every kitchen. For Manuel it means above all working with local producers who respect the ecosystem in which we live. This is why he tends to intervene as little as possible on the raw material: if it has been treated with care and respect, its flavour will already be intense and complete. The fight against food waste is also central to his philosophy. Raw materials can be managed and enhanced without necessarily eliminating them. A rule that applies as much to products already purchased as to those left unsold in the hands of a farmer. He rarely proposes the same dishes, except when some of them become cult favourites. He always prefers to invent something new, even from the same ingredients.
A future
Together with a friend, they are planning to open their own restaurant. The gastronomic proposal will be divided into two souls. Lunch will offer simple but carefully prepared, immediate and cosy cuisine. In the evening, on the other hand, it will leave room for a more complex dimension: a refined menu, studied tastings and unusual pairings. The objective is clear: to win a Michelin star and establish themselves as a young proposition capable of making its mark. They want people to choose their restaurant to celebrate an important moment, with the certainty of having an impeccable experience.
When I finish talking to him, I am left with that typical feeling of suspense: the dry mouth of someone who already wants to taste something that does not yet exist.
All that remains is to wait.
And in some cases, waiting only fuels desire.
A wish that, this time, we are already certain will be fully repaid.
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