Roberto is a big guy who hides a kind and sincere soul behind a thick dark beard. And if his eyes communicate clarity, his words tell of humility, the humility that alone can give a project strong and firm wings. Because only passion and truth can win over everything.
The project is obviously related to the world of catering. It is the Jamantè of Polignano, new format made in Apulia born in 2020.
The passion, that of Roberto Pisciotta, who at Jamantè is the soul of the kitchen, has instead more distant roots.
"It all started when I was 13,' he recounts. 'My sister was studying at the hotel management school and I was fascinated and involved, not to say overwhelmed, by her passion for pastry. I started making cakes, without any practice or training, and from there I realised I wanted to study the techniques (I too ended up in the hotel-management school, at Perotti in Bari) and wanted to be determined to stand out. After school, which I attended with resolution and utmost dedication, I started working in the dining room, because I could not find a position in the kitchen. My first real and influential experience was then in Alberobello, where, following an injury to the chef, I found myself in charge of the kitchen. I was only 17 years old'.
The thirst for knowledge and experience starts here. Roberto 'flies' all over Italy, from Riccione to Val d'Aosta via Milan. But the bond with his own land remains strong, with that Apulia where the traditions of rural civilisation merge and mingle with the charm of the sea, so much so that it is the two years spent as chef at the iH Hotels Bari Grande Albergo delle Nazioni that he counts as the most decisive towards the awareness that cooking was and is the only thing Roberto would like to do in life. And awareness, when it comes, fuels the desire to know more, more...
"I decided to leave for Australia and it was a choice that immediately turned out to be fortunate. The years spent there contributed a lot to my education, and above all to my self-esteem; a fundamental boost for everything that came afterwards". - reveals Roberto.
And in fact when, suitcase in hand, he flew, and this time literally, to Sydney waiting for him there were experiences in the management of important restaurants, the Ormeggio and the d'Albora Marinas: Head Chef of a cuisine that is the union of the culinary habits of the settlers, mostly of English origin. Meat is the mainstay on the tables, but fish is also very popular, thanks to the fishiness of the seas that offer fish and crustaceans unknown to the Mediterranean. Then there are the tropical fruits, and again, due to the cosmopolitan nature of Sydney, both traditional Chinese and Italian dishes... A portfolio of flavours that has enriched Roberto's personal baggage in such a unique way that today his cuisine is so peculiar that it makes him the protagonist of an exclusive proposal.
The Jamanté is in fact intended to be a meeting between the tradition and the gourmet proposal. The reference remains Apulia, the flavours and aromas of a land as simple as it is rich, but the substance is dressed in beauty. "What I start from,' explains Roberto, 'are the aromas and flavours that my grandmother used to bring to the table: bread balls, the use of terracotta, which gives typical and unique scents and flavours... I want that authentic taste to remain, because our cuisine must tell the story of our land. But then there is evolution. And so I start from a product and work on it, trying to give guests all its facets. The onion, for example, is used and processed as if it were a protein. In this way I experiment with the evolution of typical products. The octopus: I deconstruct it by recreating it inside a tentacle-shaped mould. Or the stuffed pepper with grandma's meatballs. The memories that spring to mind when tasting it are those of peasant dishes, but the dress and processing change. The pepper is fried with the meatball inside and then finished and garnished with a pear and celeriac sauce. And again the Salento cantuccio: I took the traditional recipe as a base but combined it with the freshness of mandarin and an almond milk bath...'.
Jamantè, whose suggestive name actually reveals the identity of the three partners, Giampiero, Antonio and Teresawelcomes with a retro style, to deceive the palate a little, which is then surprised by the contaminations with which Roberto Pisciotta succeeds in enhancing Apulian typicality. There are oriental touches and Spanish influences that dress up familiar flavours to new heights with grace and elegance. Tastes and aromas are genuine, the techniques and presentation, however, are original. Thus the frisa becomes an appetiser and the olive is served on a tomato powder.
To the eye, the beauty of the compositions is striking, to the palate, Apulia's Apulia-ness explodes. Local products are combined with the recovery of ancient products, or the use of unusual materials. What is certain is the exaltation of each individual product, because the products blend, yes, but remain perfectly distinguishable.
In short, Jamantè, thanks to Roberto's creative cooking, is a gourmet proposal which tells the story of Puglia, the real one, through innovative recipes. It stands out for its recovery of simple products, such as poor fish, blue fish, which regain their dignity through a perfect balance between old and new.
If you ask Chef Pisciotta to tell you about his cuisine, he answers with three adjectives: functional, tasty and contrasting. And that, in just three words, is the secret of the success of this new culinary proposal. Absolute mention must be made of the colours, which are vivid and explosive in Roberto's dishes, creating emotional pictures that you almost hate to break. They are the fruit of experience, but above all of infinite love for that job from which more than once (he has confessed to us) he has tried to turn away, but then failed because it is the only thing that makes him feel good. And finally, let's not forget genius and technique, lots of it. But don't expect Roberto to mention it, much less boast about it. Because what prevails, in his accounts of his cooking, is still and always humility.
And if you try to ask him to reveal a dream to you, he has no doubts: "Trying to be an ideal for young people today is what makes me feel good, because I want young people to understand the sacrifice that this job requires, to understand that in the kitchen you have to be humble and never be satisfied with what you know, but continue to learn, always, just like I do at 34 years old.
It's really true: beauty is an impossible dress to put on a plate if you don't have it inside.
English 
Italian