Terry Giacomello in Top Shape, Hyper-Technic Cuisine at Nin Delights Guests

He went through the typical journey of seasons, cooking alongside his uncle, who was also a chef, in some hotels. Then, at the age of twenty, he started moving around and experience kitchens of all kinds, in Italy at Rosalpina with Niederkofler and Met with Fasolato, to renowned establishments in Spain, including Andoni Luis Aduriz's Mugaritz and Ferran Adrià's El Bulli (Terry is known as the most Catalan of Italians). His journey also included stops at Noma, D.O.M. with Alex Atala, Marc Veyrat, and Michel Bras. It's an impressive professional path for a chef who, after fifty years, has the energy of a thirty-year-old on the rise and a strong and entirely personal gastronomic identity, with an exhilarating quest for originality that makes him say: "The cuisine must be yours; you shouldn't be identified as someone's child. If I copy from someone else, it wouldn’t be my creation." Terry doesn't offer traditional cuisine because he believes in the necessity to entertain and excite, always challenging himself and renewing his approach.

All this, of course, involves trying and retrying, but with a spirit that is also playful: "I have fun; I'm like a child playing, trying and retrying until I find what I want. Creativity can sometimes be suffering because seeking something new is not easy at all. It requires a lot of sacrifice and patience." In his dishes, you can find elements that go hand in hand in great cuisine: they are a perfect synthesis of technique and taste, with a meticulous attention to aesthetic details. As he himself states: "It makes no sense to work so hard if the taste isn't there."

Speaking of companies aligned with an ethical culinary philosophy, capable of producing with respect for nature and environmental and social sustainability, Terry chose to use, for one of his dishes, the Aikiba Leaves from Koppert Cress. Originating from Oceania, these leaves are also known as "lady's fingers," "jungle spinach," or "okra." Scientifically known as Abelmoschus, these leaves are rich in proteins, vitamins A and C, and serve as an excellent supplement for a vegetarian or vegan diet.

The chef explains: "I used the 'twig' of Aikiba for its captivating shape and its juicy and tangy flavor, envisioning to create an entrée served in ice in a small wooden container, like a small salad. I covered it with tosazu, a smoked rice vinegar, and garnished it with unusual leaves of tea, lemon balm, tagetes, red clover, chive flower, papalo, and red amaranth."

Terry Giacomello's amuse bouche