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INTERVIEW
Ciccio Sultano hails from Sicily, where the cuisine is a cosmos of influences and its neighbouring African countries further foster its distinctive culinary heritage. "I live my job every day, with faith and solid determination. I never give up; I only follow my lead; I don't get lost behind the trends of the moment. My main source of inspiration is Sicily, and I offer it to the world," he shares with us.
Chef Sultano's culinary venture began at just thirteen years old in a Vittoria local pastry shop where he worked in a part-time job that blossomed into a seven-year apprenticeship. After years of perfecting his craft, the Italian chef opened his first restaurant, Duomo, in 2000 in hopes to showcase classic Sicilian dishes with the land's freshest produces. This venture was a notable success, to say the least. In just four years, Duomo earned its first Michelin star, followed by a second star two years after. Yet this was only the beginning for him. Sultano opened I Banchi restaurant, before bringing "Cucina Educata" to Giano restaurant.
Here, we chat with Chef Sultano about his culinary homage to Sicily.
1. How do you describe the philosophy of Italian, or more specifically, Sicilian cuisine?
For both cases, Italian and Sicilian cuisines, we are talking more broadly about Mediterranean cuisine, a healthy cuisine, included in the Unesco World Heritage list. However, it should be noticed that Sicilian cuisine is born and lives on an island 25,000 square kilometres in size, where there's the sea, plains, hills and an over three thousand metres high volcano. This land, naturally and agriculturally rich, also has a 3,000 culinary history. The many dominations that followed one another throughout the centuries, each one of them left something memorable here – especially for what regards food, the ways of preserving and using it.
2. Where do you find inspiration for your dishes?
In the island's exciting history, that stretches from the time the Phoenicians were here, til the arrival of the Piedmontese people. But I find inspiration as well in the countryside, the sea or the seasons. As I always like to highlight, Sicily is a land, actually, a continent of food and wine, halfway between the east and the west, the north and the south of the world.
3. You opened Duomo in 2000 and the restaurant has since earned two Michelin stars. What are some of your most valuable takeaways from this venture?
I live my job every day, with faith and solid determination. I never give up; I only follow my lead; I don't get lost behind the trends of the moment. My main source of inspiration is Sicily, and I offer it to the world.
I live my job every day, with faith and solid determination. I never give up; I only follow my lead; I don't get lost behind the trends of the moment. My main source of inspiration is Sicily, and I offer it to the world.
4. Can you share with us some tips for experimenting and re-creating traditional Italian dishes?
Giano's chef is Nicola Zamperetti. I coordinate the entire F&B project of Giano Restaurant within W Rome. Overall, the hotel's atmosphere is youthful, charming, and captivating: our "Cucina Educata" (refined and polite) translates it into Sicilian, with a due reference to Rome.
5. What do you hope guests take from their experience at Duomo and Giano?
You reach Ciccio Sultano's Restaurant in Ragusa Ibla as the destination of a beautiful journey and in order to make a gourmet journey to and through Sicily. Our two Michelin-starred cuisine tells the story of this land in a contemporary way, trying to create connections with the guest's memories.
At Giano Restaurant, instead, the style chosen adheres to our concept of Cucina "Educata", designed to entertain, which doesn't mean it is less fine dining, but rather it goes beyond fine dining.
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All imagery is provided by Lotus International.
Address: Via Capitano Bocchieri, 31, 97100 Ragusa, Italy | Website: cicciosultano.it/en | Phone: +39 0932 651265 | Email: reservation@ristoranteduomo.it | Instagram: @cicciosultano1 | Facebook: @sultanociccio | Twitter: @cicciosultano
Address: Via Liguria 28, Rome, Italy 00187 | Website: gianorestaurant.com | Phone: +39 06 4201 6253 | Email: gianorestaurant@whotels.com | Instagram: @giano.restaurant | Facebook: @Giano Restaurant