Italian chef Denis Lucchi on his journey, and cooking food for Singaporeans

Italian chef Denis Lucchi, founder of Michelin-star restaurant Buona Terra in Singapore, shares what it means to cook Italian food to non-Italians

Growing up on the aroma of fresh pasta, braised meat and ragu (a sauce made with minced meat and served with pasta), Italian chef Denis Lucchi’s fondest memories are of those Sundays when his grandmother would wake up very early and spend several hours cooking for the whole family. His Michelin-star Italian restaurant, Buona Terra (which means good earth in Italian) is housed in the extended wing of Chateau TCC in Singapore. It offers contemporary Italian cuisine that emphasises seasonal sourcing of the freshest and finest ingredients, from across the globe, to create edible masterpieces.

Tagliatelle tart

The past week, he made his maiden visit to India and visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru—offering his specialities, starting from a root salad with pear, citrus and horseradish and ending with yoghurt panna cotta with strawberry and basil. Brought to India by sommelier and founder of All Things Nice, Nikhil Agarwal, each of the five courses was paired with a wide range of wine by owner of famed Moulin de Gassac, Basile Guibert.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

From culinary school at 14 to Rome and London, and finally Singapore—how did that happen?
Raised in Lago di Garda, a huge lake and tourist place in the Northern Italy, I opted for a culinary school near home for secondary education. While working at restaurants during summer vacation, I realised my love for professional kitchens. Later, working with people from different nationalities in London opened my mind. When I returned, I travelled to parts of Italy that I hadn’t been to before, but my heart yearned for exploring a new country. Coincidentally, a classmate of the chef I worked for in London was opening a restaurant in Singapore and needed an Italian chef. He was the owner of Garibaldi [a Michelin-star Italian restaurant and bar in Singapore]. I landed in Singapore and never left.

Il rombo estivo

What led you to start Buona Terra? Why did you decide to go for a set menu instead of a la carte? 
When I first moved to Singapore, the culinary scene was very slow and different. Things changed after celebrity chefs started coming in to open some very good restaurants. It made me think that this is the place where I could do something for myself with the food I wanted to create. In 2012, we started Buona Terra as a classic Italian restaurant, doing what others were doing. But in five years, we moved in a different direction to create our own identity. We decided to focus on the quality of ingredients and food, offer only a set menu without compromising on our Italian roots and create a space where our customers allow us to give them a whole experience instead of just coming in and wanting to have their meal in a few minutes. 

What does the set menu offer?
It offers an escalation of flavours over the five courses—we start with the mildest flavours and serve the strongest at the end of the menu. I cook Italian food, using a wide range of seasonal ingredients staying true to my Italian roots. I don’t offer any fusion of cuisines. I want my customers to feel that they are having authentic Italian food.

How difficult is sourcing for ingredients in Singapore?
I am in Asia so it is not easy to source every material from Italy, and it does have some bearing. For instance, if you are in Italy, you have access to ingredients at a stone’s throw distance—you can buy fresh ingredients/produce from a friend, farmer, fisherman or hunter. The freshness and quality of products makes a huge difference. We try to compensate by searching worldwide, trying to find the best ingredient available and using it in the Italian way.

Buona Terra completes 10 years this month. How has the journey been so far?
We have received many recognitions besides a Michelin star—we have been placed in the top 50 Italian restaurants in the world, we have been recognised by Gambero Rosso, an Italian guide and all of this feels nice. But the best recognition has been to see the restaurant almost full every day, for lunch as well as dinner. Initially, we were struggling, but now customers understand what we do and are willing to come on board this journey with us. We are looking at expanding, probably in Singapore and overseas.

Helming Buona Terra, the one-Michelin star restaurant, Chef Denis Lucchi’s contemporary take on fine Italian gastronomy has helped him chart the choppy waters of the Singapore’s dining  scene

How different is cooking Italian food in Italy versus that in Singapore?
Cooking in Singapore for those who live there is very different because their taste buds and childhood memories are different from mine [I grew up on fresh pasta]. People here would want their food to be less creamy or have more garlic or chilli—which is fine because it is also a part of Italian cuisine. The main difference, however, is that while Italian comfort food could be boring for an Italian, here in Singapore, our patrons find our comfort food to be extremely good. For example, Pasta Bolognese is super basic for us—we grew up on our grandma cooking dishes like braised ragu, so it’s no biggie but here, if you make it for a customer, they appreciate it because it’s not something that they had growing up.

On the chef’s table

£A dish that spells comfort to you: Braised beef or pork.

£If you could host three people alive or dead for dinner, who would they be: Diego Maradona, who is my favourite soccer play; Bob Marley, I grew up listening to his songs on freedom; and my grandmother, who passed away before she could see me as a chef so it would be fantastic to cook for her since she cooked for me all my childhood.

£An Indian dish you love: Naan with chicken masala is my all-time favourite.

£Three ingredients you can’t do without: Extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and tomato.

£One tip to get Italian food right: Always think that you are cooking for the person you love, no matter who you are cooking for.

£Advice for young Indian chefs to be Michelin-worthy: Believe in what you are doing. Choose your identity, set a goal and go straight in that direction. Listen to all the feedback from customers, but keep only the ones that you need the most to reach your goal.

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