Ciro Scamardella moved from the kitchens of Martin Berasategui, in the three-star Lasarte restaurant, to those of Anthony Genovese's Il Pagliaccio. From the collaboration with Roy Caceres from Metamorfosi, to Pipero, a Michelin star in Rome , where he has led the Capitoline brigade since 2018. He arrives in Milan specifically to give a lesson to the student chefs of the Congusto Institute.
Who is chef Ciro Scamardella
Of Campania origins, born in Bacoli, Ciro Scamardella is quick to point out that as a boy he was faced with a choice, study or work. He chooses to attend hotel school and immediately starts working as a seasonal worker while still very young. After some experience in Campania and Italy with chef Paolo Barrale at Marennà, an internship with Cannavacciuolo at Villa Crespi and other experiences including Capri, he leaves abroad for the Spanish season and the numerous trips that guarantee him an open-mindedness and discovery of many different ingredients.
The lesson for Congusto students
His cuisine is made of intense flavours, where elements linked to the Mediterranean are expressed through the use of innovative techniques to arrive at dishes that play with memory and emotions. He also brought his experience as a trainer to the classroom. Scamardella manages to communicate and transmit clearly thanks to solid foundations and the maturity dictated by a career dotted with creative and concrete moments that have brought both professional and personal growth.
The dishes made
The students, divided into groups, worked on the creation of four dishes, proposed by the chef. With the sod of beef , almonds and sorrel, it was possible to recreate all the flavors of a grilled meat, which preserves the hints of burning wood, thanks to the use of the smoking technique.
Tagliolino, broccoli and shrimp guacamole is a dish that expresses Scamardella's great bond with its Campania origins. Friariello, a typical Neapolitan ingredient, is processed following a technique that we know is usually applied to the preparation of the well-known sauce of Mexican origins.
“The fried amberjack with south-eastern sauce and mixed salad, follows the same reasoning to arrive at a synthesis of contrasts, plays of textures and technique to reproduce the typical oriental seasoning, but based on ingredients all made in the south.
Instead, the aim of the dish based on Fregola , coconut milk, manteca and clams is to transport those who taste it to the seaside, recreating in the mouth the same pleasure that a classic spaghetti with clams gives. Here the fregola is risottoed and the flavor explodes, enveloping the palate also thanks to the coconut.
Ciro Scamardella's suggestions to the chefs of tomorrow
“The advice I would like to give to anyone who is embarking on this path is to read, study and above all not dwell on appearances. I find it very important to go beyond the surface of things, know the ingredients well and delve into every aspect of them, even the most hidden ones. And then, never stop being curious, maintaining the attitude of never feeling like you have arrived."
Our students put chef Scamardella's lesson in their baggage, allowing themselves to be inspired by his story. If your secret dream is to work in the world of catering and be part of important brigades, the Congusto Institute is the professional cooking school for you. You will have the opportunity to study with top chefs and enter the world of work through the front door.
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