Chef
Raw ingredients as protagonist
My cooking philosophy
" The essential aspect is giving value to the raw ingredients. I love transforming, changing their texture, giving them a new meaning. Different presentation but untouched flavour".
Thomas Balocco
Chef
Thomas Balocco
The Head Chef was born in a small village next to Langhe territory, surrounded by grapes, spontaneous herbs, mushrooms, truffles and hazelnuts.
His professional path took place between Langhe and Cherasco, to improve his skills and experiment several kinds of cuisine. Then, he left Italy to work abroad, in Ireland. Once back in Italy he increased his experience for years in Dogliani and Barolo.
He moved to Savigliano as Head Chef at Saporinmovimento Restaurant. There, he met a family from Turin whose goal was opening a vegetarian restaurant. Thomas accepted their offer and moved to Turin. The homesick feeling towards Langhe colours and flavours pushed him adding these scents into his culinary creations. From this starting point, Verdegusto project saw the lights: the aim is spreading an innovative and emotional cuisine, enhancing the local products.
After 5 years spent managing the kitchen of several restaurants in Turin, Chef Thomas felt the need to come back to his roots in Langhe and Roero. Here, he met Angelo: the perfect harmony between Thomas’ and Ristorante Marcelin ambitions made the rest.
The essence of taste
The Chef’s philosophy is clear: cooking well, using products coming from small farms to support the local economy. His dishes need to be not also aesthetically appealing, but also rich in flavour, simple and not excessively manipulated.
Thomas’ philosophy can be summarised in just one sentence: “The role of the chef should be more driven by passion, rather than a mean to reach the success”.
He often tells his colleagues that nowadays people use food to appear, choosing expensive and exclusive ingredients only to reach the aesthetic effect. The main goal should be opposite: people can turn food into a celebrity, in the end. A talented chef enhances the raw ingredients without overturn their nature.
