REDEFINING LUXURY

9 Questions for Chef Marco Zampese

By Sarah-Linda

In our 9 Questions Interview Series, I sit down with chefs, food lovers, and hospitality professionals I admire to talk about food and the culinary world. 

I try to get a glimpse into the minds of those shaping the way we eat, through their memories, opinions and lessons around food. What has shaped their approach to gastronomy, and where do they think the future of food is going?

Marco Zampese, an esteemed Italian chef, is the Executive Chef at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London. Marco's passion for culinary arts was deeply influenced by his upbringing and his grandparents, who were farmers producing charcuterie, cheese, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables. 

I admire Marco’s deep-rooted respect for ingredients and his culinary philosophy, emphasizing the importance of seasonality and the quality of ingredients. 
After some studies in microbiology and food science, he moved to London in 2012, and started working at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught in 2014, where he worked his way up and became Head Chef in 2018.
"It’s important to think about how food affects the body."

1. WHAT IS YOUR "MADELEINE DE PROUST"?

For me, I would say my Madeleine de Proust is Apfelstrudel. I can’t live without it. Whenever I go back to Italy, my mom prepares it. I’m from the north of Italy, and my grandparents had a lot of apple and pear trees. My mom would always make this cake with the best quality apples and pears. It’s a dessert I’ve always loved and couldn’t live without.

I make it myself sometimes, but I prefer my mom’s version. It’s funny because, as a Michelin-star chef, you’d think it’s a bit of a “simple” choice but it’s actually quite a complicated dessert. Getting the dough to the right thickness, ensuring the right cooking time, choosing the best apples, and balancing the ingredients… there’s a lot to it! 

It’s a special dessert that’s very close to my heart.

2. Is there a table rule or dining etiquette that you prefer to ignore or bend?

I mean, I’m Italian…I know some things aren’t considered very polite, but when I eat in a fine dining restaurant, I like to do “scarpetta”: cleaning the plate with bread after finishing the dish. It’s something we do in Italy. Another thing is that I like to use a spoon to twirl spaghetti, which is not considered very refined or elegant, but I enjoy eating pasta that way. In general, it is normal to eat pasta with a spoon and fork. But if you go to a fine dining restaurant, you wouldn’t normally do that.

I’ve been working at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught for a long time, so I try to incorporate what I like while maintaining professionalism. In the past, we had a strict dress code, but we’ve removed it to make guests feel more comfortable and relaxed. Of course, they still know they’re coming to a fine dining restaurant. We always evaluate if certain traditions should evolve. For example, we used to serve bread and butter at the beginning of the meal. But we realized that because guests were hungry, they would eat all the bread and by the time they got to dessert, they were too full. So now, we serve bread after two or three courses for a more balanced experience. If I believe something improves the dining experience, we adjust.

3. Is there a food trend you hope will disappear? And one you’d like to see more of?

Right now, everyone talks about sustainability, but not many actually do something about it. As a chef, I would love to see more chefs thinking about menu balance, not just beautiful and tasty food, but also healthy food. 

Many times, when you eat a multi-course fine dining meal, you leave feeling too full, almost unwell. I think chefs should have more knowledge of nutrition and how to create balanced menus. 

I studied microbiology and food science at university, so I understand calorie content, digestion, and the impact of different ingredients. More awareness about that would be beneficial for both chefs and diners. It’s important to think about how food affects the body.

4. If you could invite anyone for dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?

If I were hosting at home, I’d invite my team. I’d cook something simple, like "arepas," a kind of taco made with corn flour. My girlfriend is from Tenerife, but her background is Venezuelan, so we sometimes make them together with slow-cooked meat, guacamole, and other toppings. It’s great for sharing with friends over a beer.

If it was in a fine dining restaurant, I’d love to dine with famous chefs I admire but don’t know personally. Maybe Dani García, Quique Dacosta or another great chef. Spending an evening sharing ideas would be incredible.

5. Has there been an experience that changed your approach to cooking or food? 

Not in cooking, I’ve had a gradual evolution. I grew up in a small town called Marostica, near Vicenza, between the Alps and Venice. In this small village, my parents and grandparents produced vegetables, cheese, charcuterie, olive oil and many more things. So I grew up eating top-quality ingredients. You know, real tomatoes in summer time. I saw the process of creating cheese, from milking the cow to the end, so I know how much work and time it takes. And my family loves cooking. I learned early on what food should taste like and the effort that goes into producing it.
Here at the restaurant I sometimes see young chefs starting, who grew up in London or another large city, and they have no idea how cheese is made, for example. They don’t know that to make one kg of cheese, you need around 10 litres of milk. So in that regard I’m very lucky to have grown up with it, to have the base, and to understand where things are coming from. 

One experience that made me realise what direction I wanted to take, was when I was 15 or 16, I worked in a fine dining restaurant for the first time. Seeing the beautifully plated dishes made me realize that was what I wanted to do. I was working 16-hour shifts on weekends while my friends were out partying, so it was a big effort very but I was passionate about it.

"Seeing amazing ingredients sparks ideas."

6. Is there something you wish people knew about creating a new dish?

Creating a dish takes a lot of thought. You need to think about the balance of the menu, and about what’s in season locally. I always start by getting an update on the products that are in season, at their best, and available for the coming few weeks or months. Then I start drawing. I sketch different concepts and imagine the taste and how it looks. Sometimes, the first attempt works perfectly and the dish is ready; other times, it’s a disaster. I don’t sleep at night and try again the next day. It can take weeks of revisions, and sometimes it just doesn’t work and I abandon the idea after 2 or 3 weeks. 
For sure you need to have a good balance in the menu, not only in the flavours, but also in terms of how it looks (you can have a very elaborate dish, and others more minimalistic), and if possible, also think about the calories and the heaviness.

Collaboration is key. It’s very important to discuss ideas with my team, head chef, sous chefs etc.. To make them feel involved, but also because you can learn something from everyone. And we are lucky because we have a multi-cultural team.
For example a couple of years ago, a kitchen porter brought me the best rice to make a paella. I love that rice and now I use it all the time, and I learned that from him.

7. What is your view on sustainable gastronomy?

It’s extremely important, but you also need to be realistic. Sustainability is often used as a marketing tool as well. Some restaurants claim to be sustainable but waste huge amounts of food. They for example create a dish presented in a whole pumpkin or a whole apple for each guest. And then throw out all the apples and pumpkins afterwards. If you do 100 guest per day, imagine the amount of waste. That’s not sustainable I think, and yet some of these places have a green star. Fine dining, by nature, isn’t entirely sustainable. Guests fly in from all over the world.

We try our best by reducing plastic use (less sous-vide cooking, reusable silicones lids instead of plastic film) and sourcing locally, but real sustainability, in my opinion, is more about small farms producing everything themselves.
We have to be careful I think when claiming sustainability as fine dining restaurants. It’s a big word. 

8. What inspires you?

First of all, the farmers and their products. Seeing amazing ingredients sparks ideas. Other chefs can also inspire me, especially through beautiful dishes shown on social media. It can create ideas. And, of course, my team, they always bring fresh perspectives and ideas.

 9. What is the ultimate luxury for you?

Luxury is the highest-quality product at its peak season. Ok yes I love Wagyu beef and caviar, the have a very unique and balanced taste. But it’s not always about price, I also think a perfectly ripe tomato in summer is luxurious. The best ingredients, at the right time, are true luxury.

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