The relationship between Blancpain and Michelin-starred chefs is a close one. Haute Horlogerie and Haute Cuisine are just different forms of art. The first one is based amidst the Swiss mountains with Blancpain nestled in the small town of Le Brassus since 1735; Haute Cuisine has an International foothold; yet, Italy plays a key role, and the Michelin Guide is the place to go if you’re eager to discover the best Italian-starred chefs and where are their restaurants located North to South. It is likely that, if you’re visiting some of the mentioned restaurants, you’ll end up meeting a starred chef with a Bathyscaphe or a Villeret wrapped around their wrist. Interestingly, the association between Blancpain and premium-luxury food began almost forty years ago.
It officially dates back to 1986. Blancpain prized “friend of the brand” Frédy Girardet, awarded “Best Chef in the world” with a specially engraved watch. From that moment onwards, Blancpain has fostered Haute Cuisine by increasing its partnership program to celebrate the world’s best chefs while confirming a boutique approach to authentic projects, whether about haute cuisine or the oceans’ preservation.
On October 26th, at the Spazio Niko Romito located in Piazza del Duomo, Blancpain celebrated the starred-chef Niko Romito, assigning him the 2021 Michelin Chef Mentor Award, one out of four special prizes awarded. Niko Romito comes from Castel di Sangro, in Abruzzo, and his restaurant, Reale, (which he manages with his sister Cristina) opened in 2000 and faced a staggering success as proved in 2007 when they took the first Michelin star, then in 2009 with the addition of the second one; the Reale became a three-star Michelin restaurant in 2013. Firmly rooted in his original county, Niko Romito then developed and extended Reale’s model outside Abruzzo by founding the prestigious Niko Romito Academy school and growing Italian Haute Cuisine over the Alps, as confirmed by the upcoming opening of a new restaurant in Paris.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Blancpain)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
