“For me it is sustainable to be sustainable”, an interview with chef Alessio Sebastiani who told us about his no waste project and how being honest can save us from being wasteful.
The restaurant
The word “sustainability” now has the same effect on me as “resilience.” I prefer the word “attention”. Because paying attention to what is going on around us is much more virtuous than trying to do so with big words without concreteness, often, among other things, to the detriment of something else. That's why when I learned about Cactus Kitchen & Bar, I wanted to dig deeper. The kitchen, born from the vision of Chef Alessio Sebastiani, tells the story of taste through attention. Attention to waste, to the ingredients chosen and also to taste, which, when it comes to catering, should always come first.
The vision of Cactus Kitchen & Bar is a celebration of healthy cuisine, with a wide selection of dishes to please every palate. From colorful green dishes to the delicacy of fresh fish, Cactus Kitchen & Bar's menu reflects a passion for quality food and environmental commitment.
However, do not expect excessive formality or “evergreen” menus; each dish is a tribute to seasonal ingredients, with a focus on quality and creativity. Chef Alessio Sebastiani and his team aim to break the boundaries of traditional dining conventions, offering an authentic, surprising experience deeply rooted in respect for the Planet-as much as is possible to a single reality.
Here there's no trace of meat, there are vegetarian and vegan dishes, and the presence of seafood is alive. Of course, the sea is not having a good time either, we know, but it is worth taking off the robes of hypocrisy and starting to broaden our minds by taking into account the fact that a restaurant has to sustain itself (I could bring up the topic of human sustainability here, but maybe we'll do that on another occasion). By virtue of sustainable fishing and traceability, every dish is prepared with fish from reliable sources to ensure ethics, quality and freshness.
Cactus Kitchen & Bar is what is known in restaurant slang as “All day” that is, a place that accompanies customers from breakfast to after dinner, all day long. Its essence is easily understood by its very claim “Make Green Your Favorite Color” where the color green indicates not only the vegetable part that is very present in the proposals but also a way to take care of oneself through a healthy and enjoyable food at the same time. I interviewed Chef Sebastiani to understand more. Here is what he told me.
How did you get to Cactus Kitchen & Bar?
I started my journey around the age of 13; I come from a family that had a vegetable and fruit store, so for me the vegetable world is a bit like meat for a butcher's son. I've done a lot of apprenticeship in different types of restaurants, numerous seasonal jobs and also hotel school. I worked for restaurants of big fashion brands, went to Paris, London. When I came back I had a life-threatening bicycle accident, I was in a coma. This accident changed my life, I had to slow down, and in hindsight I have to tell you that it helped me to get my ideas and goals in order. I changed my outlook on many things. I worked with Chef Morelli, I consider him my mentor not only professionally. We went abroad and to many places in Italy, I learned a lot. Also the experience at the Identità Golose hub in Via Romagnosi has enriched me a lot in many ways, which was followed by my journey with Antonello Colonna in Milan. These are all experiences that have given me a lot, I must say. And then came the Cactus project.
Let's talk about Cactus Kitchen & Bar
I met my partner on other projects. We liked each other right away and together we worked on creating this place that I believe in very much. Cactus for me is a green wave, and green means so much to me: youth, nature, freshness, rebirth. I don't do meat by choice and it has been a great challenge from the beginning, because the Milanese public likes meat, even though it may seem to be the opposite. Cactus also caters to a foreign audience, typically from northern Europe, a clientele that has already matured the concept of going to a restaurant and not finding meat dishes. We will get there, too.
Next to the vegetable world is the fish one, which is never meant to be a protagonist but an auxiliary. It is a project based on my experience and that of my team, there is a very high cultural contamination that I think is the strong point of this cuisine. On the menu you can find everything from panzanella to yakitori, you can travel the world through flavors. We refrigerate, ripen and ferment fish and vegetables, but I don't want techniques to be the focus of this place. I want every dish to be simple and understandable, with a maximum of three or four ingredients with distinct and recognizable flavors. I am a gourmand, all the dishes that come out have to be mouthwatering.
Stay open from breakfast to after dinner. How can we classify Cactus Kitchen & Bar?
For some it may be a bar, for some it may be the location for the perfect lunch, for others it may be the place for a sartorial dinner. Cactus embraces everyone and all needs. Cactus is about taste and people.
It seems impossible now not to use the term "sustainability" when making a proposal like Cactus Kitchen & Bar. What does it mean to you?
By now this concept is a double-edged sword. I both believe and don't believe in Organic in Italy, I'm hesitant because I've been chewing on the vegetable product since I was very little. There are realities in Italy that do things right from all points of view, but they don't have the money and resources to afford certification. Here, for me, it is sustainable to be really sustainable.
I use a product only if I know it has not “crushed” anything else. In real sustainability there should be no ostentation, but fun, courage and experimentation. I'm also a provocateur; we're all good at making panko-breaded cotoletta, which, wow, is delicious. But in my risotto alla milanese, I incorporated cuttlefish by treating it as if it were meat, creating a fake marrow and morels, which, I guarantee, is delicious anyway.
You've already mentioned a few names, but is there a chef who has inspired you the most?
Yes, my grandmother.
Is there an ingredient you particularly like?
I would instinctively tell you tomato, but if I then stop and think better I would pick mushrooms. To me, mushroom is more than an ingredient, it's a concept: it flaunts with its very big head, but then it hides in the woods. It looks like me. It is an unpredictable ingredient, and that fascinates me so much. In my mushroom menu, I stress the ingredient and present it from appetizer to dessert. He is the star of the fall menu and satellite ingredients such as pumpkin orbit around him.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
Living my life. I am a simple person, I love team sports, nature and I also like to do nothing sometimes.
Can you recommend a restaurant that you particularly liked?
I don't want to wrong anybody.
But we are talking about you here, not others.
Casa Donna Domenica, in Nardò in the Salento countryside. It is the first home restaurant in Italy, and I had my best experience there in the last three years. It's not an American farmhouse, it's a farm made of salvaged materials where you can breathe the sincerity of that land even through the flavors.
Contact and info
Cactus Kitchen & Bar
Via Varese 4 - 20121 Milan
Tuesday to Thursday - 10:00 - 00:00
Friday and Saturday 10:00 - 01:00
Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
Reservations: +39 347 054 4982
Email: info@cactusmilano.it
