Praised on MasterChef by Carlo Cracco, today he has returned to Romania to better approach his career as a chef: “Here the tips are more plentiful, the salaries very good.”
All photos from the chef's Instagram profile
The story.
There are personal revolutions that are served up on a plate. At just 26 years old, Sebastian Dascalu, better known as Chef Tito, decided to leave the rolling hills of Oltrepò Pavese to embark on a gastronomic adventure between Paris, Bucharest, and the small town of Roman, Romania. A gamble he won, which took him all the way to the podium of MasterChef Romania and earned him the admiration of a certain Carlo Cracco. The story is told in a fine interview in Corriere, where Eleonora Lanzetti retraces the steps of Sebastian's career.
Known as the meat guru, Chef Tito does more than just execute perfect cooking: his passion is rooted in an almost scientific study of raw materials, from maturation to chemical-organoleptic aspects. “I delved into every detail, to the point of writing a couple of volumes on the subject,” , he enthusiastically tells the reporter. It is not surprising, then, that his expertise has attracted the attention of locals and restaurants in Romania, prompting a change of course that has taken him beyond Italian borders.
Participating in a culinary talent show is never a walk in the park, but making it all the way to the end of MasterChef Romania was an unforgettable experience for him. “The 2024 edition ended in December and I managed to take third place,” he explains further to Corriere. But the most exhilarating moment? “During one of the semifinals, Carlo Cracco was a guest as a special judge and he awarded my dish as the best of the night.” And what recipe could win over a chef of his caliber if not an homage to Italian tradition? A saffron risotto whipped with mascarpone, with a bold touch: chocolate bottoni and pecorino.
If Bucharest has one staple, it is that there is plenty of good food here. “Italian cuisine, with its sumptuous 80s-90s-style menus and a few modern touches, is very popular,” the chef explains. Homemade pasta, pizza, fritto misto, and fish soup are untouchable dishes for the local diners, who come out for the pleasure of good food and not just a quick meal.
There is no shortage of the burden of distance. His partner and their 14-month-old daughter still live in Godiasco Salice Terme, and returning to Italy a couple of times a month is certainly not easy. But, numbers in hand, the choice seems to reward the sacrifice: "The ratio of earnings to cost of living here has no comparison with Milan. It's worth making a few extra trips and making ends meet,” Sebastian confesses to Eleonora Lanzetti. And meanwhile, between flights, Chef Tito continues to write his story, fork in hand and heart torn between two lands.
