The initiative made headlines, catalyzing attention to a pop format that already since its debut offered customers to settle their bill at their own discretion. After the three inaugural days, Thinking will evolve without losing its cross-cultural soul. The future? “We will remain accessible,” assure the two chef-owners.
The News
A challenge to the traditional model of catering comes from the Sicilian countryside: it is called “Pensiero” and it is the new restaurant opened by two young Sicilian chefs, Alessandro Musso and Pierclaudio Ruta, who decided to rely completely on the customer's judgment when opening . Their philosophy? “You decide the price.” An operation carried out for only three days that -however- did not fail to make headlines in the gastronomic branch, as ANSA reports here in the Terra e Gusto section.
Soft opening: three days of mutual trust
Last April 4-6, on the three dates of the restaurant's official debut-a sort of soft opening-there was no price on the menu. Therefore, the very first guests were invited to determine for themselves how much to pay, according to the value they placed on the dining experience they had. A gesture that is not just provocation, but an invitation to dialogue and participation, based on mutual trust and transparency.
“It's not just about food,” Musso and Ruta explain, “ but a cultural project that aims to enhance local excellence and create a more direct and human relationship between restaurant and customers.”. A real turning point, considering also the significant backgrounds of both: Pierclaudio comes from luxury hôtellerie, Alessandro from direct experiences with well-known faces of Italian gastronomy. Beyond the temporary initiative, menus without a la carte choices will be available in the future , while remaining within the spending threshold of about fifty euros for four courses including amuse bouche, so that accessibility rules the day.
A restaurant under the stars, between territory and participation
The restaurant is located within the rural resort “Stacci”, immersed in the unspoiled landscape of the Modica countryside. A special place, frequented by lovers of silence and stars, thanks to the possibility of observing the celestial vault far from sources of light pollution, perhaps lying by the pool.
“Pensiero” wants to be a place of discovery and listening, where every detail-from bread prepared according to ancient Sicilian traditions, to zero-mile local ingredients-tells a story, an identity. Some examples of the planned dishes? Lemon ricotta gnocchi with avocado and fava bean macchiato, Mackerel, fennel with butter and tarocco orange, Polenta and pork fillets with sauce. The intent is to build an offer tailored to the customer, starting from his experience, his feelings, his tastes. In a historical moment marked by economic difficulties and the need to revive tourism in the Val di Noto, Musso and Ruta's idea is proposed as an innovative and courageous response. A way to make catering more accessible, aware and sustainable, breaking the mold and giving back centrality to the person.
“We are convinced ,” they conclude, “ that quality should not be a privilege for a few, but a shared good. With 'Thought' we want to make every guest feel part of a common journey, in which taste also becomes a tool for relationships".
An invitation to think, taste and share
With a name that already says it all, “Pensiero” presents itself as a hymn to conviviality, but also as a strong signal: it is possible to imagine a different way of doing catering, closer to people, territories and emotions.
