Two chefs, one kitchen: after his Michelin-starred experience in Moneglia, Jorg Giubbani joins Matteo Rezzano at the historic Tigullio restaurant for a gastronomic project combining vegetable gardens, the sea, and Ligurian identity.
The restaurant and the chefs
Can two chefs work together in the same kitchen without sparks flying, except from the stove? Is it possible to create a harmonious and coherent gastronomic offering with just four hands? This is the considerable challenge that the historic “Ristorante Rezzano Cucina e Vino” in Sestri Levante, in the province of Genoa, has set itself and us with the arrival of talented chef Jorg Giubbani alongside chef and owner Matteo Rezzano. Their two complementary personalities are ready to converge on an ambitious project that draws on what they have in common and aims to give new impetus to the journey towards haute cuisine undertaken by the historic Tigullio restaurant.
One is Matteo Rezzano: the sea, sommellerie, determination, entrepreneurship, self-training, and a diverse career path that culminated in his family business. The other is Jorg Giubbani: vegetable gardens, leavened products, technique, prestigious training both in Italy and abroad, and then a Michelin star in his previous experience at the restaurant “Orto” in nearby Moneglia. Both were born in the 1990s in Sestri Levante and are overflowing with a powerful love for their land and for what they like to call “liguritudine,” that is, all the richness that the region offers in terms of products, traditions, and charm. Come to think of it, Liguria itself, nestled between the sea and the mountains, is made up of contiguous opposites and loving contrasts, no less than its cuisine.
The analogy is immediately apparent when you look at the menu, which offers three different tasting itineraries:
- Dislivelli
seabed, vegetable gardens, woods
A vertical journey along which you encounter different raw ingredients.
- Orizzonte
afternoon sun, salt air, rocks
With elegant, uniform colors ranging from white to bright green, offering all the flavors of the coast.
- Sapori e storie
A journey through tradition and culture
Combine the dishes from the two menus that most closely reinterpret traditional classics.
At the table, you can choose from different menus, and there is also a “Cumme te piaxe a tì” (as you like it) option, with three courses and a dessert of your choice. This extreme flexibility certainly complicates the kitchen routine, but it makes the experience more personalizable and encourages you to return again and again. Together with the informal atmosphere and tableware and the impeccable but unformal service provided by sommelier Silvia Rezzano and maître d' Ilaria Grando, respectively mother and wife of chef Rezzano, many of the reservations that can deter people from fine dining today are dispelled.
At Rezzano, you can feel the discreet and sincere warmth of a family that has made hospitality its daily profession for decades and knows how to put guests, their needs, and their well-being at the center of everything they do.
My journey at the table
On a Sunday in April, just before the seasonal menu change, I tried dishes from both tasting menus, with a prevalence of dishes from the “Dislivelli” menu. Recurring elements are evident in all the menus, reflecting the culinary philosophy that unites the chefs:
- The desire to give ample space to vegetables;
- The choice of ingredients that characterize the Ligurian tradition: pine nuts, olives, salt cod, mussels, small fish, Santa Margherita shrimp, citrus fruits, and aromatic herbs;
- The raw materials are mainly purchased from small, trusted local suppliers, from the gardens of Fescion Farmer to the fishermen of Tigullio, passing through the dairies of the Ligurian hinterland;
- Attention to digestibility;
- The enhancement of the acid component, sometimes obtained from the treatment of vegetables, sometimes from citrus fruits in many forms and varieties.
The Benvenuto plays with the shapes, colors, and textures of some of Liguria's key ingredients, such as olives and anchovies, and goes well with warm focaccia and rustic bread served with whipped butter and strained yogurt from Val D'Aveto.
If amberjack, mint, parsley and lemon evoke the freshness of a Mediterranean ceviche, artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke and Pigato move towards earthy notes, embracing vegetables from the sunny plains of Albenga with a scent reminiscent of the grape variety grown in the same area.
Together with celeriac rice, clams, and Ligurian citrus fruits, which I only tasted, herb agnolotti, vegetable demi-glace, and lettuce was my dish of the day: fresh, firm pasta with a strong herb flavor and all the umami of a rich sauce, even without any animal products.
Another appetizing pasta dish, Gnocchi, ricotta, shrimp, and umami, also plays on this flavor, balanced by the freshness of the soft cheese filling. The effect is more surprising than its familiar appearance promises.
While salt cod, pine nuts, raisins, and onion move comfortably and gracefully in the sensory baggage of every Ligurian, lamb, red mullet, carrot, and pollen provide more vivid contrasts between the sweet glaze of the meat and the firm red mullet with its thick skin. The brightly colored accompaniment offers a soft flavor and dynamic texture reminiscent of neighboring Italy, and is served in a magnificent ceramic container made to measure for chef Giubbani.
The world of desserts at Rezzano is a chapter unto itself: they are delicious, indulgent, and often inspired by traditional Ligurian recipes. I enjoyed Genova la mattina: panera e anicini, a reinterpretation of the quintessential Genoese semifreddo made with cream and coffee. It brings back memories of old-fashioned breakfasts (and dinners) when the elders of the family (including mine) used to dip Lagaccio biscuits in caffelatte, resulting in something reminiscent of tiramisu. Oh Belin! Mi è caduta la pinolata, finally, is intended as a tribute to Bottura's famous dessert: if he had been from Liguria, he would surely have dropped a slice of torta della nonna, with its shortcrust pastry filled with pine nuts, almonds, cream, and a hint of apricot jam, as it is prepared in the nearby hinterland.
As for the wines, I relied on the Rezzano family, who have been sommeliers for two generations, but the wine list is extremely rich, well balanced, with local and international references that I greatly appreciated. At the end of the lunch and after spending some time chatting with the chefs, between Rezzano's clear vision, the genuine dialect that Giubbani speaks with affectionate naturalness, and the confident smile of young Nicholas Figliomeni, who, with his high-level experience (Atelier Robuchon, Alléno, Villa Crespi), is accompanying them in this new phase, I am left with the feeling that the project has the grit, brains, and heart to go far.
Contacts
Rezzano Cucina e Vino
Via Asilo Maria Teresa, 34, 16039 Sestri Levante GE
Phone 010 0185 450909
