The revelation chef from Liguria, 32 years old and full of determination, creates intense and personal dishes in his restaurant Equilibrio.
The restaurant and the chef
As I drive the 9 km separating the center of Imperia from Dolcedo to reach Equilibrio, I think to myself:
- It takes great courage to invest in a fine dining project in a hamlet of a small town in a small region;
- It takes even more courage to do so while leaving a position as head chef at one of the temples of world gastronomy, the three-star Mirazur in Menton.
But also:
- In my city, which is always congested with traffic, during this time I can barely get from one neighborhood to another;
- So much greenery, so much peace: I'm already relaxing.
When I arrive at my destination and see an old stone mill nestled in an idyllic landscape, connected to a Roman bridge under which a placid stream flows, and I hear the chef speaking with his decisive manner, I immediately have the answers to my questions.
The talented chef Jacopo Chieppa and his restaurant Equilibrio are a rare case: a Michelin star earned just one year after opening. But even before that, there is the compelling story of many departures and a return. It all began with a young man born into a large family in Imperia who, after graduating, moved to London with his future wife to work in a completely different sector from catering. He then took on a part-time job washing dishes at Degò, the restaurant hosting one of the 50 Best dinners, an evening that sparked his passion for cooking.
That spark became an obsession, translating into a decisive “Chef, I'm not leaving here until you give me a chance”, addressed to Mauro Colagreco as he left Mirazur in 2016. It worked. A few intense years of training followed, during which Chieppa started from scratch to become a chef de partie at the three-starred restaurant and then head of pop-up projects abroad. The most compelling stories—and this is one of them—have a twist: at the height of his career, Chieppa returned home to Imperia to shape a more complete life plan that also included the family he wanted.
Thanks to an entrepreneurial vision gained through his youthful work experience in a fast food restaurant, the chef wanted to gain some experience before venturing into fine dining, so he began by putting his experience as a baker at Mirazur to good use and opened a high-end pizzeria called Kilo in 2020. It was an immediate hit with the public and critics alike. Within a short time, he received 2 Gambero Rosso awards, recognition from Identità Golose and Pizzerie Top, and, as a result, the resources to acquire and renovate the old mill that would become the charming home of Equilibrio in 2022.
I told a story based on balance: between ambition and dreams, business plans and creativity, work and family, the popular and the stellar. Balance is also the theme of the restaurant's cuisine: between memory and discovery, sea and land, pop and refined, sweet and savory, local and international. All this with another distinctive thread running through it: the chef's disruptive personality.
The menus: Evolution and Identity
The first is an expression of creativity and the raw ingredients of the moment, while the second presents Michelin-awarded signature dishes, with adaptations and additions depending on the season. The menus are rich: many dishes, often large portions. There is a deliberate choice to meet the expectations of diners. Every evening, the chef goes around asking “Did you enjoy your meal?” at each table and listens to feedback, which he uses to refine and improve.
My dining experience
I tasted the Identità menu in the spring. The term “experience” is often overused, but there could be no more fitting definition for the welcome at Equilibrio. A red and white checkered placemat is brought to the table, on which rests a sewing basket, identical to the one used by my grandmothers. As my mind wanders to memories of threads being threaded through needles by my childish hands, the basket is opened, revealing a selection of finger food, complemented by other offerings arranged around it.
The expert maître d' encourages us with: “Enjoy your meal.” It's a picnic on the river. On the other hand, we are literally above a river; I can see it from the window and almost hear it flowing. I open the envelope containing a letter, which has been provided as a guide to the courses, and am invited to serve myself with my hands, in whatever order I prefer. I am alone, so I cannot enjoy the intertwining of hands and amazement that surely arises in a more convivial situation.
Instead of sandwiches and tramezzini, my picnic consists of an assortment of delicious tapas:
- Blue crab, Jerusalem artichoke, and 'nduja
- Apple, mackerel, and glasswort
- Red turnip and goat cheese cannoli
- Lisca with anchovy cream, lemon gel, and curry
- Crackers, black pepper, amaranth, mortadella, and pecorino cheese
- Chicken breast and chicken liver pâté
- Coffee wafers and tuna sauce, Belgian endive, crème fraîche, and caviar.
Popular and sought-after, crunchy and creamy: it's all a game with my culinary memory. Finally, I linger over the miso crème caramel with soy sauce: a concentrated burst of umami, just the right amount of indulgence, fun, surprising, and lingering. Like a new Alice in Wonderland, I finish with a vial of winter melon water and coriander and return to my own dimension: it's evening again, and I'm ready to continue. But the game continues: a treasure chest arrives, like one containing a ring, in which Chieppa offers his dream come true, cherished and presented with pride: a Michelin star in the form of a savory biscuit. With Multigrain Focaccia with Butter, the accompanying leavened bread takes on the dignity and function of a main course, ready to be shared.
This dish has been a signature dish for the restaurant since it opened. On the one hand, it pays homage to the history of the location, which was once a real mill in the area, where all five grains used in the dough were ground. On the other hand, Chieppa demonstrates his experience as a high-level baker trained at Mirazur and then continued in his daily work at his pizzeria Kilo. Crispy yet soft, warm, it crunches under the teeth and is the perfect base for sparkling brown butter. Duck ravioli, jus, corn foam, and chipotle arrives on a warm plate, and it is precisely this warmth that lingers once you have finished.
The fresh pasta is firm, with a rich and savory duck filling that contrasts with the sweetness of the corn foam. The chipotle powder, with its slightly smoky spiciness, leaves my palate active, ready for what follows. The courses continue to flow, moving pleasantly from the freshness of the splendid Cannolo di seppia con gamberi, clementina, avocado e mandorla (squid cannoli with shrimp, clementine, avocado, and almond) to Uova di quaglia, finger lime, mela e uova di trota (quail eggs, finger lime, apple, and trout eggs), which plays with the almost primordial concept of the egg, to Pescato, aglio nero, kale, beurre blanc with rubra, a large and curious local citrus fruit from which only a small, fragrant edible part is obtained.
The Roast pigeon, quinoa, red fruits, cardoncello mushrooms, and pine cones in syrup is perhaps the most classic of the evening's offerings: the forest flavors are amplified, even visually, by the presence of pine cone sprouts, harvested in the Imperia hinterland and preserved in syrup. Balsamic and resin are not just a hint on the nose here, but a distinct flavor.
When dessert arrives, I already know what to expect, because the dish in question has a certain reputation: it is Creamy basil, extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, and 30-month Parmigiano. As a Genoese, pesto is religion to me: don't mess with it. I therefore approach the dish with an inevitable sense of skepticism about the chef's interpretation of a sauce that runs through my gastronomic DNA. Two small mortars arrive in front of me: objects that remind me of home.
When I see the ice cream in the large mortar being generously sprinkled with Parmigiano, I am ready to step out of my comfort zone and challenge my taboos: I dip the green basil sponge into the pine nut “Nutella” and find myself wondering why no one ever thought of making a spreadable cream with this prized and distinctive ingredient, which is king of first courses, main courses, and desserts in Liguria. Overall, it is a conceptually daring, almost provocative dessert, yet pleasing to the palate, fun and, in a certain sense, even philological. The dinner ends with petit fours that are a tribute to western Liguria and its vegetable masterpiece: extra-virgin olive oil.
I had just finished perusing the extensive coffee menu when Chieppa sat down at my table to chat about cooking and ambitions, but also about home, memories, and family. He told me about his Michelin achievement through the reactions of his father, his wife, who is also his business partner, and one of his daughters. Before leaving, I asked him for three keywords that guide him, but three were not enough. The list includes: obsession, entrepreneurship, people, family, memories, nostalgia, even madness (a touch). All terms that, not surprisingly, recur in this article.
The explosive Jacopo Chieppa is only 32 years old, with just nine years of experience in the kitchen; Equilibrio is only two years old. It makes you wonder how much more can happen if this is just the beginning.
Contacts
Ristorante Equilibrio
Località Martin, 13- 18020 Dolcedo IM
Phone 0183 684685
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday for dinner; Sunday also for lunch. Closed on Mondays.
