Don't call it a bistro: Fransceschetta58 is a fine dining restaurant with a contemporary twist. The stars of the show are a menu that focuses on the intensity of vegetable flavors and new projects with an inclusive approach. But that's not all: we'll tell you all about the evolution of Francesco Vincenzi's dishes.
Photos of Giulio Cai's dishes
Portraits by Alberto Blasetti
The latest social media trend took us back to 2016: who knows if in that year Francesco Vincenzi, then a young 23-year-old in the brigade of Osteria Francescana, imagined that 10 years later he would be at the helm of Franceschetta58 with a cuisine based on vegetables, far from the cornerstones of the cuisine of his homeland, Emilia.
Vegetables take center stage
For some time now, chef Francesco Vincenzi has enjoyed giving vegetables a starring role, well before the trend became mainstream in a large part of contemporary cuisine. Upon reopening after the winter break, the restaurant presents a new feature: the I Love Modena menu is available in two versions, with 6 and 8 courses, while historic dishes such as the Emilia Burger or Tortellini del Tortellante with Parmigiano Reggiano cream are now available à la carte. This is a decisive evolution towards a more distinctive offering with a focus on comfortable haute cuisine.
In both versions of I Love Modena, vegetables take center stage, playing a leading role, with animal proteins playing a supporting role. A work of subtraction, seasoning, and textures. A search for the essence of flavor, deep, clean, without too many embellishments. And be careful, this is not a fanatical pursuit of fashion, there is an awareness of being able to explore nuances that are difficult to achieve in other ways. Putting vegetables in the spotlight in this case also means bringing light and dignity to those who are often forgotten. Since the end of 2022, the restaurant has been collaborating with the farm of the Modena Correctional Facility. The raw ingredients are purchased from the vegetable garden, where cultivation is planned in collaboration between the kitchen staff and the prison's agronomist.
This is the small but significant gesture we made to leave a positive impact on the local area, both socially and environmentally.
How did the collaboration with Modena Correctional Facility come about?
The collaboration came about spontaneously, through word of mouth. Our front-of-house team had taken a theater course to improve their voice, posture, and manner when dealing with customers. The same theater company had a project inside the prison with a course aimed at inmates, so they asked me for help with refreshments after the end-of-year show. On that occasion, I met the head of reintegration and rehabilitation projects, Nicoletta Saporito, who told me about the vegetable garden and invited me to come back to learn more about it. It is an organic vegetable garden (almost 1.4 hectares in total, ed.) that is tended by inmates nearing the end of their sentences together with an agronomist. The inmates are paid, and this is how their social reintegration begins.
What made you decide to collaborate with them?
The organic garden has greenhouses inside and outside the prison, fruit trees, and beehives. I was immediately attracted to the project because of its proximity and the possibility of having a vegetable garden at my disposal. But after a short time, I realized that the beauty and fortune lay elsewhere: despite all the limitations and difficulties involved, we are able to restore dignity and give a voice to people who are often forgotten by society. My team and I are at the disposal of the garden to make the most of the immense work that goes on behind the scenes by the inmates, prison staff, and agronomist.
How does the project work in practice?
We go to collect the produce a couple of times a week. When we manage to push the crops, like last summer, we can cover almost half of Franceschetta's needs. It's an unpredictable vegetable garden: sometimes there is a lack of state funding, sometimes we have to wait a few weeks because the soil needs to rest or because the plants need time to grow. But it's nice to compare notes and exchange ideas. They may not be the rarest or most refined products in the world, but for me they become so when I learn about the stories behind them and the possibilities they generate, both socially and gastronomically.
Why did you choose to focus on vegetables?
In my opinion, cooking can be free from patterns and fads. My approach is not purely vegetarian; in fact, I also use bottarga (salted fish roe) or cook vegetables with animal fat. The prison project has made vegetables more stimulating and enjoyable at the moment, and has made me more responsible towards a more conscious use of products.
I love Modena
The two tasting menus consist of 6 and 8 courses (€64 and €82), changing the rules of the usual sequence we are accustomed to. In fact, it should come as no surprise to find spaghetti as a second course. The starter is Cavolo Nero, Olive e Cime di Rapa, a dish with a hint of bitterness and an interesting development of textures, with the crunchiness of the olive making it more pleasant to chew.
As anticipated, this is followed by Spaghetti with cauliflower, capers, and bottarga: whole wheat spaghetti that becomes a medium, a support for flavor, with the savory notes of capers and bottarga prolonging the pleasure. Next is Radicchio, a dish that epitomizes the search for the essential. The bitterness of the vegetable is offset by the clean spiciness of grated horseradish, and the texture is not unlike a cut of meat. Gramigna e fagioli is a pure and simple pasta and bean dish. In the sense that there is nothing else but pasta—in this case, a typical shape from this region—and beans.
Onion and Pancetta is a dish that tastes like home, like Sunday dinners, like winter evenings when you need to warm your soul as well as your body. A comforting, pleasant treat, with textures ranging from soft to crunchy that delight the palate. The last savory course—although the distinction between savory and sweet is blurred—is Roasted potatoes, an ideal continuation of the sweet comfort of the previous course, with bitter notes from the roasting and peaks of savoriness dominating.
Next up are the Pumpkin and Citrus Ravioli, a tale of the region—fresh pasta is a religion around here—a delicious and well-balanced dish, without being too sweet (in my opinion, the main flaw of pumpkin ravioli).
The menu concludes with Torta Tenerina al Topinambur, another dish characterized by balance, with a dessert that is not overly sweet but pleasant and soft thanks to the use of chestnut flour. The two menus—which differ in that the longer one includes Spaghetti and Onion and Pancetta—can also be accompanied by wine pairings with 3, 5, or 7 glasses (€24, €35, €42), with a drinks list that starts with local wines and explores Italy and the world.
At Franceschetta58, you can enjoy one of those meals that accompanies rather than interrupts conversation, memories are gently evoked, and your palate is delighted with every bite.
Contacts
Franceschetta58
Via Vignolese, 58, 41124 Modena MO
Phone: 059 309 1008
