NICE TO MEET YOU, MICHELE LAZZARINI
CHEF AT CONTRADA BRICCONI
"I want to empower mountain culture and food traditions to make my valley known."
We met Michele Lazzarini, the chef who is breathing new life into a small rural hamlet hidden in the mountains of Bergamo, Italy.
"I come from a family that has always lived the food culture of the mountains, and this is where my passion was born."
Originally from the small town of Gandellino, after working in a starred restaurant and traveling the world to discover new culinary traditions, Michele went back to his roots: the Seriana Valley.
Contrada Bricconi began as a regeneration project, and now it is a modern farmhouse and agritourism that manages to combine tradition and modernity.
"It is not the chef who decides in our kitchen: it is the products that nature offers us."
Here, every day is different and flows to the rhythm of the surrounding nature: the menu and routine change with the season.
Current projects include a sustainable livestock farm, gardens to grow vegetables for the restaurant, and an ongoing work with small producers near the Contrada to promote local delicacies.
"Product research, sustainability, and waste reduction are crucial values of Contrada Bricconi."
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