Chef and owner of the Innocenti Evasioni restaurant, Michelin starred for 13 years, Tommso Arrigoni is also the author of the book "A chef without waste" in which he explains his method for using waste.

The Milanese Chef’s latest invention is the Mandarin Panettone, created together with Dario Loison, which is completed with a Gin flavored with star anise and rosemary: a couple of sprays on the slice are enough to enhance the fragrance, a combination that gives intensity and accelerates the taste!

The packaging of the panettone was curated and designed by Sonia Design, perfectly coordinated with the style and colors of the Innocenti Evasioni restaurant.

How did your love for cooking begin?
I must say that I was lucky enough to have a passionate grandmother who taught me the basic recipes. Then I have always been a child who was better at doing than studying, so I decided to attend hotel school and today here I am.
For 23 years you have been chef and owner of the 1 Michelin star restaurant "Innocenti Evasioni": you started very young!
Innocenti Evasioni is a little gem born in 1998 that I am particularly fond of, but to achieve this result I gained a lot of experience in renowned and non-famous restaurants, one of them in Claudio Sadler's kitchen, which allowed me to learn a lot in a cuisine of high level. Today our satisfaction is that for the 13th consecutive year we have been reconfirmed the Michelin Star.
What are the characteristics of your kitchen?
Mine is a traditional cuisine because my studies and experiences have developed in this sense. However, I combine all this with great research and advanced technology in the kitchen which allow me to create a menu with my own identity and with great respect for raw materials, seasons and territory.
Do you have Signature dishes on your menu?
Our menus change with the seasons but there are dishes that have become classics over the years such as "Pork fillet with Grana Padano potatoes, candied peaches and balsamic vinegar" or "Rice and cod milk" or " Raspberry chocolate cake and wafer crunch." However, every year we like to propose new combinations and those that are most successful will become Signature dishes.
Your "no waste" style has become a book "A chef without waste": how did this idea come about?
I've wanted to write something for a long time but I didn't want to make the usual chef's recipe book. This book was born from a philosophy that has always existed at "Innocenti evasioni", and which I transmit to the team every day: all the raw materials that enter the kitchen must be used without waste, both for ethical and economic reasons. I published this book in 2019 precisely to disseminate this philosophy through around fifty dishes that are not excessively difficult and effective, to which are added as many recipes to use all (or almost all) of the waste obtained.
Can you give us an example?
When you prepare boiled octopus, don't throw away the water but use it for example to cook pasta: it is rich in flavours, it will give more flavor to the dish and in this way you avoid adding intensity to the seasoning.
A kitchen tool you can't do without?
In the kitchen I don't give up technology. Today we are increasingly looking for perfection, for example in cooking and presentations, and you can achieve all this only and exclusively if you have the right technology to support you.
Any advice to a young person who wants to take this path?
It certainly means studying, perhaps a classic study that gives solidity and is useful for life. You can approach this profession at any time with the appropriate studies which will give the best if supported with a good cultural base, then the passion will be enriched along the way!
What was the occasion that made you meet Dario Loison?
I met Dario following my search for a quality partner for the creation of an extremely high quality panettone. After we spoke, I immediately understood that he was the person who could satisfy my needs and I immediately came to visit the laboratory: here I got to know an extraordinary reality made of care and research which sparked our collaboration and which is actually now It also almost became a friendship
How did the Panettone and Gin combination come about?
With Dario we immediately studied a panettone flavor tailor-made for me and, after a series of tests, the Panettone Innocenti Evasioni al Mandarino was born, which is completed with a gin flavored with star anise and rosemary: a couple of sprays on the slice they are enough to enhance the fragrance, a combination that gives intensity and accelerates the taste!
And what about the packaging?
After careful studies on the colors and interiors of the Innocenti Evasioni restaurant, Sonia Design has planned and designed a personalized package in a minimal style, perfectly coordinated with our style.
What could be one of your dishes with Panettone as an ingredient?
I would go and contaminate the recipe on the menu "Rice and cod milk" - a no waste dish that comes from the recovery of the cooking milk of the creamed cod - with a sprinkling of panettone powder. In my opinion it's an exceptional combination!
Can you give us some “no waste” advice on Panettone?
I really like preparing panettone croutons, perhaps using leftovers: just toast some panettone cubes then serve them with butter and anchovies. Seeing is believing!
Thanks Tommaso and Happy Holidays!