The harmony of traditional and innovation in Enrico Bartolini's cuisine.
Tradition and emotion rhyme nearly per- fectly, and they are two ‘ingredients’ bound by an unbreakable link in the culinary art of Enrico Bartolini. Today, he is the most decorated chef in Italian cuisine with 14 Michelin stars, 10 gourmet restaurants in Italy, 3 abroad (totalling 30 including bistros), and two new openings scheduled for 2026 — one in Hangzhou, China, and another in Rome, between Via del Corso and Piazza San Silvestro. Born in Pescia, Tuscany, in 1979, Bartolini’s journey began early. After graduating from the Montecatini culinary school and gain- ing formative experience in Paris and Lon- don alongside chefs of the calibre of Paolo Petrini and Mark Page, he earned his first Michelin star at just 29. This set him on a path that now sees him running several high-end restaurants in Milan (we meet him at Mudec, which opened a decade ago and is now a true culinary institution in Italy), Venice, Bergamo, the Monferrato, Sardinia, the Amalfi Coast, Castiglione del- la Pescaia, and globally — from Hong Kong and Dubai to Bali. His cuisine is a refined balance between tradition and innovation. “Technique is necessary to avoid ruining the ingredi- ents,” he tells us, “but instinct and creativ- ity require talent. From the world of art, I learned the coherence of colours and their ability to convey emotion. I have moved through different phases: from oxidized, Renaissance tones to a more vibrant cuisine, metaphorically comparable to contemporary street art.” “Living emotions” is Jarvés’s payoff, and when reflecting on the concept of home, Chef Bartolini shares a similar perspective: “For me, home is not a physical place, but wherever I share emotions. “I feel at home in Tuscany, surrounded by my family and the scents of the countryside. Unexpect- edly, I also feel at home in Dubai, thanks to excellent relationships with friends and partners I have there. I live in Milan, a city I discovered gradually and where I have found bucolic corners that I love.” When speaking with a multi-starred chef, the concept of “exclusivity” naturally aris- es: “It is an overused term. Exclusivity isn’t what is told, but what is experienced. It is a memory that stays in your heart. For me, the most exclusive moment was dining in a three-star Michelin restaurant for the first time: it was an experience that exceeded all my expectations, I still remember it with great emotion.”Bartolini is reluctant to call himself an entrepreneur. “The restaurant industry is built on the kitchen, the dining room, hos- pitality, and communication. I must focus on one goal: stirring my guests’ senses at the table. Many of my customers tell me: ‘I don’t know if my palate is sophisticated enough to understand a three-star meal.’ I tell them: ‘You don’t need to be; it is my job to lead you into this world’. After many years, ingredients still sur- prise him: “Two peaches from the same tree are different. Every ingredient has unique nuances; that is what makes a dish unrepeatable. This applies to all plant, animal, or seafood products. The dish is reborn because the salt, vitamins, and colours change even in two seeming- ly ‘identical’ elements. Consider my olive oil and lime ‘buttons’ with caciucco sauce and grilled octopus: a delicate emulsion, a fish sauce of unique sweetness. Every recipe has its right moments, and know- ing them is what makes it unique”. His vision of Italian cuisine is clear. “I consider myself a contemporary of modern Italian cuisine. In the beginning, French cuisine was the gospel, then came the Spanish boom. Italy, with its tradi- tion and biodiversity, began to evolve its methods and processes and it blossomed just as I entered this profession”. But how do you maintain “culinary co- herence” in restaurants scattered across the globe? “A risotto with plenty of butter might not suit the local taste in Asia, so one might decide to radically modify the dish... but that is not in my nature or creative process. I try to choose dishes that can succeed through their depth and roundness without adapting them to local tastes. Mimicking tradition is a mistake; an ‘evolution’ of spaghetti with tomatoes risks altering its very essence”. Enrico Bartolini is also mindful of lifestyle. “Leisure time is healthy and necessary. When I go out for dinner, I look for two things: the curiosity of being pampered by a colleague with a pecu- liar dish, or a harmonious setting with impeccable service. I am very attentive to healthy eating and the quality of ingre- dients, as I believe a balanced lifestyle is fundamental”. And he never forgets his roots. “Extra virgin olive oil is a symbol of my region and of Italy. We must defend this value, maintain high standards, and protect our olives. It is a heritage that sets us apart.” Finally, a thought on creativity: “I don’t always work and create in silence. Sometimes chaos brings good ideas, but you need concentration to assemble and bring a dish to life. The noise in a kitchen can be incredible at times, but to me it’s music”. It should not surprise anyone that his most famous dish, Purple Grain (beetroot risotto with gorgonzola sauce), has a musical reference — a tribute of sorts to the famous Prince song. Enrico Bartolini embodies the essence of Italian excellence: a perfect balance of art, business, and passion. “Exclusivity is what remains in the heart”, he says. And perhaps that is the key to his success: transforming every dish into an experi- ence that is not merely consumed, but remembered.