3 Ingredients for Success
“We did three months of rehearsals to make this cake in front of you” — A waitress to me in a restaurant in Cividale del Friuli, Italy
Italy is a strange place. You’re in a country where means of transport don’t work, services are lacking, and the state doesn’t help you as it should — despite high taxes.
Yet when it comes to food the issue changes. Everywhere you go in Italy there is always a specialty: something unique, handed down, and studied to perfection to give you an incredible taste experience.
So on Christmas, I went with my family to this “trattoria”, which is a place that is supposed to be rustic:
The trattoria is a public establishment, mainly popular, typically Italian, for the sale and consumption of meals on site. — Wikipedia
Yet the dishes they presented to us were peculiar: more gourmet than rustic, more refined than traditional. Good dishes for sure, but I didn’t understand the place: was it a trattoria or a fancy restaurant? When I got the dessert, the message came through clearly: this place is trying to be more than just a traditional restaurant.
A Quiet Village
Cividale del Friuli is a peaceful village located near my hometown. It’s a beautiful place with a nice old town, the Natisone River, and breathtaking views that allow you to appreciate the offerings of the region: delicious food, excellent wine, and a lot of tranquility.
“This is the perfect location” I thought to myself as I walked around. It would be an ideal spot for a Michelin-starred restaurant. Just imagine being the first Michelin-starred restaurant in the town, putting the village on the map and making it known to the world. After all, it’s not easy to find a more underrated place than Friuli Venezia Giulia, especially in Italy.
A tranquillity that is sought after by so many and so underestimated in this region surrounded by mountains, the sea, and so much history. Here there are also big and important companies, but also smaller ones that employ all the people who, unlike me, have stayed here.
Research & Study
“To make this cake, my son studied with an important French chef from whom he learnt how to make cakes.”
It’s not the first time I’ve heard of this: belin Montemagno interviewed Mauro Uliassi owner of a three-star Micheline restaurant in Senigallia, Marche Italy.
He says: in summer I have to close my restaurant for three/four months where we experiment with new cooking techniques and create the new year’s menu. Imagine: three/four months in which the restaurant closes — without invoicing anything — to just maintain or raise their level.
As well as the three months of experimentation plus the specialization study that the son of the owner of the restaurant where I was at Christmas had to do to make just one dessert. Not bad.
Ambition and Risk
Ambition is easy to have right? Everyone dreams of something for themselves or their loved ones. But ambition is useless if you don’t feel carefree, and willing to study for months before taking a big risk.
From risk, you can easily fail. And failure brings learning. But to step out of your comfort zone without being prepared is naive. And doing so feeling not emotionally ok is irresponsible.
A Perfect Idea
Well, the recipe for success is like making a good cake.
So think about living the next few years of your life calmly, being able to dominate your emotions, studying for months/years constantly what you are passionate about, and also being slightly ambitious. A single idea is enough to change everything.
And you know immediately when an idea is right: give someone a taste of it and see their face.
