It is Niko Romito, chef who has made Castel di Sangro in Abruzzo the navel of Italian haute cuisine, three Michelin stars, entrepreneur, organizer, cooking teacher, consultant for high-level restaurants in Dubai, Beijing and Shanghai, the number one of the Italian chefs for 2020. He was awarded the Gambero Rosso Guide of Italian Restaurants 2020, presented today in Rome. For Romito this is a confirmationin fact, already last year with the same score of 96/100 he had placed him on the national pedestal.
Immediately after Romito they place ex aequo, with a score of 95/100, Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Modena, restaurant awarded with three Michelin stars and ranked first restaurant in the world in the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in the years 2016 and 2018 and The Pergola of the Rome Cavalieri where Heinz Beck reigns supreme, Italo-Teutonic, but he feels "more Italian", three Michelin stars without interruption since 2005. Also in this case these are two confirmations compared to last year's Guide. On the other hand, the three-star restaurant Le Calandre by Massimiliano Alajmo in Rubano loses a position, going from 95 to 94.
With the same score they rank in third position also Piazza Duomo in Alba by Enrico Crippa and Mauro Uliassi in Senigallia, both three-starred.
In the vote of 94/100 the Gambero Rosso's Italian restaurant guide records a small earthquake this year and concerns three high-sounding names of national catering of excellence: Don Alfonso of Sant'Agata sui due Golfi drops by one position, as well as the Torre del Saracino by Gennarino Esposito in Vico Equense, as well as one of the most exposed Italian chefs in the media, Antonino Cannavacciuolo of Villa Crespi, falls in position.
The Gambero Rosso Guide of Italian Restaurants is thirty years old and the editors draw inspiration from it to underline how the world of food and wine has changed radically in thirty years. A few numbers are enough to give an idea: Restaurants in Italy 1991: 966 restaurants reviewed, 10 Tre Forchette. Restaurants of Italy 2020: the premises reviewed have increased to 2685, 35 Three Forks. Italian food and wine has become the flywheel par excellence of the Made in Italy image. Food is a recognized value and study, research, experimentation and continuous training are essential requirements. The restaurant is an overall experience that arises from an ever closer understanding between dining room and kitchen.
Starting from these considerations, the Guide presents itself this year with some changes. The first concerns the distribution of scores: 50 points for the kitchen (until last year they were 60), 30 for the dining room (previously they were 20), 20 for the cellar (unchanged). THEThe bonus narrows its range (1 point only): to deserve it, except for unique locations in terms of structure and landscape, you really need to give something more in terms of training, ethics and sustainability, the fight against waste.
Another novelty is the showcase reserved for best 30 under 30 that is, young people (between dining room and kitchen) around thirty years of age who by philosophy and training are in great harmony with the times and bode well for a future of the kitchen, just as a beacon lights up, with the two red forks, on those clubs in pole position to reach the finish line of the Tre Forchette.
In total, the 2020 Guide awarded 35 Three Forks to the national top of Italian restaurants, 30 Three Shrimps to quality trattorias, 10 Three Bottles, 4 Three Globes to the best ethnic restaurants, 3 Three Coccotte to bistros and 3 Three Boccali, 18 Special Awards and 5 Two red forks.
The Three Forks Awards 2020
