More than a restaurant, it is a laboratory of youthful, authentic, passionate, enthusiastic Neapolitan style. A refined Neapolitan style in the gastronomic proposal based on the memory of past times, those of the good flavors of the grandmothers, in the desire for a relaxed atmosphere, in the taste for entertainment, but also in the determined intention not to give in to nostalgia, to the retro captivated by the cobwebs of remembrances but to interpret this great heritage in a refined and elegant way.
Fabrizio Gargiulo, who has just turned 30 today and has been a Sorrentine for generations, had very clear ideas when, at the age of 22, he set his sights on the restaurant of an uncle in Marina Grande di Sorrento, the extraordinary scenic backdrop to a film that made history “Pane, amore e…” symbol of the Italian comedy of the Fifties with a very exuberant Sophia Loren, a grandiose Vittorio De Sica, winner of a David di Donatello, where everything seems to have remained frozen in time, in those marvelous Fifties. And where even today, seventy years later, tourists come to discover the traces of that evergreen blockbuster film. The fact is that the uncle had decided to change his life to devote himself to his favorite profession, that of master shipwright to realize his idea of the celebrated Sorrento fishing boats. Fabrizio who had worked in that restaurant since the age of thirteen in order to earn a small salary and a few tips, proposed him to buy the old restaurant, a bit retro, in line with similar establishments that in Marina Grande live off tourism abroad and of consequent standardized quality.
He had clear ideas and also a great desire to get involved. Getting credit in the bank was a feat for his young age. But he gained confidence by explaining his innovative project with determination.
With his tousled hair, he somewhat reminds you of Angelo Branduardi, and with the great singer-songwriter he shares not only the haircut, but also the ability to make past and present dialogue with passion: the musician in the search for a new musical genre able to combine ancient music (particularly medieval and Renaissance) with traditional folk music of Celtic and Northern European tradition; the young ex-boy, now a new manager, in wanting to create a gastronomic project that turns his head back in search of his roots, those of his grandmothers, of the stories of the elderly, of the old fishermen, but then is ready to make great pindaric flights of innovation, to renew to give new light and taste to tradition. A choice that in six years has led him to certify his Soul&Fish restaurant, stretching out over the sea on an arm of Marina Grande, as one of the most refined and exclusive in this corner of paradise.
The secret? A strong motivation that galvanized three brothers and two cousins, a laboratory of family harmony, which proved successful. A collective adventure driven by the youthful energy of a group of guys determined to give a touch of vitality to the glorious traditional family cuisine with the enthusiasm that only a youthful energy can make possible.
And so at the time of the purchase, the young Fabrizio called his family together, his cousin Vincenzo Incoronato, the then 26-year-old chef, recalled from a restaurant in Norway that had met with great success in proposing traditional Italian cuisine in the Scandinavian country ; his sister Fiorenza, then twenty years old, who attended the University of Naples to graduate in Communication who dedicated himself to the image, his brother Francesco then 25 years old who has always been passionate about wine who will graduate AIS sommelier, the other cousin Antonino Incoronato, then twenty years old made to grow quickly as room manager.
Not even 120 years in five, but all animated by a strong desire to demonstrate that they could succeed in affirming something new in a sector, that of the Navy's catering, to tell the truth a little too firm on tradition, on which they have not burdened little in the last two years the effects of the covid. But not for them who have never lost heart.
Meanwhile, the first choice, that of the name to give to the restaurant. Throughout the coast there are usually many "Da Nino", "Da Antonio", "Da Maria", alluring names that are easy to memorize for foreign tourists. Fabrizio Gargiulo understood that it was necessary to change the scene immediately and going against the trend he chose a foreign name "Soul & Fish", a gamble, but with a precise objective, aiming to retain a local public, to subtract his restaurant from the tourist seasonality , to conquer a clientele spread throughout the year with an innovative proposal.
“It was tough – he says – we signed the contract in April and without wasting time we entered the premises and opened our “new” restaurant, throwing ourselves headlong into this adventure built day after day. For two years everything we earned didn't go into our pockets, we reinvested it by renovating the kitchens, systems and infrastructures”.
Then it was all a forced march towards quality, the raw material. The catch is not km0 but a few meters from the restaurant. Because right in front of the stretch of sea overlooked by “Soul&Fish”, there is the port of the small Sorrento fishing fleet, the authentic one, not the one that does fishing tourism. They see them leave and when the fishing boats dock, one of them is always among the first to buy the freshest fish that arrives from the sea.
Absolute and exclusive fish restaurant therefore of the sea mirror of the Gulf, where the taste of the Neapolitan style is guaranteed. And for the vegetables? Everything comes from the Chef's family who have a rich countryside in Trasaella, near the hills of Fontanelle. For those unfamiliar with the area, we are on a sunny ridge overlooking the Gulf of Naples on one side and the Gulf of Salerno on the other, an area of about four hundred meters that enjoys a particular climate from which numerous vegetable gardens in this area benefit where, not surprisingly, the festival of typical peninsular agricultural products is held for three days every year and dates back to 1980.
And for cheeses, needless to say, the proximity to the Lattari mountains (nomen omen) where cheese production is a tradition that dates back to Roman times, guarantees a mine of high-level gastronomic treasures.
“We have never sat on our laurels in recent years – says Gargiulo-Branduardi – we have achieved important goals, we have conquered an important clientele, but we always look ahead to improve ourselves, to learn something more, we are passionate…”.
A passion that drives them, in the days when the restaurant is closed, to explore the hinterland in search of artisans, traditions, genuine gastronomic culture, to distinguish themselves.
It is precisely by exploring wineries and farms that Francesco Gargiulo, the family sommelier, discovered some real enological gems which today enrich his wine list but which have also entered the list of other restaurants.
And Vincenzo Incoronato, the Chef who graduated from the Hotel School of Vico Equense, the same school where Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Gennarino Esposito were born, the giants of the Italian culinary mountain, wanders curiously among history books and housewives in the markets. , of old recipes to be reinterpreted in innovative and creative proposals that want to be a modern access key to the gastronomic treasures of the Sorrento peninsula.
Because past and present coexist in this place strongly rooted in the territory. Today the old traditional restaurant is a modern and refined location. With an original format, on one side the restaurant, on the other a beach where a testimony of the old bathing establishment has been preserved, active until 18 pm then everything is dismantled for dinner "to remain in our origins", as he says with pride, Fiorenza Gargiulo, and on the other a veranda reserved only for tables for two, for a youthful romantic atmosphere (and not only) because at the Marina Grande, as an old song by Libero Bovio from the turn of the century says, taken up by the unforgettable Fausto Cigliano “It's the sea that sings, this shining sea. It's a song if it's called “Surriento”. E 'a Luna, ch' 'a sente, s' 'a 'mpara 'e sing”.
The recipe proposed this week to the readers of Mondo Food by Chef Vincenzo Incoronato is a Caponatina di mare, a memory of a poor cuisine of the past when the leftovers of the day were recovered, to prepare a tasty snack to satisfy the appetite of the boys, with sea fish, wholemeal taralli flavored with oranges and wild fennel. Incoronato proposes it again with a touch of imagination as a harmony of flavors and aromas that represent the synthesis of his cuisine but at the same time the homage of five boys to their Sorrento.
The recipe of Caponatina di mare e terra by Chef Vincenzo Incoronato
Ingredients for people 4
800 gr of fresh dirty cuttlefish
400 g of wild rocket
5 Sorrento oranges
3 lemons
200 g of pistachio powder
4 wholemeal biscuits with Agerola fennel
extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Clean the cuttlefish by depriving them of the innards and skin; meanwhile prepare a pot with water and a lemon zest to bring it to a boil.
Cook the clean cuttlefish for about 20 minutes, then cool them promptly in a bowl with water and ice.
Afterwards, cut the cuttlefish into thin strips and place them in a container large enough to season them with salt, oil, lemon juice and grated orange zest.
Then add the cleaned rocket and the peeled and diced oranges.
Separately, prepare a bowl with water, salt and oil to dip the agerolese biscuits in, leaving them to soak for a few seconds.
Finally, place them on the bottom of the plate, placing the freshly prepared cuttlefish salad on top, without forgetting to finish with a sprinkling of pistachio.
Enjoy!
