My name is Thomas Carletti, I’m 23 and have been passionate about cooking since I was a child.
I come from two families who have always lived in close contact with food and this too has led me since 2016 to make cooking my life.
How would you describe your cuisine?
I would describe my cuisine with one adjective: extravagant. You may wonder why such a term?
Because some of my dishes come out a bit out of line. In fact, I believe that it is not always necessary to follow the rules dictated by the world of cooking. I like to be daring and, above all, enjoy trying new combinations and flavors.
What experience has changed the way you see food?
The experience that totally changed my life was the opening of my seafood restaurant. Having my own laboratory, where new ideas are developed every day and where I can be as daring as I want is a dream come true.
For a year now, my life has changed completely and I certainly won’t stop there. Every day I have the opportunity to work with my favorite ingredient: fish, which together with truffles, are the two things I use the most in my cooking. Since I was a child I have been in close contact with this element, having been born in one of the places where the best truffles in the world are found. Also, thanks to the knowledge of my fiancée’s father, who has made truffle hunting his life for the last 5 years, my knowledge of this product has grown thanks to his knowledge and his passion. Thanks to him I had the opportunity to taste and get to know more types of truffles.
What is your favorite truffle product in the kitchen? How do you use it?
As a good Italian, I love using truffles to season pasta, while one of my favorite products to use is Sabatino Tartufi’s aromatic Truffle Oil, perfect for enhancing my raw fish.
However, the best dish I’ve made using truffles is a dessert. Yes, you got it right! Because that time I wanted to use the truffle as the main component of the dessert. It was New Year’s Eve, I was looking for a somewhat extravagant end-of-meal course and it came to me: a chocolate brownie accompanied by a soft bavarois with gianduia, a white chocolate ganache and freshly grated truffle.
Are there any tips that you have found useful when working with truffles, that we can share with all our truffle lovers?
I would certainly recommend not cooking truffles at high temperatures. In fact, using the right temperature allows its splendid aroma to be released. Above all I would advise not to use too many flavors which then modify the real flavor of the truffle.
What do you eat and drink on a typical night when you’re not working?
I am a lover of all foods, but if I have to choose my favorite evening it is in the company of game meat with a good red wine. I love cooking and eating this type of red meat, its wild flavor is one of my favorites.
What’s the latest challenge you faced in the kitchen or in your business?
The last challenge I faced dates back to September 9, 2021. During the pandemic period I decided to open my own fast food restaurant. Many people, given the bad situation we were in, tried to stop me; today, after a year, I’m glad I didn’t listen to all those who told me that I was “playing too long”. I’m grateful for what life is giving me, for the satisfactions I’m getting and above all for the happiness and amazement I see in my customers when they eat my dishes. All of this is priceless to me.
If you had to make a truffle dish for a 5-year old what would it be?
A dish I would make for a 5 year old is ciriole with truffles, because they represent my childhood. They remind me of Sundays, when my grandmother used to prepare homemade ciriole with a paste made simply of water and flour but thanks to her mastery, she knew how to transform these two simple ingredients into a paste that was pure magic. Truffle ciriole are from my childhood and that’s why I would prepare them for a 5 year old.
What do you prefer to do in the kitchen or in your restaurant?
In general, being the owner of a seafood fast food restaurant, I love cooking fish, from the processing of the raw material to the creation of the final dish. The sea is a source of great treasures that it gives us every day, it’s up to us to transform them in the best possible way.
