Vito Mollica. My Tuscany

The Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Florence, tells us of his love for this land and its excellent products

Vito Mollica, Executive Chef of Il Palagio, starred restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, but also director of the entire "taste orchestra" of the Hotel, made up of various food and wine proposals. A beloved face of the city, of which he is now an integral part.

He opened us the doors of his kitchen to tell us about his Tuscan interpretation of Entrecôte Bordelaise - starring Chianina steak, Chianti instead of Bordeaux, Certaldo onion instead of shallots and enriched with ovoli mushrooms - but above all to tell us about his love for Florence and Tuscany, a land where he has found his home and where every day he gives life to extraordinary dishes starting from the excellent raw materials of which it is rich.

With him his friends-suppliers, Cristiano Savini, from the historic Savini Tartufi company, and Simone Fracassi, from the famous butcher's shop in Casentino, master of the Chianina. The former brought with him the Black scorzone, the so-called "summer truffle", because it is harvested between late May and late September, particularly suitable for pairing with meat. The second one is a Chianina steak in the t-bone, a very precious cut, because only 8 of them can be found in a calf.

It is to experts like them that Vito Mollica relies for his ingredients "The producer has to choose the ingredients for me. I have to trust them blindly."

Thus was born a dish that, although drawing on classic French cuisine, speaks of Tuscany, through its products and its producers, to which the chef's skill then gives full satisfaction.