Thomas Locatelli

Chef Thomas Locatelli's culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in a 'botanical renaissance,' a profound conceptual evolution that redefines fine dining through a meticulous valorization of vegetal elements and Sardinian micro-biodiversity. His core ethos bridges the rigorous Milanese culinary school, honed under Claudio Sadler, with avant-garde botanical techniques acquired at world-leading institutions like Geranium. Locatelli champions the vegetable not merely as an accompaniment but as the structural and conceptual anchor of each dish, transforming forgotten Sardinian ingredients into contemporary culinary expressions. Ingredient sourcing is intensely local and philological. Locatelli conducts academic and field research, drawing inspiration from seminal works like Alessandra Guigoni’s 'Enciclopedia enogastronomica della Sardegna' to unearth historical and anthropological memories of island preparations. He prioritizes local producers for meats, wines, and pastas, and utilizes vegetables and aromatic herbs cultivated in the resort’s internal garden, supplemented by wild-foraged botanicals such as wild garlic, salicornia, and nebidedda. This commitment extends to preserving rare local cultivars like the Barracocca cherries of Villacidro, the Cossu almond, and the San Vito Late Orange, showcasing a dedication to both taste and ecological heritage. His overarching vision is to translate the ancient land of Sardinia's unique biodiversity into an international avant-garde language. It's a cuisine that dialogues directly with the island's wild nature and marine reserve, providing a 'silent revolution' driven by an acute vegetal sensibility. This approach aims to create a dining experience that is both accessible and rigorously innovative, setting new parameters for authorial fine dining by celebrating the purity and complexity of the natural world. Chef Locatelli’s technical mastery is characterized by meticulous precision and a relentless pursuit of both flavor and textural contrasts. His style seamlessly integrates the foundational rigor of the Sadler school with advanced botanical techniques. He employs contemporary extraction processes, partial dehydration to alter textures and concentrate flavors (e.g., watermelon carpaccio transformed to mimic animal protein), and low-temperature cooking in ice to achieve delicate textures and controlled doneness (e.g., quail egg with Su Filindeu). Fermentation, such as using shiokoji for pork belly, is utilized to enhance tenderness and complexity, showcasing a sophisticated understanding of ingredient transformation. His approach to flavor and plating is artful and deeply conceptual. Dishes are crafted as 'manifesto' menus, rich in informative and philological detail. He masterfully balances sweet, savory, acidic, bitter, and smoky elements, often through unexpected pairings. For instance, the iodized sweetness of charcoal-grilled scallops is balanced by the acidic-sugary note of Barracocca cherries, while the richness of Pecora Nera is cut by an acidic eggplant jus and contrasted with crispy sheep's milk. Aesthetically, plating is designed for visual impact, with elements like soy pearls mirroring caviar. Locatelli also excels in deconstructing and reconstructing traditional dishes, exemplified by his reinterpretation of 'Su Filindeu,' transforming it from a hearty sheep broth pasta into a delicate, mineral-driven experience with wild mushroom broth and salicornia. Among his legendary signature dishes are: * **Pasta "Fiores" with Arbus Black Sheep**: Bronze-drawn pasta resembling lilies, combined with the structural complexity of black sheep meat, tempered by an acidic eggplant jus, and contrasted with crispy sheep's milk. * **Charcoal-Grilled Scallop with Barracocca Cherries**: The iodized sweetness of the mollusk harmonized with the late-harvest, high-altitude Barracocca cherries, which cleanse the palate with their acid-sugary profile. * **Watermelon Carpaccio**: Partially dehydrated watermelon, concentrating its sugars and altering its texture to mimic animal protein, served with Pecorino cream, wild garlic, and aesthetically pleasing soy pearls resembling caviar. * **Deconstructed Su Filindeu**: The traditional 256-strand semolina pasta is liberated from heavy sheep broth and presented in a clear, concentrated wild mushroom broth, accompanied by a slow-cooked quail egg in ice and fresh salicornia for a clean, saline, and mineral finish. * **Shiokoji-Marinated Pork Belly**: Fermented pork belly rendered extremely tender, contrasted with a citrusy and bitter fennel and Pompia di Siniscola salad, and completed tableside with a cold beetroot and myrtle consommé. * **"Fillide e Acamante" Dessert**: A classical pastry that merges literary memory with botanical preservation, featuring the rare Cossu almond in various textures, a soft meringue, and the aromatic freshness of the endangered San Vito Late Orange, evoking a mythological tale through sweet, bitter, and acidic harmonies.

Career

• Brigade / Apprentice at Chic’n Quick, Milan
• Chef at Il Cantinone, Madesimo
• Chef at Geranium, Copenhagen

Mentored by Claudio Sadler, Stefano Masanti, Rasmus Kofoed.