The previous chef, Annie Féolde, was the first woman in Italy to earn Three MICHELIN Stars, and Enoteca Pinchiorri continues to set the bar for haute cuisine in Florence. Set inside a Renaissance palazzo with a fresco-filled dining room and a wine cellar that’s the envy of much of Europe, it’s a landmark destination for chefs and fine dining enthusiasts alike.
After wrapping up the lunch service, Monco sat down to share where he heads in Florence when he gets a break from the Pinchiorri kitchen.
You’ve been cooking at one of Florence’s most iconic restaurants since 1993: What keeps you inspired in this city?
Florence, as small as it is, still has a remarkable level of art and gastronomic tourism because of its history. This is the city that Catherine de’ Medici made famous for its food, and even today it maintains a strong food identity.
Street food is the first true cuisine of the people, and I love to eat trippa [a Florentine classic of slow-cooked offal in tomato sauce] at Tripperia Pollini. As a chef, I like to learn from everyone and from flavors I find everywhere, which might inspire a dish even if I create it with very different techniques.
Where do you go in Florence when you’re off duty and want a great bite to eat?
The trattoria Fratelli Briganti will always have a special place in my heart, because it’s the first place I ate on my first day in Florence — January 26, 1993. We have a longstanding relationship, and I’ve become good friends with the family. They make a fantastic dish, the spaghettino dei Briganti, with chile pepper, tomato, Parmesan cheese and oil — an absolute must, served on a giant pizza plate.
I also like to head to the other MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in town to see what my colleagues — many of them are now friends — are up to.
Any go-to spots for picking up beautiful ingredients or wine around town?
The foundation of good cooking is the search for great ingredients. For Pinchiorri, that means sourcing top-notch ingredients from all over Italy and working with the best artisans possible, because finding the highest quality ingredient simplifies my work.
For preparing meals at home, the Mercato Centrale and Mercato Sant’Ambrogio have a number of artisans and farmers selling high-quality goods they’ve made or grown themselves — and the direct contact with producers is priceless.
Favorite place for a long lunch when you’re not at Pinchiorri?
Da Cammillo — it embodies a genuine trattoria: family run, good ingredients, and they know how to handle a clientele that’s composed of both locals and tourists. Another great Florentine trattoria I love is Del Fagioli.
Where do you go to grab a drink on nights you’re not in the kitchen?
The bar and restaurant Locale has a bit of everything, drink-wise. I can order a classic, like a gin and tonic or a cosmopolitan, or I can let the bartender mix up something creative. It’s a place where they really experiment with their cocktails, and sometimes I recognize bartenders using the same sort of techniques and creative criteria that I use myself in the kitchen.
What are your favorite hotels to recommend when you have visitors in town?
As with restaurants, finding a hotel that truly satisfies you can be difficult, but it’s so rewarding when you find the right one. A great hotel room can transform your entire vacation. I recommend Villa Cora, the Four Seasons and Portrait — each very different from the other, but all very luxurious and with an international flair.
Do you have a favorite spot in Florence to remind yourself of what you love about the city?
At Piazzale Michelangelo you can admire Florence in all its beauty. I like to go there on foot, climbing the stairs all the way up. When you reach the top of Piazzale Michelangelo, a bit worn out from the climb, you appreciate the incredible view even more. For me, tourism and seeing a place are really about wandering, and Florence is a city that’s made for walking.
Hero image: Executive Chef Riccardo Monco of Enoteca Pinchiorri
