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"We thought of giving back to Bergamo and its community as it has always given us over the years".
In one of the Italian provinces most affected by Coronavirus, the grateful words of chef Enrico Cerea from three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio restaurant in Brusaporto, a few kilometres from the Orobic city, resonate like a balm for the spirit. The heartfelt appeal that launched on social media on March 18 on behalf of the whole Cerea family, the pillar of Italian catering, committed to the front line of support in the emergency.
In the media post, Chicco, as everyone calls him, asked for donations of food, volunteering to cook meals for the health personnel employed during the construction of the Campo degli Alpini Hospital, in the Bergamo Fair Area. Since then, more progress has been made, cooking for the canteen of the structure every day, which was set up in record time, and the first patients affected by covid-19 were transferred to the new space, from the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital.
We heard from the triple-starred chef, to find out more about this unique experience.
What prompted you to make the appeal?
It all started when I learned that a field hospital would be built in the pavilion of the Fair where we often operate: since the restaurant is not open, I thought about giving back to Bergamo, and its community, as it has always given me. So, I heard from the Civil Protection and we got organized: we familiarised ourselves with the logistics to organize ourselves, and only the food was missing. At that point, I decided to launch an appeal.
What was the response, was it what you expected?
More than a thousand companies contacted us, we had to immediately provide new warehouses to store the incoming goods. Fortunately, the Bellini family from the Italtrans company in Calcinate made their pallets available and everything started from there. For Easter alone, we received 15 thousand Colombe, 12 thousand chocolate eggs, not just from companies but also from master pastry chefs. There was a huge response, the difficulty was stopping the food arrivals and, given that this situation will continue over time, and we have given availability until August, we had to think of a solution to avoid food waste: On April 8 we launched a new initiative.
What's the new initiative about?
I found 12 thousand cardboard boxes and the Alpini and the volunteers of the Municipality of Bergamo will fill 300-400 of them at a time, to distribute them to families in Bergamo. We have structured an organization, in order to manage everything: we give priority to the Hospital da Campo in Fiera, then to the hotels used for hospitalization of the sick, then to the neediest families.
These are two initiatives born spontaneously, without knowing what we would have come across, and instead, they turned out to be two very beautiful and important experiences, of which we are proud. I was moved to see how many goods we received, at the end of the mandate I will collect the data and quantify the tons of food that are coming in support of our initiative.
How did you organize the work?
At Campo da Ospedale, between chefs, attendants and office staff for logistics, we work in a team of fifteen, alternating over two shifts. Every day we prepare meals for around 150-200 people, from breakfast to lunch and dinner. It is demanding, but very beautiful ... Maybe I work more than before! (laughs, editor's note). I have no moments of relaxation and detachment, also because then. I am also following the delivery of the restaurant, Da Vittorio At Home: a home delivery service that we were already doing in unsuspected times.
What does your typical day look like?
Every day I wake up earlier than usual, at 7.15 am, at 8 am I am at the Da Vittorio restaurant, where I organize delivery with the guys from the brigade. I then go to the kitchens at the Fair, to see how the work proceeds, then I move to the Italtrans warehouses to manage the parcels, greet everyone and drink a coffee, then I go back to Da Vittorio, plan the orders and the following days.
The Cerea family has a lot of catering experience: how much of this has served to manage this emergency?
Yes, it has served us a lot, especially because in catering there is adaptability and elasticity that are not typical characteristics of a fine-dining kitchen. For example, if I order the ribs and instead I get the spinach, no problem: I change the recipe and prepare the spinach with butter. To manage such a situation you have to be good at adapting to the unexpected, also because - among other things - at this time the products do not always arrive and are not delivered with the same frequency as before.
What do you think you will get out of this experience?
The joy of being useful, before I found the joy in cooking for the gratification of customers, now instead I cook to give happiness both to those who turn to delivery and to the operators in the hospital, who come to the canteen and who can live a moment of serenity.
What are the effects on Bergamo in this emergency?
It is and it was a very sad and touching moment, almost all of us have been affected by this ugly beast which is the virus, we are in a bad situation: the trucks that carried away the corpses is something poignant, but I think it happened to Bergamo that had the strength to react because it's in our DNA in Bergamo, working is a hobby, a passion, it is something that makes us feel useful. Only one question remains: why did it develop so badly for us?
After this experience, do you think something will change in your business?
Of course, initially yes: times and rituals will be different, we will have to get used to procedures and protocols that we are not used to, and which are difficult to enforce, but we will have to adapt. I don't know if we will become aware of this situation or forget it immediately: I hope that the teaching that Mother Nature wanted to give us will remain over time.
What's your reflection on the role of haute cuisine in the emergency: can we say it has become more "human"?
From a personal point of view, no, because we - as a family - in addition to having the Da Vittorio restaurant, have cooked for many company canteens with another activity of ours, which is more pop. It is there that you realize that even with a well-made tomato paste you can give a smile: those who are used to working well, work well in any situation, while those who work poorly, whether they do fine dining or not, will always work badly, with the things "done just to do it", and will never feel gratification. The beauty of finding satisfaction is this: even if you struggle, you don't feel it, because you get joy from your work.
When the emergency passes what is the first thing you want to cook?
I am cooking in the hospital every day: we've prepared dishes like penne alla boscaiola or eggplant patties with smoked scamorza cheese ... But when everything ends, I can't wait to have a nice family barbecue, with a good red wine or a couple of bottles of bubbly!
