Hers is a success story. Of a dream that has come true, of a goal achieved. In a difficult period like the one we are experiencing, the story of Massimo Tringali bodes well. Because it is an example of how a sector like that of catering can restart. Massimo Tringali is a chef, originally from Augusta in Sicily, for the fourth consecutive year Stella Michelin . The recognition obtained with the Armani / Ristorante in Paris, of which he is executive chef. We then decided to interview him, to let us reveal the "secrets" of his success.
Massimo Tringali tell us about yourself and your origins
“I was born on 7 February 1980 in Augusta - says Massimo Tringali - and precisely at the Augusta hospital, my daughter was born in Catania. For me this is the pride of being able to say I am Augustan and I was born in Augusta. As a boy, when you were born in Sicily, you leave with the desire to escape, to find luck. Here we say "Cu nesci arrinesci", that is, whoever comes out, leaves, succeeds in something. And so I left with this desire. But when you grow up everything changes: there is a magnetism that calls you back and tells you “Come back, come back”. This is the different feeling I have today at 40 compared to when I left ”.
Paris for Massimo Tringali was a significant turning point for his work
“I arrived in Paris on 6 October 2001 I remember the date very well because not even a month had passed since the attack on the Twin Towers. I remember the first three months in Paris, three months of rain, of gray, of cold. And as a Sicilian, in addition to taking away my smile, that climate, that rain, they also took away the supply of vitamin D that we Sicilians keep with care, thanks to the sun. So it was a shock. I have experienced things that have given me armor and strength to continue later ".
Massimo Tringali is the restaurant with 100% Italian DNA
“To our customers - says Massimo Tringali - I always say that it is as if they were buying a plane ticket for Italy. Because when you take a seat at our tables you are in Italy, starting from the welcome, from our director, to our dining room team, we live on conviviality, we have an Italian service and therefore we break down the barriers that perhaps the most serious services have. An elegant conviviality, however. The customer has been pampered since he arrives, then I go out into the dining room and talk to them, we tell each other stories, we are passionate about cooking. Ours is a restaurant with 100% Italian DNA ". Every self-respecting Italian restaurant is all about quality. “Raw materials - adds Massimo Tringali - are the fulcrum of the success of the cuisine in general, but above all of the Italian one. And then there is the technique, the imagination, the chef, the kitchen team".
Raw materials but above all Italian products
“As a chef - underlines Tringali - I have various fortunes working at the Emporio Armani café and restaurant. We have 20 suppliers from Italy who supply us with raw material of immense goodness. Like the late radicchio from Treviso, the bottarga from Cabras directly from Sardinia, the white asparagus from Bassano, the fiaschetto tomato from Puglia, the Re Umberto tomato from the Amalfi Coast, the bitter orange water from Liguria. We always have no less than 4 types of oils to be tasted".
A unique experience
“It is fortunate to be able to use these raw materials. And then with the contribution of Mr. Massimo Mori who has been managing the gastronomic part for 20 years and the restaurant part since 2016 since we opened. He gives me some tips, he is a man who is a living encyclopedia of the history of Italian gastronomy. I am fortunate to never be told "how much does it cost", but "when it arrives". Always choose the best without thinking about anything other than the satisfaction of the end customer ".
A simple but elegant cuisine
“What do our customers love most? - says Massimo Tringali - I believe the simplicity and authenticity of our cuisine, as Leonardo da Vinci said “simplicity is superb sophistication”. For example when you make one spaghetti with tomato sauce and you manage to amaze customers or like when they tasted my crushed olives, honey from Trentino, tomato from the Amalfi Coast they were impressed with the quality. This is also the spirit of the master Armani, a simple but unparalleled elegance in the whole world ”.
The successes and goals with the conquest of the Michelin Star
Massimo Tringali and his team took the Michelin Star for the first time in 2018. “That year - he says - we were the only Italians in France to take the Star. And this is something that has filled us with pride. I often find myself reminding my kids to remind myself. Because since we took the Star the next day we have almost forgotten it. We continued to work ".
The difficult year for the pandemic
“You have to carry out your work honestly. This year we have kept the Star Michelin . It was a very special, very complicated year, due to Covid. Confirming the star was important, very exciting, which gave us the right energy to restart.
It is a goal that I owe to my work group, to the director Sebastiano Cirasa, originally from Syracuse, to the restaurant staff, to my entire team, especially to my sous-chef Claudio Oliva, to my patissier chef Antonino Di Stefano, two guys. the first from Solarino and the second from Avola. The heart of my brigade is 100% Sicilian. And then the Mori family, to the Armani entourage, to the maestro Giorgio. He is a splendid person, an example for anyone who works ".
What does the Michelin star represent for the Sicilian chef
Massimo Tringali now looks to the future. “Taking the star was a dream come true for me - adds the chef -. I didn't know it could happen. The road has been long, many sacrifices, staying away from home, away from loved ones, away from my girlfriend, who later became my wife, away from my daughter. I missed the first steps, the first meal. But I know I did it for a good cause because in doing so I taught and am teaching my daughter that dreams must be chased and that they have a price. I'm a very down to earth guy.
But it gives me great energy to continue. A great responsibility for our customers. And to the whole team that has contributed with difficulty to this goal. We must remember the starting point, live the present, remembering the past. And this gives me the strength to always stay focused and to have the good sense not to waste the luck that this job gives me.. I can say that I have received something wonderful from my work. So I am happy and with respect I continue to do my job with the same commitment as always ".
