Speaking from the prestigious Pascucci al Porticciolo* restaurant he runs with his wife Vanessa in Fuimicino (Rome), Gianfranco says that "the sea is not just water, it is also the land that surrounds it and the people who look after it to get the best out of it". For the chef, the sea not only offers delicious fruits, but also gives a special character to the vegetables, wild herbs, dairy products or meats that live nearby, "enveloped in the aroma and iodised taste of its waters".

So Gianfranco is not a fish cook, but a true creator of "a sea cuisine that is more diverse than traditional seafood cuisine in terms of the purity of the concept". It is a cuisine of the territory, with an intimate relationship with the sea". What does a dune taste like? the restless chef once asked himself, and his research led him to discover interesting herbs that not only give flavour to his dishes, such as the maritime cakile, but also become real ingredients in them. In this way, by combining the sea and the land, he has managed to bring together the inhabitants of Fuimicino and nearby Rome, "who have always eaten fish, but felt very distant from the sea".

Plastic sea on a plate

Gianfranco defends his territory from his kitchen, his front line. And when he spoke to the fishermen in the port, he confirmed the dangers threatening his beloved sea due to the problem of plastic waste. An intuitive cook, he knows how to listen to and respect the sea, transforming it into dishes that speak through their smells and flavours, but also through their aesthetics, to awaken the senses of the diner.

And it is within these parameters that he has created his eye-catching Mar de plástica dish, based on fusilli al dente sautéed with cuttlefish butter (based on cuttlefish broth reduced with cakile), and a sauce made with lemon juice.

And it is within these parameters that he has created his eye-catching Mar de plástica, based on fusilli pasta cooked al dente with cuttlefish butter (based on cuttlefish stock reduced with cakile) under thin slices of cuttlefish marinated in water and salt. Finished with pieces of hazelnut, cocoa beans, orange slices and a cream of almonds and honey to give a hint of nougat. The dish is topped off with fake starchy plastic sheets, whose overall effect is to remind diners of "what's in store for them in the future if we don't take care of the sea".