Milan, 18 December. (Adnkronos) – “Rosicano”. Chef Alessandro Borghese has no doubts and thus responds to the controversy of those who, like The Times, have defined UNESCO’s decision to recognize Italian cuisine as a cultural heritage as a “scam”. The decisive response to the criticism comes during the press conference to present the new season of ‘Four Restaurants’, the Sky Original show produced by Banijay Italia which pits four restaurateurs from the same area in competition to decide the best. “If you gorge yourself at a restaurant now, you’ve just become cultured. No more guilt,” he jokes.
He needs no introduction, you recognize him immediately: iconic glasses, ringing voice, eccentric jackets and a visceral passion for Italian cuisine. Borghese is now the rock star chef on TV, the one who has been entering Italian homes for years with recipes and often cutting judgments. And it returns with the format that is now a cult, with unreleased episodes that from 21 December, every Sunday exclusively on Sky and streaming only on NOW. The van sets off again for a new journey from north to south of Italy.
Borghese proudly recounts a journey that has lasted 15 years and thanks the team that accompanies him: “There is a great desire to talk about the territory and the food of Italy”. In this new cycle of episodes the chef will visit 12 areas throughout the national territory, exploring surprising territories visited for the first time but also returning to some large cities that were already protagonists in previous editions.
For the debut, a surprise for all fans of the program: in the first stage, which will take place in the Piacenza hills, alongside Ale Borghese there will be the comedian Katia Follesa, who will accompany the chef to discover the area and its culinary traditions by trying the dishes of the competing restaurateurs and giving her impartial opinion. Together with Follesa, Chef Ale and the four competing restaurateurs – Guido for La Colombaia, Leonardo for La Sorgente, Alessandro for La Pattona and Gian Marco for Il Torrione del Trebbia – will elect the Best Agriturismo in the Piacentini Hills.
After the first stop, the mysterious van with darkened windows will be in Chioggia, Cefalù, in the province of Macerata, on the Roman coast, on the slopes of Etna, in Pisa, on the Gran Sasso, in Taranto, in the province of Modena, in Reggio Calabria and finally in Turin.
“I’ve been doing this job for 35 years, but I continue to amaze myself,” says Alessandro Borghese. “New dishes always arrive, for me they are a great discovery.” The mechanism is always the same: four restaurateurs compete on menu, service, location, bill and a special category, which changes every episode. But what makes the difference are his forays into the kitchen, his famous report cards… and that last secret vote that can overturn everything.
The secret ingredient that makes this program unique? “The strategies between the four restaurateurs”, admits Borghese. The evaluation is continuous: during the meal, the welcome of the staff, the service and the preparation of the dishes. Diners first comment on the dishes they taste and then draw up their own report card assigning a score from 0 to 10.
Also in this new cycle of episodes, all four challengers will have to try their hand at the same dish or ingredient, very representative of the reference territory and ordered by all the restaurateurs at the table, to create an even more direct comparison.
Chef Borghese’s final verdict is revealed only at the end and, as always, his votes can confirm or overturn the entire ranking. The winner of each episode, in addition to the highly coveted title of best restaurant, will receive a financial contribution to invest in their business. All the restaurants participating in the program are identifiable through the #Ale4Ristoranti “stamp” displayed outside, a network of venues tested by those in the know: the restaurateurs themselves.
