Favorite cook of famous Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Maryl Streep and David Bowie, Chef Marco Sasso, is coming to Belgrade for the second time as a guest chef of one of the Belgrade’s finest restaurants, Enso. He is going to cook for 3 days, from 15th until 17th of May, preparing his famous signature dishes like ricotta gnocchi with summer black truffles.
1. Last year you were guest chef in Enso for the first time. What was this experience like for you?
Oh, I love the energy this place have! And it all starts with the super sympathique owners Miša and Tijana and their crew. Love how they successfully combined food, drinks, great clients and my type of music, in (almost) one place! I am referring to Bitefartcafe, of course.
2. You take pasta and truffles very seriously, we’ve heard. What else do you like to prepare?
Pasta is my thing. I really know how to make, cook and eat pasta. It is in my genes. Yes, I also love fish, meat (wild birds especially), but without pasta I cannot go more than 4,5 days in a week. Lately with my sous chef Darko, I started to make more different desserts and like it.
3. In Serbia, when people think of Italy, one of the first associations is good food. Do you agree with this?
Oh it is not Juventus first association about Italy?! (laugh) Just kidding. Yes and no. There are many restaurants in Italy now that use already half prepared food, huge menus, there are less and less small family run trattorias, with few dishes on the menu which you can be certain are home-made and fresh. So, the association is ok if you think about how things used to be. Now, not that much.
4. You perfected your skills in the USA. How did this experience influence your cooking?
It didn’t, really. In the US I cooked the same way I learned in Italy. There I could get real Italian products (like parmiggiano, prosciutto, flour, etc.), so it was just like cooking in Italy.
5. What are you preparing for the guests this time?
Fresh pasta like usual, and this time I will prepare dish with bottarga (dry mullet roe) and my favorite stuffed pasta – a surprise dish! Don’t miss it!
