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Q&As

The Chef’s 8: Vincenzo Esposito, Villa Franca

In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf wrote “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” In that spirit, we’re picking the brains of those who make the latter happen: chefs. Next in our series is Vincenzo Esposito of Li Galli Restaurant at Villa Franca.

Q The first dish you learned how to make:
A

Spaghetti with Piennolo cherry tomatoes and mussels. Two of the most important ingredients from the area where I grew up.

Q Every first-time diner at your restaurant should try:
A

Any local fish on the menu. The range of choice is wide, and it’s fulfilling for me to be able and enhance their flavors.

In a land where tomatoes are the very basis of our culinary tradition, I find it very creative to innovate territorial dishes with the use of different varieties.
Q The best seat in the house:
A

Any table on the front line of our terrace. They offer breathtaking sky-meets-sea views over the enchanted bay of Positano with Li Galli Islands and Capri in the background.

Vincenzo Esposito headshot
Q Must have kitchen tool:
A

The Paco jet-vacuum. It has the ability to capture intense flavors, natural colors and vital nutrients contained in the food and turn them ready to serve.

Q Favorite flavor or ingredient of the moment:
A

Seven kinds of local tomatoes. In a land where tomatoes are the very basis of our culinary tradition, I find it very creative to innovate territorial dishes with the use of different varieties.

Q After hours drink of choice:
A

Beer. Few are aware that in Italy there is an old brewing tradition.

Q If you weren't a chef, you would be:
A

An illusionist. I believe that the ability of a chef is also to create optical illusions so you can then distort the senses when tasting the dishes.

Q The city you would most like to eat your way through and why:
A

Most definitely a city on the seaside. The sea gives me serenity, concentration and creativity for my kitchen.