It will be a very special evening on Friday, April 8th at the Grand Hotel Toplice in Bled, the beautiful Slovenian town famous for its lake nestled in the alpine landscape. The 5-star affiliate of the Small Luxury Hotels chain will host a surprising cuisine encounter, a dialogue between cultures, a partnership between Italy and Slovenia in the name of taste. The Executive Chef Simon Bertoncelj guests his colleague Gianni Tarabini from restaurant La Presef (1 Michelin star at the Farm House La Fiorida, Valtellina) for an exclusive “Four Hands Dinner” of 7 menus course characterized by a unique and harmonious blend of Italian and Slovenian products and ingredients. The event, conceived by Irena Vergani, ILV Factory , advisor and PR supervisor of Sava Hotels & Resorts, looks so promising that the Four Hands Dinner could become a real repeatable and declinable format. The two chefs are also united by attachment to tradition and rootedness in their respective areas of belonging, as demonstrated by the choice of fresh seasonal raw materials for the preparation of the dishes both in their life of every day and in this professional association. The 37 year-old Simon Bertoncelj, a former pupil of Gordon Ramsay in London at the restaurant Claridge’s, working with world-renowned chefs such as Marc Meurin (Le Chateau de Beaulieu, Lille, 2 Michelin stars) and Bobby Brauner (Grand Hotel Tirolia, Kitzbuhel, 18 points Gault Millau and 3 hats) and a member of the Slovenian national Olympic chefs, is one of the most important representatives of the young generation of Slovenian cuisine chef. It arrived in 1996 at the Grand Hotel Toplice, held the position of Corporate Executive Head Chef of all the hotels of the Sava Hoteli Bled complex and in his work is always looking for perfection and harmony of flavors and dishes. Among his many international successes also it boasts four silver medals equally divided among the hospitality world championships in Dubai (2012) and culinary ones of Luxembourg (2014). In addition, a second place in the National Slovenian
team at the 2012 World Culinary Olympics (IKA) in Germany. Among its strengths there are definitely sweets, having to his credit a workshop in confectionery by Frederic Bourse in Bergamo and two very special training, one in chocolate and sugar sculptures and the other in butter sculptures. As for the Valtellina Gianni Tarabini, he has always been convinced that the fresh and top quality food can make the difference to a dish. From the family restaurant, he went to Barbarossa restaurant at the Casilio Castle Grass, where he was able to shine for his organizational skills of a large brigade, but the real breakthrough came with the entrepreneur’s proposal Plinio Vanini, who was looking for a chef for the restaurant “Four Seasons” of the farm “La Fiorida”, Mantello. Gianni does not yet know to be the turning point of his career and welcomes to form and lead a brigade in this restaurant, where flexibility proves the most important feature, but, even more, the possibility of having, at 69 meters from his kitchen always fresh ingredients of the day, produced following strict quality processes inspired by tradition. He begin frequenting the kitchen’s Massimo Bottura, 3 Michelin stars on “Osteria Francescana” in Modena. These “culinary tours” off the Valtellina enrich and stimulate his creativity and that’s next to the “Four Seasons”, takes shape the gourmet “La Présef” where Gianni enhances in an innovative and creative restaurant not only the farm’s products, but also the excellent Valtellina productions. In November 2013 it comes the prestigious 1 Michelin star award of the Red Guide and the admission to Euro-Toques Italy, an association founded by chef Gualtiero Marchesi bringing together the best Italian chefs. During the presentation
of the new guide to the 2016 Gambero Rosso Italian Restaurants, “La Présef” was awarded by the special prize Taste & Health, while the edition of the Italian Touring Club Guide has given a certificate Kitchen Author. As for the menu on April 8th, Bertoncelj will focus on meat, from the white ones (quail, rabbit) to the calf, through the game (deer), representing culinary excellence of the territory, all combined with plants, mushrooms, roots , tubers and spices typical of the Slovenian mountains. Tarabini will serve instead the sausage of pure pork rind and the rib of “La Fiorida”, bred in serum just around the corner from his kitchen, not forgetting the Dumpling Mountain potatoes with bitto heart, whipped butter, misultin del Lario and lemon zest, one of the dishes that earned him the award of a Michelin star. The dinner will conclude with a review of the original “Blejska kremšnita”, the delicious millefeuille with the typical Bled cream: the “host” Bertoncelj will propose a version topped with white chocolate chips, local yogurt, honey, fresh mint and raspberry while the guest Tarabini will let himself go to improvisation. All the entrees, finally, will be accompanied with a selection of Slovenian wines.
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