At the Dolomieu restaurant in Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino chef Fiorenzo Perremuto brings personal flair and attention to detail to his interpretations of the local cuisine. For many years, rock music was his whole life.
Freshness, colour, creativity, research, dreams and memories The kitchen of Fiorenzo Perremuto, the Trentino chef who has been in charge of the Dolomieu restaurant in Madonna di Campiglio for one winter and one summer, tells us about his story. The restaurant, which held a Michelin star between 2014 and 2022, is now at the heart of a new story intended by owner Tiziano Zambotti to strengthen the ties between DV Chalet — the boutique hotel in which the restaurant is located — and the world of fine dining for which this gem of hospitality has always been renowned. After a long association with chef Enrico Croatti (from the region of Emilia-Romagna), with whom the Dolomieu project was developed, a fleeting time with Fabio Groppi (Piedmont) and the recent years with Davide Rangoni (Veneto), this will be the first time that the restaurant at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites speaks the culinary language of Trentino. Fiorenzo Perremuto combines flavours, fragrances, consistencies and nuance in his dishes, in search of results as technically flawless as they are expressive. His knowledge of local produce is vast; his experience, gained through working with high-calibre and Michelin-starred chefs, is extensive; while his creativity is ready to make waves on the gourmet restaurant scene.
An haute cuisine meal is a performance, and as such it must be prepared with care, forethought and dedication.
History and OriginsBorn and raised in Trento 50 years ago, he grew up in a house filled with books — including many cookery books — and vinyl records. From his Venetian mother, he inherited his passion for cooking and music; from his Sicilian father, he learned his work ethic and sense of duty. From his maternal grandmother, a botanist who knew all there is to know about mountain flowers and herbs, he came to know the secrets and properties of nature. “Papa was a labourer”, reminisces the executive chef, “he would come home every fortnight and I would wait anxiously for his return. I saw how he suffered, I understood his exhaustion. I remember how Mamma would roll out fresh pasta using a long, narrow rolling pin. I thought of it as her version of a bow and arrow”. And not only was the house rich in the smells of good food, but it was always full of music. “Work is part of my DNA, and that of my family. When I was 15”, he explains, “and Rovereto, I spent weekends and holidays working at the Vecchio Mulino in Vezzano, an award-winning restaurant at the time. It was just me in the kitchen, and I did the washing up too. Raw materials, top-quality ones, have always had a fascination for me: for example, the lake fish and freshwater crayfish that I would catch in the little lakes and streams of Bondone, and cook for my colleagues in the evening. That early experience led me on to other ones, in the most important restaurants in TrentinoAlto Adige”. Perremuto continued his studies, obtaining his secondary school diploma and enrolling at university, in the food science faculty. He learned, observed, researched and experimented. “Whatever you do, you have to keep challenging yourself”, he says. “It’s too easy to be content with what you already know and give up”.
The MusicThen the Trentino chef’s other passion, music, took over from his interest in the culinary arts. Perremuto swapped the kitchen for the stage, touring Italy for years singing and playing as the frontman of the rock band “Kustodia”, which supported concerts by Francesco De Gregori, Francesco Guccini and Eugenio Finardi. The group also took part in various national competitions and recorded a few albums. These artistic activities proceeded at an intense pace until fate suddenly intervened, bringing the band to an end and heralding the start of a fresh chapter. The group broke up and Perremuto waved goodbye to his musical career.
Cuisine that celebrates the local territory requires a focus on the freshness of the raw ingredients and cooking methods that don’t overpower, but rather exalt them
Thought, Work, Passion, and CookingDiners should be able to recognise the raw materials on the plate, which is only possible by cooking in a way that celebrates them. Moreover, any addition, like the sauces born out of classic, French cuisine, which I really love, must not smother the ingredients but rather enhance and exalt them. The plate is then put together with just the right combinations of colours, flavours, consistencies and temperatures. It has to speak, to express the concept and the work that made the final result possible”. “A guest who chooses to dine in a haute cuisine restaurant”, concludes chef Fiorenzo Perremuto, “expects a show, just as they would when they go to a concert. Being an artist doesn’t mean improvising, but carefully studying and preparing for a project, whatever it may be, in every detail and at every stage. In the restaurant game, that includes service, which is essential for the success of the experience”. At Dolomieu, mountain-based haute cuisine is a show that’s just about to start.
