Italian cuisine in Switzerland looks ahead and chooses Ticino to tell its story. In the prestigious dining rooms of Mantegazza Palace, in Lugano Paradiso, the first edition of the The Italian cuisine of the future in Switzerland, initiative signed by 50 Top Italy, in collaboration with Maistà Food.
A debut beyond the borders for the format, born with the aim of highlighting young professionals capable of interpreting the Italian gastronomic tradition in a demanding context like the Swiss one.
The winner was Luca Giacchetti, member of the brigade of Da Vittorio restaurant, who convinced the jury with the dish “Bella Mbriana”, a proposal that combines Neapolitan memories and contemporary technique.
The value of comparison
The initiative, explain Martino Borghese and Giuseppe Borghese – co-founders and CEOs of Maistà Food – stems from the idea of creating opportunities for discussion that can empower the younger generations. The distribution network, active in promoting Italian regional excellence in Switzerland, aims to strengthen the presence of select artisanal ingredients and authentic specialties in a market that demands quality and narrative consistency.
The curators of 50 Top Italy—Barbara Guerra, Albert Sapere, and Luciano Pignataro—shared the same sentiment, emphasizing their satisfaction with the contest's first experience outside of Italy. Switzerland, they emphasized, represents a testing ground, particularly attentive to detail and the robustness of a gastronomic project. In this context, Italian cuisine continues to hold a privileged place in the public's preferences, but it is challenged to renew itself without losing its identity.
Six visions, one root
Alongside the winning dish, the jury awarded five other finalists with equal honors, all sharing a strong connection to the chefs' homelands and a personal interpretation of tradition.
Flavio Consorti of Ristorante Fusio presented "La Gricia Ribelle," a contemporary reinterpretation of a Roman classic. Michele Fusaro of Legami Italian Food Experience presented "Scrigno di Genovese Napoletana," a layered tribute to Campanian cuisine.
Roberto Gagliano, at the helm of Vesuvius Taste Experience at the Casino de Neuchatel, recounted his journey with "Taste of Home." Giovanni Gigante of Cucina Itameshi Restaurant combined Italian influences and Japanese influences in "Spaghettone with Clams and 'nduja," while Francesco Saverio Sovereto of Agua Restaurant presented "The Essence between the Sea and Reinforcement," a synthesis of tradition and technical research.
Different proposals in style and sensibility, but united by the desire to maintain a recognizable Italian heritage even in an international context.
Tradition, identity and market
The competition offered a significant glimpse into how Italian cuisine in Switzerland is evolving: less folklore, more technical awareness; fewer stereotypes, greater attention to the supply chain and the quality of raw materials.
Switzerland confirms its position as a sophisticated gastronomic market, rewarding authenticity and consistency. In this scenario, young Italian chefs working abroad play a strategic role: not only interpreters of iconic recipes, but ambassadors of a culinary heritage that evolves through study, cross-fertilization, and personal storytelling.
The first edition of the contest thus concludes with a clear message: Italian cuisine in Switzerland is not just an exported tradition, but a dynamic laboratory where regional identity and contemporary vision find new forms of expression. And Ticino, once again, confirms its position as a privileged crossroads of this evolution.
