It is a real pleasure to meet Luca Bellanca, because finally you are faced with a person capable of transmitting and communicating a real passion for cooking, nurtured since he was a boy, and then refined through studies and long years spent in important restaurants all over the world. . In a world of haute cuisine where appearance often hides substance, Luca has not lost the pleasure of being behind the stove, where he experiments with new dishes and creates interesting combinations, while always keeping faith with his precise and deep-rooted conviction: dishes are good if they are composed of a few essential elements, capable of enhancing the taste of products of absolute quality. A real cook, in short, an example to be imitated and admired by those who believe instead that culinary art is media exposure, easy success or fantasy as an end in itself.

How was your vocation for cooking born?

"I believe that the origin of my passion for cooking is to be found within the family, where I was lucky enough to live with a mother and a grandmother who taught me not only the pleasure of eating well and wholesome but educated me to the joy of being in the kitchen, at the stove, to cook something good that the whole family could then enjoy during a lunch or dinner eaten together. It was by watching them that I learned how to make fresh pasta or how to prepare boiled meat. All experiences that then came in handy when I decided that cooking would be my way ».

A choice already gained in the years of studies ...  

"Indeed. I attended the De Filippi hotel school in Varese where I learned the basics of working in the kitchen. During the week I studied and then at the weekend I worked in the kitchens of local restaurants, especially the Madonnina di Cantello, the land of choice for asparagus, where I learned what it really means to run a restaurant specializing in banquets, with shifts of up to 12- 14 hours. Thanks to them I then went to Ireland for a year, to a 5-star luxury restaurant and then to Modica, Sicily, to Accursio Craparo's starred restaurant. A fundamental experience in my training because it is in that region that I got to know and appreciate the goodness of the products of the earth and understand how they are the irreplaceable basis of an excellent cuisine: the scent of capers, the flavor of oil, ricotta consumed while still hot ... ».

His world tour includes other important stages ...

«After spending a year in Santa Monica, California, I spent 6 years in Spain between Velencia and Mallorca, where I was able to approach the world of haute cuisine and increase my technical background, also experimenting with avant-garde solutions. So in Switzerland, in Bellinzona, in a catering company, and finally my arrival in Lugano, at the Metamorphosis restaurant ».

How would you describe your cuisine, the one you like most?

«I would like my dishes to be remembered for their taste, for their ability to convey important and non-trivial flavors. For me, a good dish must be composed with the use of a limited number of ingredients, so that each element can be recognized and fully enjoyed in its characteristic flavor. Another determining factor is the freshness of the preparations, each dish must be freshly prepared and nothing must be pre-cooked or prepackaged. Finally, a dish should also be beautiful to look at and therefore great attention to the colors and shapes with which it is presented ».

What is your experience at the head of the Metamorphosis restaurant teaching you?

«This is an extraordinary experience in my professional career. The efforts made by all the staff are paying off. At midday we offer fast and light quality catering, suitable for a break during working hours. In the evening our cuisine becomes more refined, with more refined preparations ideal for a dinner with your partner or with friends. And then there are the numerous themed evenings that allow us to innovate and make ourselves known with original ideas and dishes that are always of great quality ».

The choice of products remains a constant point of reference ...

"Absolutely yes. Our suppliers have been selected from among the best producers in Ticino for dairy products, eggs, meats, cured meats and vegetables. But if the kitchen requires a particular product, we do not hesitate to go further to always have the highest quality and freshness ».

For two years, the Metamorphosis Restaurant has been an important stop in S. Pellegrino Sapori Ticino ...

«I am very happy to have joined this gastronomic circuit which brings together the best chefs of Ticino and Switzerland together with starred colleagues from all over the world. I believe that events of this kind are very good for the qualitative growth of the catering of a specific territory because in our profession the exchange of knowledge and experience represents an indispensable source of inspiration and stimulus to improve one's cuisine ».

What advice would you give to the many young people who see cooking as a way to practice to easily achieve success?

“Unfortunately, television and more generally the media system have generated the illusion that being a cook is an easy job, where a young person can achieve success in a short time, honored and celebrated like a star of the show. Nothing more false. To do your job well it takes a lot of effort, effort, and more effort. Without worrying about working hours. With a lot of modesty and desire to learn, because there is always a new solution to experiment. And, above all, with an immense passion which is the real strength that pushes you to move forward and improve yourself service after service. And maybe we would like the food criticism to be more careful to recognize the work of those who have made good food their reason for living, looking at the substance and not just at the appearance ».