Juventus supports the candidacy of Italian cuisine as UNESCO cultural heritage. And it does so together with the great icons of Italian cuisine, guests and stars in the Legends Club on the occasion of major matches in the Serie A championship.
The initiative, which is called ICONA, saw Paolo Griffa as the first big name present during the Derby della Mole on 7 October. On the occasion of this first encounter, we wanted to talk about the tradition of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley: Paolo is in fact Piedmontese, born in 1991, and has lived a culinary and artistic experience that started from his region, to expand - literally - to the whole world, to then return to the north-west, in particular, to Valle d'Aosta. Here, first in Courmayeur and then at the Caffè Nazionale in Aosta, Paolo won the Michelin Star in 2019 and recently in 2023.
THE ALLIANZ, A BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGE
“The Allianz Stadium? It’s a truly impressive venue, even when seen empty before the game, let alone with so many people. It's truly incredible to think that it's a stadium where four thousand people dine. It takes perfect coordination, the idea that a sporting event can be combined with cuisine, to have an all-round experience, is also beautiful."
And he continues: “I immediately said yes to this proposal to address a transversal public, which lives the experience of cooking differently from those who approach starred restaurants, who often do so to spend time and treat themselves to an evening. Here it's different, it's a context in which you have little time, and you often have to eat quickly, before the game starts or restarts. It’s a really good challenge."
THE LEGENDS CLUB EXPERIENCE
“On the occasion of the Derby we brought traditional dishes from the north-west, from Venetian cuisine with fontina and wild thyme to the crunchy sandwich with smoked river fish, which is a type of fish that in my opinion is a little under-rated, as it is truly of a very high quality. We then moved on to Piedmont, with vitello tonnato, with meat cooked to be very tender and pink, and closed like a parcel, reminiscent of a ravioli, to continue with a Mont Blanc, which immediately characterises us in Valle D'Aosta, even if there are no chestnuts there... so we thought of a total union between the two cultures, Piedmontese and Aosta Valley, thanks also to the collaboration with the Da Vittorio staff."
On the candidacy: “It is great that Italian cuisine is known for its great regional specialties: Italy has a unique tradition in its variety, and the UNESCO candidacy is very important for this very reason. Italy is a small nation and has many regional uniquenesses within it, such as the Aosta Valley, which has in fact become my new homeland."
A TRADITION TO DISCOVER
“My first passion is pastry making,” Paolo says. “After studying in Turin at the Alberghiero, I broadened my range of action beyond white art, enjoying great experiences such as the one at Combal.zero with Davide Scabin. After a few years traveling around the world, I arrived, by pure chance, to manage the Grand Hotel Royal and Golf and the Petit Royal Restaurant in Courmayeur."
On his first experience with Aosta Valley cuisine: “A tradition and a legacy that has so much to give but which have never been able to be told, Valle D'Aosta is a land of passage, a crossroads of cultures, whose cuisine is made up of many influences, all to be discovered. We learned to understand it, and to know our customers."
THE ADVENTURE OF CAFFE’ NAZIONALE
“In Aosta we took over a historic place, which had been closed for three years, and for me it was a return to my origins, to the world of pastry making. After a conservative restoration, the Caffè Nazionale reopened as a pastry bar, alongside which we added the restaurant. There are few places where pastry making is front and center, and for us it is very important; plus the restaurant is in a central square in Aosta, in a city that has a very important history.”
An adventure in which Griffa gradually made himself known to the citizens: “Little by little the locals discovered us, and we also brought along fans who came to visit us in Courmayeur. The Michelin Star arrived after 74 days, in a very short time, thanks to a winning method. Not only that: last year we received three beans and three cups from Gambero Rosso, and this year we are Bar of the Year."
It’s a job, however, that doesn't stop: “In the morning we start with all the checks and the schedule, because it is essential that everything works as best as possible. I am lucky enough to have a team, made up of 27 people in total, who I completely trust, who know how to carry out both the pastry shop and the restaurant in the best possible way. During opening hours I am operational in the restaurant, I am in the kitchen, while my wife takes care of the pastry shop.”
Paolo's wife is Titti Traina, another truly iconic name in Italian pastry making:, having just been named Pastry Chef of 2024 according to Gambero Rosso. “We have been working together since our meeting at Piccolo Lago, working together on the creativity and recipes of the restaurant and pastry shop's dessert lines. Titti is a pastry champion."
AIMING LOCAL
“If a person arrives in Aosta, they want to know the products of the valley, and we focus on this, with a strong aesthetic connotation which is typical of pastry chefs, but also applied to catering. Our dishes therefore have a very recognisable style, which comes from history, attention and rigour. I arrived without any historical memory, and I was able to understand the tradition, imagine it and relive it without any prejudice. My cultural background is very multi-faceted: what I did to Aosta Valley cuisine was to lighten it, since it was born mainly as a subsistence cuisine, poor and linked to the territory, then I inserted a few details, while always respecting the recipe and the tradition it brings with it. It was a wonderful challenge to experiment and compare myself with the inhabitants of the valley, who have historical memories of it. I even made some of them eat with their eyes closed, to guess our dishes, and they immediately recognised them, a sign that my objective, not to distort tradition, was perfectly successful."
ICONA continues at the Allianz Stadium: on the occasion of Juventus-Hellas Verona, on October 28, the protagonist will be the center of Italy, with Chef Davide Di Fabio, from the Dalla Gioconda restaurant in Gabicce Monte.