If a restaurateur advises not to put too much meat on the fire, you have to believe him. And this is precisely the suggestion that Diego Panizza, co-founder of the exclusive Horto Restaurant in Milan, addressed to the graduates of the MSBA Master at the end of a much appreciated speech. ALTIS ' new dialogue with sustainability innovators starts from its experience, born in 2016 as a social inclusion project.
The initial idea of Panizza, in the past creator of the original Bianchi Caffè, in Milan, was in fact to create a place that would offer job placement opportunities for young people with Down syndrome. But the untimely death of the father of one of the boys effectively prevented its continuation. The project has thus taken on today's connotation, that of a restaurant with a double Michelin star, red and green, obtained in the first year of activity, located on the top floor of a building with a terrace overlooking the Duomo and characterized by a strong vocation for sustainability.
What elements did you and Alberto Toè, the young chef who leads the kitchen, start from?
First of all, we tried to combine our project with the philosophy of Norbert Niederkofler, already 3 Michelin stars, making precise choices of material recovery and sustainability to arrange and furnish the restaurant.
How?
The floors, for example, were built by recovering old oak barrels from some people who were looking for a correct way to dispose of them.
The other recovery actions?
To reuse the rice straw, we kneaded it with lime and put it on the walls, so that it served as an insulator. In addition, the table placed in front of the kitchen is a cedar of Lebanon which unfortunately had been destroyed by a cloudburst in Puglia and was not recoverable.
As for the outside of the restaurant, the 700 square meters of garden?
We opted for a horizontal, very wild nature: recently, we started the first maintenance since installation, which dates back to June 2022. For almost two years the garden has been self-sufficient, without the need for trucks to bring new soil or fertilizers and able to withstand the considerable weather that has occurred in the city.
Looking at the food part, how do you implement the principles of sustainability?
We have developed the ethics hour. Starting from the center of Milan, where we are located, kilometer zero was not really practicable, because there are still houses a kilometer away. We have therefore considered as our unit of measurement that of an hour's drive from the city within which we can reach our suppliers.
How is your short supply chain organized?
With four supply hubs, located in Franciacorta, Lodi, Ticino Park and upper Brianza. We have consortium the suppliers of each pole, so that we can supply, through them, with all the raw materials we need, from meat to cheese, from vegetables to freshwater fish.
How did you select them?
In the first phase of the project, we often met many very good farmers, all united by the fact that they grew excellent products, but also that they did not want to return to Milan frequently to bring the goods.
Why?
They were, for the most part, former professors in agriculture who "escaped" from the city. A beautiful discussion followed, from which our local microeconomy project was born: at the beginning of the year, Horto guarantees these farmers and breeders the purchase of the entire production for the next twelve months.
But how do you use everything?
Let's put into practice the philosophy of our grandparents, for example the one that in the south had tomatoes or vegetables preserved in jars. In practice, the part of the products that we are unable to use on a daily basis we treat such as mashed potatoes, preserves and jams. At the end of summer, when the products available through the ethical hour decrease, we have about 1,000 jars with all the processed products available.
What are the other organizational factors of the consortium?
To convince them to bring their excellent products to us, the suppliers of the individual hubs (from 3 to 5 for each area), in turn also go to collect those of the others, so that each one makes about one trip a month to Milan.
Do you also have a social responsibility project that concerns water?
Giving up important sponsorships, we use water in a carafe in order to completely eliminate transport. For each carafe used, we donate 1 euro until we reach 3,500 euros. The charitable foundation of the BWT filter company, our supplier for this, doubles the sum, which is allocated for the construction and subsequent maintenance of a well in Africa for three years.
Where did your attention to the elements of sustainability for your activities come from?
I was born in Vermiglio, the last municipality before the Tonale Pass: until the 90s we were lucky enough to have the glacier, which has diminished before our eyes, I can say that I have become somewhat aware of the matter in the field.
Speaking to the students of the Master, he also focused on the importance of error.
Mistakes are part of the game and are very useful. For example, for the uniforms of our waiters, today the staff is made up of 25 people, initially we had reused the fabric purchased from used clothes, recoloring it and having it sewn by a cooperative of single mothers. The fabric, however, turned out to be unsuitable and in six months we had to take them again from the traditional circuit, while still using natural fabrics and colors. We understood once again that we must not put too many irons in the fire, but know how to combine the big thing that we do with other smaller ones, learning to change direction when necessary.
Article by Nicola Varcasia