by Roberta Schira
From the Park Hyatt (abandoned two years ago) at the forefront of the new restaurant at the Archaeological Museum on Corso Venezia: «I had no trouble finding employees: from employee I became entrepreneur. I dreamed of my own place”
“Restaurants say it’s a personal emergency, and it’s definitely true. But I had no difficulty hiring my thirty collaborators: a reliable team that will start its work in Corso Venezia, number 52, in the Luigi Rovati Foundation building. Now my only goal is to get off to a good start». Speaks Andrea Aprea, Neapolitan chef who brought two Michelin stars to the Park Hyatt in Milan, a luxury hotel that he left almost two years ago, at maximum visibility (the building was then closed for renovations, pending the recent reopening with the new one Chef Guido Paternollo ). In the building overlooking Porta Venezia that will house the new museum from September, Aprea, born in 1977, runs the restaurant on the first floor and the café-bistro on the ground floor: both bear his name and open on July 6th. So the team is ready. He’s not unequivocal about the numbers of his employees’ salaries: “If you pay the right ones, you’ll find them.” But he prefers to remain silent about the recruitment crisis that so many have gotten involved in: “I don’t want to get involved in the discussion on this topic.”
The gourmet restaurant is 400 square meters divided into 210 dining room, cellar, entrance hall, 190 square meters of ergonomic open kitchen. Seating is 36, with eight tables arranged in the central room and the others in a private room. The room with windows overlooking the Porta Venezia park has unusual bucchero cladding; reminiscent of the organ pipes, it is the black ceramic from which the Etruscans made the vases. A quote from the collections on display in the museum. The Caffè Bistrot, on the other hand, overlooks a secret courtyard with a green hill. The materials chosen for the rooms by the architect Flaviano Capriotti are wood, plaster and stone.
“I finally realized a dream,” says Apra. “Own restaurant. But my hand as a chef hasn’t changed, my approach has changed. I am no longer an employee, but an entrepreneur. A big difference. I wanted a place dedicated to culture and art. Here Milanese can enjoy a break surrounded by beauty, between nature and my great classics. The bistro will live from the morning, with tables also outside ». The comeback of Andrea Aprea in a big way gives Milan – the city a national and international stage for any food project – another high-profile destination.
The not inconsiderable part of the Milanese who were interested in the “cooking society” had been talking about it for a long time: What became of Aprea? Now his fans know. And you will rediscover the Dolce Salato Caprese, its signature dish. «In these magical spaces I will prepare my contemporary Italian cuisine. Such as prawns, porcini mushrooms and tarragon or rice made from peppers, oysters and candied lemons. I remain true to my story and place more and more importance on the choice of suppliers. His alter ego, the maître and sommelier Jessica Rocchi (over 650 labels in the cellar). Three restaurant menus: Contemporaneity (5 courses dedicated to the relationship between memory and innovation: cost 155 euros); Partenope (6-course trip in the proposals of Campania: 175 euros); Signature (the chef’s philosophy in 8 courses: 195 euros). The dishes in the bistro cost between 20 and 30 euros.
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July 6, 2022 (change July 6, 2022 | 09:38)
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