There’s a new kid on the block and he plans to disrupt the Cape Town food scene with tradition Italian cuisine “like you’ve never experienced before”.
Pierino Penati is the new addition to the Villa 47 Emporio Italiano family, in Bree Street, and opens its doors on this evening.
The first Italian Michelin-star chef in the country, Theo Penati, will be at the helm of this fine dining jewel. Chef Theo is a third-generation Michelin-star chef of the family restaurant group with the same name in Italy.
Pierino Penati with his grandson, Theo, whose restaurant, Pierino Penati opens in Cape Town today PICTURE: Supplied
With the belief that food should be healthy and sustainable, Penati only uses fresh ingredients with a focus on flavour, innovation and authenticity.
With a limited seat capacity the restaurant will offer a seasonal menu with Italian produce, an exclusive chef’s table, champagne pairing menus and chef master classes in the future.
"We created an original menu with the context of the environment, in this case Cape Town, South Africa," says Penati
"Each menu is built up of stories and experiences, memories, respect of ingredients and that inspires my menu here".
In a bid to add local flavour, Penati says he would love to engage with the local chefs to discuss ingredients and recipes and believes teaching and learning is the way to grow the local food scene.
Penati wants every dish to tell a story and hopes to bring South Africa and Italy closer one plate at a time. "I am here to tell my story through food and create relationships with my customers here. "I would like to create a cultural link from Italy to South Africa and from South Africa to Italy, two beautiful countries.”
On his culinary inspirations, Penati says food is in his DNA straight from his grandfather. "When you feel excited in your mind, you can channel that into your dish. Sometimes the inspiration can come from your surroundings, memories or those around you."
For more information, visit www.villa47.co.za, or call (021) 418 2740 to be added to the waiting list for bookings as soon as they open.