In particular, in recent years the Apulian cuisine has become the fulcrum of its tourism, this has led to the birth of new restaurant formats that have followed a real star race in the Michelin Guide. This evolution has made it possible for the typical local cuisine to meet the gourmet concept from the haute hall.
We will recommend a few if you happen to be in our area and would like to try a high-level culinary experience.
Let's start immediately with Antonella Ricci & Vinor Sookar in Ceglie Messapica (BR).
It is a historic Michelin macaron, as it has been boasting it for about thirty years, it was created by Angelo Ricci in 1966, today managed by his daughter Antonella. The restaurant is set in a fabulous typically Apulian location, an elegant country villa, with a splendid veranda that is used according to the season. The kitchen is managed by the couple Antonella Ricci and Vinor Sookar, who have mixed their passion, thanks to the different palates in a modern key, without spoiling tradition. A real experience for those who choose this culinary journey, consisting largely of Apulian raw materials that meet the flavors of the East.
Moving but remaining in the area, we arrive in Savelletri (BR), where perhaps the most coveted destination of international VIPs in Puglia is located.
We are talking about Borgo Egnazia of course, an ancient village rebuilt and converted into a very high-level accommodation facility, consisting of luxurious and elegant villas and a starred restaurant.
We are talking about the Due Camini restaurant, which thanks to the audacity of chef Domingo Schingaro, has managed over the years to attract various international stars, who have become almost habits of this place. By focusing on international cuisine, you ask yourself? Absolutely not!
The various menus, among which the most famous "freehand" and "Mediterranean" stand out, aim entirely at bringing tradition and typical Apulian products to the table.
Instead, we land in Magna Graecia, in Manduria (TA) where we find the novelty that surprised us in 2020, we are talking about the Casamatta restaurant, the icing on the cake of an enchanting place or the Vinilia Wine Resort. It is an old noble castle converted into a resort with a restaurant, swimming pool, and spa. The Casamatta restaurant has a colorful and modern appearance and has the same coherence in the culinary proposals of chef Pietro Penna, locally produced ingredients that meet the French imagination, the chef's training influence, without obscuring the main theme or the tradition of Puglia.
We go down to the Salento capital Lecce, where we find another recent surprise in the historic center, the Bros.
Managed by the now influencers Floriano Pellegrino and Isabella Potì, two guys who, in addition to attracting the attention of the Michelin guide judges, have often talked about them among the various entrepreneurial initiatives such as the "Roots" restaurant in Scorrano (LE). origin of the chefs, or the “Sista” project based on pastry delivery, to the point of even attracting the attention of Forbes magazine. Their paths are a refined experience of taste, which tends to amaze the customer's palate, with complex combinations that combine the Italian and Apulian tradition specifically, with more exotic and extroverted flavors.
Finally, we point out another noteworthy place, which boasts the Michelin dish: high-quality cuisine, the Primo Restaurant in Lecce. We find ourselves in front of a small bistro, a characteristic and elegant location, with star vaults that recall the Salento tradition, a few hundred meters from the Carlo V Castle and from Piazza G. Mazzini. Led by the very young chef Solaika Marroco, who despite her age boasts a veteran curriculum, this promise of Apulian catering offers a delicate and refined menu, in which simplicity meets complexity in a healthy and never predictable way.
In short, a phenomenon of constant growth, which gives hope for the best of all Apulian and lovers of this region.