Hillsider 69 dergi F1 - Hillside Beach Club

A true Neapolitan…
New generation Italian…
28/29/30/31/32
Interview: Merve Erçuk
Photos: Uğur Bektaş
PiPa is where these concepts are
introduced and offered to the
‹stanbulites. Having quickly become
one of the first names recalled within
the context of Italian cuisine, PiPa’s
secret is lies in bringing Italian tastes
to ‹stanbul in their true versions. You
want to know how? With the
hand-made Neapolitan wood-fired
pizza oven built for the first time in
Turkey by Neapolitan craftsmen... With
organic produce imported from Italy...
With their olive oil and buffalo
mozzarella (cheese made from the
milk of domestic water buffalo)...
All are real Italians...
Recently opened at Ataşehir
Hillside–Trio after its original venue in
Nişantaş› and having soon become a
meeting point on the Asian side, PiPa’s
menu is created by the Naples-born,
award-winning chef Enzo Carbone and
PiPa’s Executive Chef Marco Russo.
We wanted to get to know Enzo and
Marco, the “True Neapolitans” of PiPa.
Merve Erçuk: You are preparing the
menus of different restaurants in
many cities across the world and
function as their chefs. What
brought you to ‹stanbul?
Enzo Carbone: Back when I lived in the
Far East, I met and became friends
with Alp Talat Özkan, who was the
manager of a hotel. He told me a little
about the concept of PiPa and asked
me if I would like to take part in the
establishment. This is how I came to
‹stanbul. Marco Russo and I joined
hands and created the menu for PiPa.
PiPa Nişantaş› and PiPa Trio
quickly took their place among the
favorite venues of ‹stanbulites.
You two created the menu for PiPa
together. What were you inspired
by? How would you describe the
menu that you created?
Marco Russo: First of all, if I, as a
customer, go to an Italian restaurant to
eat real Italian food, then I would like to
try different tastes instead of a classic
dish. When I am engaged in the menu
development as a chef, those are my
priority inspirations.
Italian cuisine takes the lead among
the most common and most liked
cuisines in the world. What do you
think is the reason for that?
Marco Russo: Italian cuisine is a
regionally renowned cuisine that
changes as you move from the north to
the south and presents variations in
terms of ingredients. The quality of
Italian cuisine comes first and
foremost from the selection and use of
the freshest, the best and locally
available ingredients rather than
cooking techniques. For centuries,
Italian chefs and producers remained
loyal to traditional Italian tastes; as a
result,
our local products and tastes gained
worldwide recognition. For example,
Mozzarella cheese, Porcini
mushrooms and San Marzano
toamtoes.... A certain esteemed chef
put it very adeptly:
the best ingredient + perfect cooking
technique = exquisite taste.
The kitchen has always been in your
life after your childhood to this day.
Could you share with us your story in
the kitchen? Your training and
achievements….
Enzo Carbone: It has been my greatest
chance to have had the opportunity to
work with many good chefs in and out
of Italy since I was young. I have always
worked hard, tried hard, because
desire and commitment are the
prerequisites of success. Each
experience I had in Italy and abroad has
been an adventure for my cookery and
my vision. Quality, commitment and
teamwork.
Is there anything you regard
essential for a kitchen? What would
make cooking difficult for you if you
did not have them?
Marco Russo: I think that wonderful
dishes can be prepared with passion,
a bit of fantasy and good olive oil.
Equipment is also crucial, of course,
but a good chef should share his
success with the team. I believe I am
very lucky in that respect.
What would you be if you had not
become a chef?
Enzo Carbone: This is a good question
that I also asked myself many times.
I don’t know, but I would definitely do
something that would give everybody
a reason to smile.
What is your motto in life? Can you
describe it in a few sentences?
Marco Russo: We do not live to eat but
we eat to live. So, waste nothing.