Isola’s Italian chef Marco Sacco talks about cooking responsibly and Michelin stars
Chef known for his use of local products at his restaurant in Italy recently served a meal for 5,000 made using salvaged ingredients, and likes to find uses for things others might throw away
Chef Marco Sacco finds the energy of Hong Kong infectious. Coming from a small village on a lake northwest of Milan, Sacco says it’s amazing to see so many different cuisines offered within a short radius.
The chef-owner of the Michelin two-star Piccolo Lago in Verbania, Italy, began working as consultant chef to Isola at the IFC mall in Central early in 2015, and most recently was in the city as guest chef, serving white truffle dishes to diners.
He comes to Hong Kong every few months to add seasonal dishes to the menu and in return feeds off the vitality of the city, appreciating everything from street stall noodles to Michelin-starred restaurants in five-star hotels.
Sacco traces his interest back to childhood when he absorbed the smells and sounds of the kitchen – his parents opened Piccolo Lago in 1974 and he recalls the only way he could see his father was to go into the kitchen.
Eventually he began cooking with his father and, soon after turning 26, left Italy to broaden his training; he spent a lot of time in the south of France, learning culinary techniques from the likes of Alain Ducasse and Roger Vergé.
Today Piccolo Lago focuses on using local products such as ham from the Vigezzo Valley, extra-virgin olive oil from Umbria, and cheeses from the Formazza Valley. Sacco, known for his dishes of grilled local eel, and his concept of enhancing regional ingredients, caught the attention of the Michelin guide, which awarded the restaurant its first star in 2003, and its second one in 2007.
