If you were to ask me the last thing I’d want to eat on a scorching afternoon at a beachfront restaurant, a five-course Italian meal would probably be up there—that is, until recently.
Last week, I attended the 10th edition of the St Barth Gourmet Festival, and enjoyed countless meals crafted at the hands of some of Europe’s top chefs. Each year, the Territorial Tourism Committee of St Barts invites a handful of renowned chefs to collaborate with local hotel restaurants and execute unforgettable popups using a combination of meticulous know-how and both international and local ingredients.
This year’s participating chefs included Régis Macron, Pierre Hermé, Cyril Attrazic, Maxime Frédéric, Enrico and Roberto Cerea, Alessandro Negrini, Kelly Rangama, Franck Putelat, Jacky Ribualt, Grégory Marchand, and Danny Imbroisi. While I was lucky enough to taste the creations of around half of the above chefs, it was the Italian-inspired meal by Enrico and Roberto Cerea that left the most lasting impression.
Cerea’s popup was hosted at Le Sereno, an open-air beachfront property set alongside a white sandy beach and brilliantly turquoise-hued waters. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t entirely thrilled at the idea of scarfing down five courses of hot Italian food while beachside, but Cerea’s charm, talent, and unbelievable hospitality quickly had my mind changed.
Our meal began with a perfectly portioned eggplant parmigiana, complete with fresh mozzarella and a roasted cherry tomato atop. The bite-sized first course was the size of perhaps two standard American bites, and was loaded with flavor, rendering it the perfect way to start the meal.
A homemade pesto risotto with tomato emulsion followed, complete with perfectly cooked grains and a drizzle of melted burrata. What made the pesto so unique was the exclusion of garlic, which truly allowed the sauce’s basil component to shine. Cerea’s ‘grandmother’s meatballs’ followed, though he graciously accommodated my vegetarian diet by preparing two perfectly roasted artichokes.
Next—and perhaps the highlight of the meal—was ‘una sorpresa prima della dolce’—that is, a surprise before dessert. My dining companion and I exchanged guesses as to what it could be—perhaps a scoop of palate-cleansing sorbet or sip of something refreshing. To our surprise, we were greeted with a table-side preparation of pasta with tomato sauced, crafted entirely from tomatoes and ‘suitcase parmigiana,’ which Cerea revealed to hauling over in his suitcase all the way from Italy.
Now, pasta was about the last thing I thought my stomach could handle, but upon first bite, I was floored. This was truly one of the best pastas—if not best bites—of my entire life. Despite the sauce’s viscous texture, Cerea explained that no cream or milk was added—just three varieties of fresh tomatoes and a healthy helping of cheese. He even served me my portion in the pan within which the savory concoction was prepared (with a crusty chunk of ciabatta bread for scarpetta purposes). I will be dreaming of this dish for a long time.
A savory dessert of coconut sorbet, white chocolate pound cake, and avocado cream followed, finished with a selection of flavorful petits-fours and homemade panettone.
Beyond the immaculate flavors and attention to detail executed, what captured me most about this meal was the perfect portions, high-quality ingrdients, and above all, Cerea’s palpable passion for his native cuisine, as well as hospitality (at one point, the wind blew into the restaurant and shattered a glass on a client’s table, and Cerea dropped everything he was doing to run over and personally attend to the client himself).
Next time beachfront Italian is proposed, I’ll most definitely welcome the opportunity.
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