{"id":902466,"date":"2026-07-16T17:32:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/902466\/federico-gallo-10-cooks-at-locanda-pilone\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T19:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:49:57","slug":"federico-gallo-10-cooks-at-locanda-pilone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/902466\/federico-gallo-10-cooks-at-locanda-pilone\/","title":{"rendered":"Federico Gallo: ten years of cooking, one dish at a time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ten years aren’t easily plated. They can be celebrated<\/strong> with a grand dinner, but the risk <\/strong>of putting only the successes<\/strong> on the table is high: the most famous dishes, the awards, the ritual photographs. <\/p>\n\n

Federico Gallo chose a different path<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\n

Not a simple gastronomic retrospective. Rather, a small autobiography<\/strong> served one dish at a time. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

To celebrate his first ten years at the helm of the kitchen at Locanda del Pilone<\/a>, he built a menu made primarily of people<\/strong>. Every course was dedicated to someone who left a mark on his professional life. <\/p>\n\n

Not a simple gastronomic retrospective. Rather, a small autobiography<\/strong> served one dish at a time. <\/p>\n\n

The vineyards before dinner<\/h2>\n\n

The evening of July 9th began outdoors<\/strong>, in the garden of the Locanda: we are in Madonna di Como<\/strong>, on the hill behind Alba<\/a>. The structure was born from the restoration of an old Piedmontese farmhouse belonging to the Boroli family. <\/p>\n\n

Surrounded by hills combed with vineyards<\/strong>, today the Locanda houses a resort and the restaurant led by Federico Gallo, awarded a Michelin Star and Krug Ambassade status.<\/p>\n\n

Given the view and the owners’ vocation, before sitting down at the table, the conversation inevitably turns to wine<\/a> and vineyards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

With Achille, the talk falls on the current season. The intense heat<\/strong> is testing the vines and making the wait for the next harvest more complex<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

With his brother Carlo, the conversation expands to climate change<\/strong>, a theme that moves out of academic conferences and into daily work, changing the timing, expectations, and decisions of those who farm.<\/p>\n\n

An aperitif that deconstructs the classics<\/h2>\n\n

The first chapter of the dinner is dedicated to the Boroli family<\/strong> and arrives in the form of small bites<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Pear in red wine<\/strong> and Blu del Moncenisio, savory craquelin choux<\/strong> with tomato and Cuneo ham. Insalata russa<\/strong>. Vitello tonnato<\/strong>. Red onion in sweet and sour sauce. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Insalata Russa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Savory craquelin choux <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Veal with tuna sauce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Familiar<\/strong> dishes, but reconstituted in new forms, “deconstructed<\/strong>” and recomposed<\/strong>, we might say. Not to erase their identity, but to make it sharper. <\/p>\n\n

My favorite taste<\/strong> was the smoked tench carpione<\/strong>, served on a sage tapioca wafer, which preserved the popular character<\/strong> of the original preparation, with a touch of depth given by the smoking.<\/p>\n\n

An elegant<\/strong> preparation, but still recognizable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\n

And it is perhaps this aspect that struck me most: the desire to transform without making the starting point disappear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

The menu as autobiography<\/h2>\n\n

From that moment on, the dinner changes tone. Every dish becomes an episode <\/strong>of life lived and every recipe brings with it a name<\/strong>, a place <\/strong>or an encounter<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The official menu actually told of “dishes, bonds, and memories<\/strong>” that have marked Federico’s professional life, at the Locanda and beyond.<\/p>\n\n

Gianna and the discovery of lake fish<\/h3>\n\n

The Arctic char mi-cuit, accompanied by beurre blanc and wood sorrel, was presented as a tribute to Giovanni Vialardi<\/strong>, chef to the House of Savoy and author of one of the most important Italian cookbooks of the 19th century.<\/p>\n\n

But behind the historical reference there was a more personal one: the dish is in fact dedicated to Gianna<\/strong>, owner of Il Pesce d\u2019Oro<\/a>, on the shores of Lake Chiusi<\/strong>, the first restaurant where Federico worked.<\/p>\n\n

\"Locanda
Tribute to Vialardi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

It was there that the chef learned to know freshwater fish. <\/strong>A product long considered “poor,” less prestigious than sea fish and often difficult to showcase.<\/p>\n\n

A lesson we should always keep in mind: the value of a raw material<\/strong> doesn’t depend on its fame.<\/p>\n\n

Gino, Margherita and the arrival in Alba<\/h2>\n\n

The rabbit tuna<\/strong> is one of the dishes that marked the beginning of Federico’s journey <\/strong>at the Locanda.<\/p>\n\n

For this dinner, it returned to the menu after four years, accompanied by Taggiasca olives<\/strong>, lemon<\/strong>, and a warm sweet garlic cream.<\/p>\n\n

\"Locanda
Rabbit tuna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The dish is dedicated to Gino and Margherita<\/strong>: butchers from Alba, suppliers to the Locanda and among Federico’s first real points of reference<\/strong> after his arrival in the city.<\/p>\n\n

Here too, the dedication is not incidental.<\/p>\n\n

It tells a part of the kitchen work that normally stays out of the dining room: the relationship with those who select<\/strong>, prepare <\/strong>and deliver <\/strong>the raw materials. People who, over time, stop being simple suppliers and become friends<\/strong> and companions on the journey. <\/p>\n\n

Those who open the doors<\/h2>\n\n

The hare risotto<\/strong> was instead dedicated to Sofia and Marco<\/strong>, for years the restaurant’s manager <\/strong>and sommelier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

It was Sofia who wanted Federico<\/strong> at Locanda del Pilone.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Locanda
Hare risotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda
Sofia Brunelli, Marco Loddo and Federico Gallo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

In the dish, the rice was creamed with Parmigiano <\/strong>and scented with orange<\/strong>. The hare rag\u00f9 <\/strong>met a fermented blueberry<\/strong> sauce and bay leaf powder. <\/p>\n\n

A complex but readable ensemble.<\/p>\n\n

The dedication reminded me of a truth<\/strong> often forgotten: a career isn’t born from individual talent<\/strong> alone. You need people willing<\/strong> to open a door. And others capable of accompanying you <\/strong>after you’ve walked through it. <\/p>\n\n

Masters, inspirations and new generations<\/h2>\n\n

The pigeon skewer paid tribute to chef Romano Gordini<\/strong> of the restaurant La Parolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

His pigeon <\/strong>with foie gras was for years a source of inspiration for Federico<\/strong>. At the Locanda, it returned in a version reimagined for the occasion<\/strong>, with the meat grilled<\/strong> and served on a base of fermented wild plums, juniper, and star anise. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Pigeon skewer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Federico Gallo with Romano Gordini and Azzurra Gordini from La Parolina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Openly citing a master is a beautiful gesture<\/strong>, especially in a world where every dish is often presented as the result of solitary enlightenment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The concluding dessert also looked simultaneously to the past and the future.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cAlba 2.0<\/strong>\u201d, with white chocolate, porcini mushrooms, fior di latte gelato, and berries, has been a Locanda classic<\/strong> since 2017. Federico dedicated it to his wife. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Alba 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Mattia Sabatini, pastry chef<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

The new version was born from the collaboration with the young pastry chef Mattia Sabatini<\/strong>. Not just a memory, then, but a dish that continues to change<\/strong> thanks to the new members of the team.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

Ten years are made of people<\/h2>\n\n

In the end, the most successful<\/strong> part of the evening wasn’t the celebration, but the choice to transform a personal anniversary into a collective story<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The family <\/strong>who entrusted the kitchen to the chef. The first restaurateur<\/strong> who introduced him to lake fish, the butchers <\/strong>he met upon arriving in Alba, the people <\/strong>who believed in him, the chefs he observed over the years… <\/p>\n\n

Dishes change<\/strong>. Some disappear from the menu<\/strong> and return <\/strong>after four years. Others become classics. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Achille Boroli, owner of Locanda del Pilone and Federico Gallo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Federico Gallo with Romano Gordini and Azzurra Gordini from La Parolina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/a>
Sofia Brunelli, Marco Loddo and Federico Gallo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Relationships <\/strong>follow another trajectory. Even when they are strong and decisive, they often stay outside<\/strong> the spotlight: far from the dining room<\/strong>, from the awards <\/strong>and from the public narrative<\/strong> of a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n

\n

The dinner for Federico Gallo’s ten years had the merit of doing exactly this: transforming <\/strong>those bonds into a story<\/strong> and finally bringing them to the table.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ten years aren’t easily plated. They can be celebrated with a grand dinner, but the risk of putting only the successes on the table is high: the most famous dishes, the awards, the ritual photographs. Federico Gallo chose a different path. To celebrate his first ten years at the helm of the kitchen at Locanda […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":902450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1567],"tags":[],"lgarea":[13],"class_list":["post-902466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat-drink","lgarea-lower-langa"],"yoast_head":"\nFederico Gallo: ten years of cooking, one dish at a time<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ten years aren't easily plated. 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