Chef Matteo Riganelli of Macellaio RC won 2 award categories at the Love Italian Life Awards 2018 Ceremony including The Best Authentic Italian Restaurant in London sponsored by PizzaGroup and The Best Contemporary Italian Wine & Food Pairing 2018 sponsored by Miele.

Matteo is the executive chef of Macellaio RC which is a growing family of five Italian restaurants across the UK and Italy created by Italian restaurant entrepreneur Roberto Costa.

They uniquely offer you a steak from rare Fassona beef sourced from the mountains of Genoa and hung for 6-8 weeks that is butchered in front of you within a warm trattoria dining experience. 

Here is the exclusive interview between Love Italian Life and Matteo:

Love Italian Life: What are the ingredients that make an Italian restaurant truly authentic in the London market today?

Matteo Riganelli: To be truly authentic I think that is important to show the passion of sourcing amazing products and ingredients from our country. Then you need to be able to tell your guest the story behind every single product that is used, the story about the producers and their incredible effort to give us these wonderful products.

Love Italian Life: What exactly inspired Matteo Riganelli to be passionate about food and become a chef?

Matteo Riganelli: I fell in love with this art at a very young age thanks to my grandmother. I used to watch her all day long making fresh pasta like gnocchi or tagliatelle which was so inspiring to me, at the same time observing all her magical touches with these simple and comfort giving dishes. Since then I decided to follow this road with studies and commitments.

“You need to be able to tell your guest the story behind every single product that is used, the story about the producers and their incredible effort to give us these wonderful products”.

Love Italian Life: What do you think it is about Italian food that has such an enduring appeal?

Matteo Riganelli: The story behind the ingredients. Our deep roots make everyone from our country remarkably passionate – always with a story to tell.

Love Italian Life: In your opinion what are the store-cupboard essentials that all great Italian chefs should make sure they have in their kitchen?

Matteo Riganelli:  Love, Passion, Memories all mixed together with fresh herbs.

Love Italian Life: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of coming into the industry as a chef? 

Matteo Riganelli: Be passionate, be ready for something different every day and always remember that you’ll never stop learning.

“Our deep roots make everyone from our country remarkably passionate – always with a story to tell”.

Love Italian Life: What advice can you share with consumers wanting to cook traditional Italian food but are worried about how it will turn out?

Matteo Riganelli: Don’t be worried, choose the best Italian ingredients and and make sure you spare enough time for cooking so you can simply enjoy it while you are doing it.

Love Italian Life: For anyone who hasn’t eaten in Ristorante Macellaio RC before, how would you sum up the dining experience?

Matteo Riganelli: It Is a journey of our land, a full immersion in the excellence of superb products where you can taste the best selection of dry aged Fassona beef and learn about all the stories behind these interesting dishes.