The task at hand is practically second nature to the talented and skilled chef Monosilio, who is one of the youngest to earn a Michelin star in 2012 at only 27 years old alongside Alessandro Pipero for the latter’s eponymous restaurant. Fast forward to post-pandemic times, and chef Monosilio has his own two restaurants in Rome— Luciano Cucina Italiana and the fine dining Follie at the 5-star Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá on Via del Gianicolo. Elsewhere, he also has his pasta bar in Cape Town, South Africa that he co-owns with a childhood friend, and he does a bit of travelling as he consults for the likes of A Mano.

Once we have settled in with drinks in hand, I point out how it must be frustrating for an Italian chef when he sees how their cuisine, although globally beloved, is oftentimes bastardized— or worse, massacred— in the hands of inexperienced or unknowledgeable cooks. With all the patience of a good dad (he is, to two little ones with his fiancée, Ilaria), he shrugs and says, “in all cuisines anywhere in the world— and perhaps especially in Italy— the food is cooked by the mammas and the nonnas. The recipes are then passed on and on, and everyone has their own versions. So, who is really to say what is real Italian food? The same way that what your grandma cooked is different from what their grandma cooked, and so on. Is your grandma’s cooking more Filipino than others?”

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Therefore, when chef Monosilio goes from kitchen to kitchen all over the world imparting his knowledge to those who believe in his expertise, he will lay down the fundamentals— traditional Italian flavours and techniques that he has “decoded” so it can be taught and replicated. “Yes, it will be the same flour, or that cut of lamb, or that kind cheese,” he says, “and of course, there has to be the flavour.” This is what he does in Luciano, the restaurant that he says is “not (his) nonna’s cooking” but completely his own, like the carbonara that has made him world-renowned. His beef tartare utilizes Asian ingredients such as miso and soy sauce, and a cold pasta dish inspired by Japanese techniques that chef Monosilio learned from a member of his racially diverse kitchen team. For a restaurant that calls itself “Cucina Italiana,” this bold direction truly shows how far the younger chefs have come in comparison to the old guard who are deeply rooted in their traditions and caught up in their highly stringent regulations. “Me— and other younger Italian chefs who think like me— are more about cooking dishes our way,” chef Monosilio stresses. It is Italian food, but your style, I confirm. “Yes,” he smiles, “exactly.”

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And it is with this philosophy that he shares his knowledge with the rest of the world, making Italian cuisine that is accessible and, yes, authentic in different cities abroad just as it would be in the eternal city. He also demonstrates this generous spirit by making English their spoken language at work so that nothing gets lost in translation for their foreign colleagues. Asia’s Best Female Chef 2016 Margarita Forés (of Cibo, Grace Park, Cibo de Marghi, among others, who also happens to be Amado’s mom) expresses shock upon hearing this, having trained with the Italian grandmas and chefs back when she was starting out and whom at the time exclusively spoke Italian. Why did you not ask them (the foreign staff members) to learn Italian? “I just think it is easier that way since we all speak English anyway,” chef Monosilio answers, “and these guys (motioning towards Medei) also get to practice. Listen, he speaks so well!” (Laughs)

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Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and yet, chef Monosilio carries it effortlessly. At the preview for the one-night-only 7-course dinner at A Mano BGC, decked in his chef’s whites, he looks every bit the perfect Roman ambassador as he explains his dishes to attending media, and then retreats to the kitchen to prepare the meal assisted by Medei and the A Mano kitchen team. While still warm and very accommodating, he is focused on sending out tasting portions of his most popular dishes, along with some special requests from Amado like chef Monosilio’s version of his grandmother’s lamb and potato dish. While most of our previous conversation at the bar may have been somewhat muddled in the loud house music or lost in the haze of margaritas, martinis, and generous pours of mezcal, his most poignant line also comes in its wake. When asked what is the most important thing we need to learn about cooking Italian cuisine, he answers almost philosophically: “they do not have to learn, they have to know.”

Chef Monosilio comes from a new breed of Italian chefs who, while keeping a respectful eye on revered traditional flavours, choose to unshackle themselves from the constraints of convention and rules. With this movement he has opened up Italian cuisine to the rest of the world, arming us with the knowledge of how it is, and then giving us free reign to interpret how it should be. The King of Carbonara proves to be generous as he is wise, and long may he reign.

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