Amici-My Mentors:Fabio Picchi- Chef/owner Cibreo Restaurant.
My go to restaurant when Chef friends come to town.
Two years ago, Florence lost one of it’s best, Fabio Picchi, more than just a chef. Fabio was so passionate about Florentine traditions and cuisine. The restaurant-trattoria expanded to many other venues.
He is probably one of the chefs who inspired me the most. His recipes were the pure essence of flavor—nothing fancy. The menu at Cibreo is based on home-cooking and taken to another level with attention to the ingredients. Some of the recipes are inspired by his travels to Greece or the Island of Elba.
Andrea, my husband, introduced me to Cibreo restaurant in 1985. It had opened in 1979, when Fabio was 25. He and his wife, Benedetta along with another couple created Cibreo. Fabio and Benedetta broke up, the other couple left and Cibreo kept going.
Here is a video I made with British chef Gary Rhodes, who also passed away too young.
The expensive restaurant was located near the San Ambrogio Market, on the main square, but in the back, behind the kitchen, was a room with a smaller menu called the poor room, which was more accessible to locals. They called it “Cibreino.” The smaller menu was perfect—traditional dishes prepared with the best ingredients. The restaurant setup has changed; the trattoria is on the main street, and you arrive at the main restaurant. They expanded the back kitchen, incorporating the poor room's space. There is also now the Cibreo Caffe’ serving pasta and grilled items. It’s where you can stop in all day long. The membership club is dining with a show at dinner time, the Teatro del Sale.
Fabio also collaborated with a partner in Japan and opened a Cibreo there. He fell in love with the cuisine and opened Cibleo’in Florence, a Tuscan- Japanese Fusion spot next to the Cibreo. It became an empire. There is a gourmet grocery store and a cooking school now too.
Fabio’s son Giulio has stepped in filling his dad’s shoes and opened a Restaurant and Bistrot space at the Helvatia Bristol Hotel in downtown Florence.
Fabio was larger than life. He did radio and television and performed in his own Teatro di Sale theatre. I often rewatch his videos on YouTube.
Florentines have a few nicknames: Mangiafagioli and Mangiaminestra. They are bean-eaters and soup-eaters. Florentines have many lovely soups and broths based on vegetables rather than meat-heavy pasta dishes, which were more for Sunday lunch and holidays.
Fabio’s menu was based on home cooking; there was no pasta or steaks. I make many of Fabio’s recipes regularly. More than recipes, it was techniques.
I have been eating there for 40 years, and until recently, the menu never really changed. Every time you eat a dish, it is spot on, and the flavors are perfect.
I would often take my chef friends to eat once at the fancy side and eat their way through the trattoria menu.
Fabio wrote several books sharing his recipes.
Here is an article I wrote for Dream Of Italy
I want to share some of my favorite recipes for my paid subscribers:
Zuppa di Zucca Gialla- Pumpkin Soup ( or Yellow Bell Pepper)
Sformato di Ricotta- Ricotta Flan
Gelatina di Pomodoro- Tomato Gelatin
