Patrick Benedetti

Tell us a little about yourself

Ｉwas born in Tuscany, surrounded by the magic of Mugello's hills. My strong passion for cooking and decision to become a chef was inspired by my family traditions. As a child, I was always intrigued by the meals my Grandma Anna prepared. I gained experience and built my resume working at different restaurants and luxury hotels in Portofino, Venice, and Vercelli. At age 22, I became the Head Chef of a small restaurant, a trattoria, in the centre of Turin.

“Osteria by Angie” opened in 2010, and since then, I have served as chef, bringing a simple and humble approach to my cooking and my creations.

Tell us a bit about your work in the kitchen at such a prestigious hotel.

My work at Osteria is a mission. I want to offer my guests the most authentic Italian food experience possible. Not necessarily a fancy experience but rather a genuine and real experience. We use the best ingredients from the market, and cook them in a simple way that fully respects tradition.

This is why it is so important for me control and pay attention to every single aspect of the entire process, from the purchase, to the cooking, and all the way up until the moment we serve. I want to guarantee that all of my recipes are executed with the same quality and consistency every time.

Why did you choose Naboo for your kitchen?

I chose Naboo because I really like using a device that is different from a conventional oven. Not only does it have so many useful functions, it’s also really fun to use!

It really makes my life and my chefs’ lives a lot easier than before.

What advantages did Naboo bring?

-Recipe: On my oven, I standardize different recipes for different dishes, which allows me to have better control over the way my chefs use the oven. This has significantly decreased the number of mistakes and waste, and has saved a lot of time on training. They just need to push a button and the oven does everything itself.

-Multilevel: This is great for rush times. You can set different recipes and cook them in different layers together in your Naboo because you control everything with the touch screen panel. This a dream come true for work in an à la carte restaurant and it really helps me to be able to handle the lunch and dinner rush times.

-Essence: The smoking essence is an unbelievable product. It gives a BBQ kick to any of your preparations, and allows you to customize your recipes, leading you to endless possibilities! It’s so good and so fun to use! I personally smoke bacon, tenderloin, rib eye, and make a lot of really cool dishes with this function.

-Cloud: This is great when you want to see what other people are doing and get more ideas about how to use your Naboo. If you have more than one restaurant, you can share your recipes within your company to make sure everyone is following the same standards.

Did you create any personal recipes in Naboo?

Yes, quite a lot. I have many recipes for beef, fish, bread, and, of course, pasta!

What do you think of new technology in the kitchen?

I think this represents the future. Since manpower costs are increasing, we need all the support we can get from technology in order to improve efficiency and avoid making mistakes. New technology makes life easier, and as a result, you can spend your saved time differently.

What criteria do you use to choose the equipment you work with?

Brand, strength, material, concept, and customer service assistance

How do you guarantee the quality of the food that is served from your kitchen?

By inspecting the whole chain, from raw to cooked, and by checking all the reports and data of my daily production. With Naboo, this is so easy because I can check what was cooked yesterday to see if, and how, any mistakes happened. I can track an entire week if I want, and get everything I need to know with just one short click!

What is your favourite dish?

My favourite dish is the porchetta. I am a meat lover, and when I was a child, I used to eat tons of porchetta at the local market every Tuesday in my hometown in Tuscany!

With Naboo, porchetta is great. It’s juicy and pink on the inside, crispy and crunchy on the outside, with the final touch of Smokessence, it really brings me back to those days at the market as a child eating lunch -- two slices of ciabatta and porchetta… "It’s so good!".