I have too admit that the introduction to this trip to Padua didn’t bode well for an amazing meal. We rocked up to a roadside hotel on the side of a semi industrial district of Padua, Sarmeola di Rubano, at about 11pm. The hotel, only a few hundred meters from our final goal and objective of the trip, the acclaimed restaurant Le Calandre. The hotel had closed and we had to call and wake up the staff to come and let us in. There we were met with a hotel that felt like Miami Vice on a budget. I eventually got to my room quietly hoping that the Le Calandre, a couple of hundred meters down the road, would be considerably better.
When I first saw the restaurant from the outside it didn’t look like we were up for much of an improvement. The restaurant entrance and windows looked good, but the building looked more like a mix between a South of France building estate and an industrial warehouse. However, as soon as we walked into the bistro that is in front of the restaurant itself, we realised we were somewhere special. Le Calandre restaurant is run by the two brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo. Max (Massimiliano) is the chef and took the restaurant in 1992 and took it from one to two Michelin stars in 1996, making Max the youngest ever chef to get two Michelin stars at the age of 22. At the age of 28 Max gained the restaurant its third Michelin star, making him the youngest ever chef to get that accolade. The restaurant has maintained its three Michelin stars ever since and Chef Alajmo has been given the nickname “Il Mozart dei fornelli” (The Mozart of the stoves).
The restaurant is a family business run by the two brothers Max and Raf. The adjoining bistro is run by their sister Laura. The restaurants were previously run by their parents Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto. The family now run several of Italian and international restaurants as well as having a bakery section that supplies food to external shops, bistros, restaurants and cafes.
So - when a chef like Max, receives me with open arms and insists that it is a true pleasure to be photographed by me, then it is a true sign of his humility and generosity. We did not only get to eat the taster menu at Le Calandre, which was exceptional! - but we were also invited to dine in the Bistro and their new restaurant on St Mark’s Square. For the latter we were transported on a wooden speedboat, not unlike what you see in a James Bond Movie.
The restaurants run by the Alajmo family do not only provide excellent food, but also an experience that makes you smile and laugh, makes you excited and stimulate all your senses. So - to call Max the Mozart of the stoves may be an understatement.
Shot for Cook Magazine
