A Dialogue with the Territory
Pasquale D’Ambrosio is a chef shaped by two territories. Born in Campania and now living and working in Sardinia, he has never seen his cuisine as a simple expression of where he comes from. Instead, he looks at the place where he is living now, listens to it and allows it to influence his cooking. Sardinia has become a new chapter in that journey- one that does not erase his Campanian roots, but brings them into dialogue with a different landscape, culture and identity.
For D’Ambrosio, cooking begins with listening. Rather than arriving in Sardinia with the intention of reproducing a fixed idea of Sardinian cuisine, he immersed himself in the territory, its people, traditions and crafts. His approach is about observing, understanding and then translating what he discovers into his own language. He describes his cuisine as scugnizza – free, personal and constantly evolving, while still deeply connected to the place around him.
That connection can be seen in the ingredients and dishes he develops: local Senatore Cappelli grain, Sardinian Bosana olive oil, Mediterranean scrubland herbs and the products of the island become part of a cuisine that also carries the memory of Campania. His cooking is ultimately about dialogue. Between territories, generations and traditions, and between what already exists and what a chef can add to it.
The Best Chef: You were born in Campania, but today you live and work in Sardinia. How has Sardinia changed your relationship with your own roots?
Pasquale D’Ambrosio: Right now I feel like an adopted Sardinian. My daughter was born here in Sardinia, and this created an even stronger bond. In Campania is where my loved ones are, my family, my roots that I always carry inside me. But I am very happy here.
My cuisine today is developing a distinctly Sardinian identity, but without ever forgetting my being Campanian. The territory is giving me what I was looking for.
I never liked being identified as a chef making Campanian cuisine. I’ve always liked to be identified as a chef who tells the story of the territory he lives in through his cuisine. I am living in Sardinia. Sardinia is giving me so much, and so at this time my cuisine is taking a Sardinian tailoring.
The Best Chef: What did Sardinia teach you as a chef?
Pasquale D’Ambrosio: I think that when I arrived, I listened. I’ve always said that listening is the most powerful word that a human being can have.I immersed myself in listening and, above all, in silence, because observing and listening are two important things. Here, I found myself having to rediscover those skills and put them into practice.
These are the two things that I have discovered in this land.
The Best Chef: You often speak about dialogue with the territory. What does that mean to you?
Pasquale D’Ambrosio: I always believe in dialogue. When people tell me,
“But you are not Sardinian. You do not make Sardinian cuisine,” I never said that I had to make Sardinian cuisine.
I talk about Sardinia. I tell of Sardinia. I dialogue with Sardinia and I bring Sardinia around the world, dialoguing, but talking about people and not a brand.
So, I want to be remembered for this. Even though I wasn’t Sardinian, I always brought this territory to a high level anyway, by protecting it and dialoguing with the territory.
The Best Chef: Is there a dish that best represents your connection with Sardinia and Campania?
Pasquale D’Ambrosio: There is one, actually there are two. Actually, three, four — but one in particular stands out. It’s a risotto. The herbs that are in this territory are spectacular. But this territory is also water, and therefore also life, oil. We really have a particular oil. Everyone was telling me that it was strong. They used to say, “Sardinian oil is like Sardinians” — with character.
Sardinians have character, but they are also sweet, sensitive, and they also have a soul, a heart and sweetness. I found it in that oil too.
I think that in my kitchen I had to find a balance and adjust the dish in order to use this oil, this Bosana, which has great personality. And so this risotto with Mediterranean scrubland herbs is the dish that I will carry with me forever, and I will make sure that it is my signature dish.
The Best Chef: What advice would you give to the new generation of chefs?
Pasquale D’Ambrosio: The advice I can give is the one I give myself every day: never stop dreaming. To be always curious and to respect.
These are the three most important things. And when you move on these three components, the world is your oyster. When someone dreams, it means they’re building goals for the future. And, most importantly, you have to be curious. Being open-minded.
Those who travel, who are curious, who engage with others and who build bridges through dialogue — only by building dialogue can we build bridges of knowledge and understanding.
Chef Instagram: @chef_pasqualedambrosio
Restaurant Instagram: @capogirorestaurant @7pinessardinia
Restaurant Website: 7pines-sardinia.com/en
Restaurant Address: Loc. Li Mucchi Bianchi, Baja Sardinia, 07021 Arzachena (SS), Italy