Top chefs Enrico & Robert as Guest chef in the Ikarus

January 2011 at Restaurant Ikarus: Enrico & Roberto Cerea

Sampling the top chefs' magic potion

No, to look at them, Enrico and Roberto Cerea really don't have anything in common with the rather rotund menhir carrier Obelix. And Gaul and Lombardy are far removed from each other geographically, too. But how else can the brothers' sometimes almost supernatural culinary skills be explained? Enrico says he fell into the parental cooking pot. That's what it says on the website of restaurant Da Vittorio, which puts you in mind of the tubby Gaul, who fell into the cauldron of magic potion when he was a child. But unlike the mighty Obelix, Da Vittorio is not content with just wild boar. Guests expect top-drawer cuisine, which is amongst the best in Italy and have done so for more than 44 years.

Da Vittorio has a tradition based on a long family history, because all five children of Bruna and Vittorio Cerea, who grew up in the kitchen of their parents' restaurant, still work in the family business and are jointly responsible for its growing success. Enrico was the first of the offspring to inherit the love of gastronomy. Under his father's guidance he quickly learnt what is indispensable on the way to becoming a top chef – integrity and professionalism. He taught himself the most important thing, though – a boundless passion for cooking. Whilst his contemporaries spent their free time and their holidays on the football pitch, Enrico Cerea devoted himself to the art of cooking. Like a true Junior Master Chef he was always tracking down cookery secrets, and where better to find these than in the world's top restaurants? The language degree he completed helped him to quickly fit in everywhere. His teachers read like a who's who of the world's best chefs, as they include Heinz Winkler in Aschau, Sirio Maccioni in New York, Georges Blanc in Vonnas and Ferran Adrià at the legendary El Bulli. He returned from his travels with the full range of culinary trends and techniques, but also having made up his mind to further develop the cuisine at his parents' establishment.

Enrico is embarking on the road to Salzburg with his brother Roberto. Like his siblings, the latter grew up with his parents' haute cuisine. His father passed on his dedication and Roberto quickly learnt a top chef's techniques and principles. But he, too, dared to look beyond the end of his nose, took courses at the Richemont Centre in Lucerne and at the Ecole Lenôtre in Paris. And as is fitting for a chef of the highest order, he too wandered for years through the world's best restaurants, including the unforgettable Troisgros brothers in Roanne and Roger Verger on the Côte d'Azur, before returning to the family restaurant in Bergamo. During his wanderings Roberto had developed a great passion for the primi piatti, which have always provided scope for enticing flavour variations.

The brothers' daily place of work could not be lovelier, because not only the cuisine but also the premises are the epitome of Italian style and elegance. The Da Vittorio is located in a dream villa, near to Bergamo, in the midst of an extensive country estate with two lakes. Others might perhaps put on airs and graces when looking at their creation, but the Cereas do the precise opposite and prefer to stick their noses in saucepans. Even if the Da Vittorio is just half an hour away from the fashion capital of Milan, the Cereas' cuisine is not influenced by current trends; they pursue their own style. Their main ingredients are permanence and love of detail. Carefully selected products are traditionally cooked. Enrico and Roberto do use new techniques, but only when they don't affect the taste and quality of the ingredients. Enrico's greatest and most unbridled passion is desserts, on which he has also focused his culinary research. The results can be discovered in his book Peccati di Gola, containing 36 highly imaginative dessert recipes. It's hardly surprising that the Da Vittorio has its own, traditional patisserie, which offers up to 30 different cakes, desserts and chocolates daily.

Da Vittorio's sweet taste of success: the 2010 edition of the Italian Michelin Guide awarded Da Vittorio three stars for the first time, making it one of the most exclusive gourmet restaurants in the world.