Living in such a place as Trentino Dolomites, it is enough to open the window to be inspired. The mountains, the air we breathe, the forest and the wonders it gives us every day, their variety at every change of season: this is where Dolomitic Expression stems from. It encompasses our search for tradition, for local culture and botanical sciences, our way of expressing cuisine by treasuring the surrounding environment in all its forms and essences, without forgetting the contact with those who are used to experiencing the mountains and tradition firsthand". These are the words of Alessandro Gilmozzi, born in 1965 from a family that has been managing restaurants for generations in Val di Fiemme. His culinary culture was acquired by attending the courts of chefs such as Adrià and Ducasse, but he shows a brand of humility that is rarely found in those attending the great Italian tables.
All this is based in a 17th century flour mill in the heart of Cavalese, in the enchanting Val di Fiemme. "El Molin began in the early 1990’s (it opened in 1990, editor’s note) with a style linked to the territory, and gradually moved towards creative proposals, thus becoming a point of reference in Trentino precisely because of its ‘daring’ approach". Gilmozzi does research, taking what is already known and marrying it with stimuli that come from afar, claiming that "Innovation means first of all breaking down borders".
He experiments with unusual raw materials such as lichen, gathers herbs from the woods on a daily basis, perfects ancient recipes that have lost some of their polish, using smoking in an original way, working with avant-garde techniques on suggestions that also come from the past, but without flaunting it to the four winds. Every innovation added to his menu is the result of meticulous, scientific study. Because he knows that those accustomed to the centuries-old history of Trentino cuisine do not accept shortcuts - especially if the direction intended is that of the future.