It is the end of an era, one of the most delicious in our recent history. Eugenio Roncoroni, Italian -American chef and prophet of the hamburger well before the sandwich became the object of worship, announces his farewell to the dish that gave him a large part of his notoriety. He does it in his own way: with a definitive hamburger, the “last”, destined to disappear from the radars immediately after being noticed. It will be available from Hamerica’s, from May 5 to the end of the month. A month and then, except for second thoughts, silence. “I close a part of my culinary journey – says Roncoroni – with this last hamburger, a tribute to the American tradition and the work of a lifetime. I chose Hamerica’s because it is a perfect sign for this legacy: it has always defended and enhanced the essence of the true American hamburger.”
Roncoroni, born in 1983, half Milan and half California, has always had a very precise idea of the “burger culture”: authentic, rough the right, without orpelli fusion. At 27, in 2010, he put up the market with Beniamino Nespor (later disappeared), bringing the American hamburger to Italy when the premises still proposed sandwiches with the name of the motorcyclist and the salad passed out. His farewell therefore sounds like an honorable retreat: he leaves the winner field, but with a certain theatricality.
The last burger is a compendium of the two American coasts: Monterey Jack, Cheddar, pork belly glazed with maple syrup and lime juice, onion rings in beer batter, pickled onions, iceberg and a “special sauce” end. All inside a sandwich that announces – needless to say – monumental. I tried it and I can guarantee you that he’s getting on it is a pleasure. It also costs a little more than usual, 17.90 euros (but with an abundant basket of bonchite chips) but it is worth them all.
The collaboration with Hamerica’s was born from a commonality of intent: no Italianization, no gourmet shortcuts. Only true burger, made properly. Riccardo Catalano, Board Member of the chain reiterates this: “This collaboration marks the meeting between two realities that speak the same language: Hamerica’s, who for over ten years has brought the true American tradition to Italy, and Eugenio Roncoroni, who first cleared the concept of gourmet hamburger but faithful to the US tradition in our country.”
The goal? “Offer a product that respects the roots and the evolution of a culinary icon.” And here the sandwich becomes a flag, manifesto, will. A sandwich that, for Hamerica’s, is also proof of your identity: chain yes, but with gastronomic ambition.
Hamerica’s, it must be said, is one of the few Italian signs to have taken the American mission seriously. In the menu there are not only Burger: there are Smoked Meat of the South Carolina, Californian Bowls, Tex-Mex from Street Food and sweets like the Key Lime Pie. Last year they even brought to Italy the Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza, an institution of the Midwest that in the hands of anyone else would have become a crunchy stuffed focacciona. With more than 30 restaurants scattered throughout the peninsula, Hamerica’s manages to move between industrial scale and craftsmanship: no gourmet plastic, but recipes thought and selected ingredients.
In the meantime, Roncoroni does not really go away: it has only changed shape. In recent years he has signed new concepts, such as Pas – to Vegetarian Trip, and has launched “Gastronomic classic Roncoroni”, his personal reinterpretation of the great dishes ever.
But the hamburger, the real one, the one who made sweat and dream, leave here. For now. Then maybe, like certain retired rockers, he will return by surprise to the stage, with the same greasy smile and that secret sauce that nobody can decipher.