Locale Firenze presents ‘Awareness’, the new menu
tasting by Executive Chef Simone Caponnetto
Locale Firenze, the restaurant located in the historic Palazzo Concini in the heart of Florence, presents its new autumn tasting menu, “Awareness”created by the Executive Chef Simone Caponnetto. The menu is a celebration of Tuscan ingredients, highlighting Chef Caponnetto’s culinary journey and international experience through a playful progression of dishes.
Available as a six-course (€120) or nine-course course (€160), “Consapevolezza” fully embodies Chef Simone’s current gastronomic vision, with dishes that reflect his constant search for bold flavours, using the best local products and presenting a dynamic contrast between humble seasonal ingredients and their complex preparations.
The Amuse Bouche, served on colorful pedestals, includes Mussel au gratin with spicy butter and caciocavallo cheese, Pine nut burrata and new oil And Maritozzo with prawns and saffronmade with tarragon brioche, herb cream and Mazara red prawns. The menu continues with dishes with intense flavors such as Deera lightly seasoned deer tartare completed with lacto-fermented blackberries, crunchy milk yuba and anchoïade sauce – a tribute to local game – and Lentila celebration of the legume, here creamed with smoked butter, chives and parmesan, vegan lentil and miso mayonnaise, accompanied by an apple, fennel and celery skewer. THE’Grilled eelglazed with homemade teriyaki and accompanied by osso bucco and gremolada, and Seabeda chawanmushi with Tuscan seafood and citrus fruits, are instead a reference to Simone’s experiences in Japan. The menu ends ironically with Breakfastan eggnog made with caramelized black koji water with coffee ice cream served in an espresso cup and koji rice pudding presented under a glass dome.
The gastronomic experience is accompanied by a refined selection of signature cocktails curated by the Locale Firenze team, ranked 36th in this year’s World’s 50 Best Bars ranking. You can opt for a wine pairing of six (€80) or nine glasses (€110), including a selection of Italian labels together with rare international bottles chosen to enrich the gastronomic experience, for a global perspective while remaining faithful to local roots .
Chef Caponnetto comment: “Awareness wants to fully express the connection between the territory and our profession. It reflects what I have learned over the years, both as a chef and as an individual, with the aim of telling a story of flavours, travels and discoveries, combining tradition and innovation in every dish, starting with simple ingredients then enhanced by complex techniques and experimental.”
Reflecting Simone’s ethos, deeply rooted in sustainability, the menu highlights zero-mile products, thanks to Simone’s close collaboration with a long-time friend who manages the restaurant’s dedicated vegetable garden. The farm also raises poultry, ducks and pigeons, while Simone’s team participates in every step of the process, from fishing to picking wild flowers with local beekeepers.
Available now at Locale Firenze, the six-course tasting menu costs €120, while the nine-course option costs €160. Reservations can be made online at this link. The details of the menu remain a surprise slowly revealed to guests during their experience at the restaurant, for an unexpected culinary journey of continuous discovery.
For more information on Locale Firenze and Simone Caponnetto please contact [email protected] | Tel +44 20 7751 5812
Simone Caponnetto & Locale Florence
The Florentine Simone Caponnetto is the Executive Chef of Locale Firenze. He left Italy after graduation and spent ten years traveling in America, Australia, Japan, Italy, France, India, Southeast Asia and Spain, initially working in kitchens to finance his travels. It wasn’t until he had the opportunity to work in a fine dining restaurant in Sydney that his interest in cooking was strengthened. As he continued to travel, he began to connect the heritage and culture of the countries he visited with food, using these opportunities to work with some of the most prominent figures in the gastronomic world such as Alain Roux, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Heinz Beck and Andoni Louis Anduriz. In 2019 he returned to Florence and, in 2021, he was appointed Executive Chef of Locale Firenze, a restaurant located inside the splendid Palazzo Concini which dates back, in part, to the 13th century. Through his cuisine at Locale Firenze, he brings a 21st century renaissance to the cuisine of this historic Florentine building.
@localefirenze | @simone_caponnetto_