Last month, the influential and popular German publication Stern published an extensive and in depth article on Palazzo Santa Rosa, the fine food restaurant in Mistra Bay and its chef Claude Camilleri. The article delves into the workings and the ethos of the famous restaurant and further establishes Palazzo Santa Rosa as a restaurant with an ever-increasing international following. At the same time Energy, a German radio station, is running an extensive feature on Palazzo Santa Rosa following a cooking experience organised by MTA Germany.
The article in Stern (www.Stern.de), written by famous German food critic and travel writer Christian Schnohr looks at the way things are made at Palazzo Santa Rosa. It goes into detail about the level of dedication that is involved in creating every single dish by sourcing the finest ingredients and using the most demanding techniques to reinterpret the Maltese cuisine in order to reflect not only the traditional and historical merits of the Maltese kitchen but also establish its status as a truly exciting cuisine.
It specifically focuses on Maltese cuisine as being of particular interest and the passion and dedication of chef patron Claude Camilleri to his art as being contagious.
“We are aware of our international exposure, especially around Europe and America. A significant part of our clientele is international and they are aware of what we do and know that our work is unique in Europe.”
Claude joked about the accolade and commented that when he asked why such a prestigious publication would write a story about such a quaint and insignificant little place and such an incompetent chef someone commented, “ah, Stern are always looking for the weird, eccentric and interesting character for a good story”.
“I called my sister up and asked her, am I eccentric and weird?” Claude continued. His sister replied, “Well, they got that one right. You would have to be eccentric to give up your career for a life in the kitchen”.
The article puts further light on Malta and its cuisine explaining to the German readers the beauty that translates from the Mistra scenery to the plate.
“It is my personal mission to promote the Maltese cuisine worldwide. I believe that our cuisine, interpreted properly, is another jewel in our crown. Malta is amazing. We make it so, of course, yet we tend to forget what treasures we have lurking in the fields and in the kitchen. The tourist today is a discerning food lover and a large percentage of the tourists travelling rate food as a key experience in their travel top 10 list of what they like to experience. With this article Malta is slowly building that reputation. Now it is time for us to not only do the talk but do the walk as well.”
The feature on the website of Energy radio station came after the MTA organised a cooking trip to Palazzo Santa Rosa for a number of German journalists. “Spending time in the kitchen with people is not normal for us, yet it is a refreshing experience. We do not take it too seriously so we let the guests do a lot of the work themselves, regardless of the final result. With us watching over them, to make sure that nothing is burnt, the final result can be surprisingly good,” commented Claude. “Working in a professional kitchen is a lot of people’s dream, even if it is for just one day. In any case, it only takes one day to realise how difficult the work is,” he concluded.
These features are a testament of the hard work that the MTA does to attract such attention in the first place. “Sometimes we wonder what the MTA does yet a lot of its work is behind the scenes, prodding and pushing for exposure. Such articles are worth millions of euros for Malta in terms of potential revenue from German readers who get interested in coming to Malta after reading such pieces. I hope that they do not expect all the Maltese to be eccentric,” concluded Claude Camilleri.
Palazzo Santa Rosa, a member and a pioneer of the Slowfood Movement in Malta, is the fine dining restaurant on the Palazzo Santa Rosa Estate in Mistra Bay. It is one of two restaurants. The Estate is home for Margo’s, the only pizzeria in Malta that serves authentic Neapolitan Pizza that is certified to be so by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. This gastronomic destination is the brainchild of the chef Claude Camilleri. The restaurants are open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.