In Pontassieve, in Chianti Rufina, a farmhouse that surprises, fascinates and entertains thanks to the cuisine of chef Edoardo Tilli who combines chemistry, philosophy and sustainability in one of the most original and cultured experiences on the Italian gastronomic scene.

Edoardo Tilli has been defined in many ways: ancestral chef, game guru, food chemist, but if we had to really try to describe him, we’d say he’s a curious master who never stops being a pupil, continuing to have a lot of fun (in the kitchen).

Self-taught cook, voracious devourer of travel as well as books and life, in 2012 he decided, together with his life and adventure partner Klodiana Karafilaj, to transform his family’s farm and the 7 hectares of surrounding land into an energetically independent agritourism with a gourmet restaurant and rooms.

Mine is an extreme ancestral cuisine which, although following the rules of nature, crosses its borders, without limits, except to be overcome by new knowledge.

(Edoardo Tilli, chef)

Here, always passionate about creative cuisine, he gives life to his dream of creating a gastronomic oasis totally out of any route already traced, following the rhythms of nature, but ready to distort them in search of new flavors and experiments. Having been born in Chianti, a land as famous for its wines as for its meat, as a first challenge he decides he wants to learn how to cook the best steak in the world.

Thus began his experiments which, over the years, led him to study the entire supply chain linked to the production of meat: from the healthy diet of the animal, to the maturation, up to the production of enzymes, deriving from fermentation, with the dual purpose of making the raw material more digestible and healthy, as well as tasty.

An ancient knowledge, which Edoardo draws from cultures all over the world, such as the fermentation techniques of oriental countries, but also of the Roman garum, which lead him to become a point of reference in Italy, as well as a professor of maturation at the renowned Tessieri School of Ponsacco.

Only 18 seats, in winter divided between two small rooms with fireplace and the chef table in the original veranda with open grill, while in summer you can enjoy the view of the olive groves and surrounding hills on the beautiful panoramic terrace.

For the raw material to supplement what is already produced on the farm, Edoardo turns to two trusted allies, just as “extreme” of food as he is: Andrea from the Mantovani Macelleria who selects animals even on the basis of their character with an ethical approach that tends to prefer adult specimens that have lived in the wild, and the Badalamenti brothers of Typiqo who, as neighbors, deliver the vegetables directly on foot.

There are so many dishes to talk about: from the Black Rooster Broth aged 60 days and salted with roasted chicken garum served in a vintage Ginori porcelain cup, up to the grilled lacquered Eel with teriyaki sauce and precious wasabi root grated at the table or the beautiful Acid Risotto with apple in syrup, cypress powder, raspberries and mushrooms.

The meat dishes are truly surprising such as, among the chef’s signatures, the Guinea Fowl marinated in chickpea and barley miso, slowly grilled with deer garum and syrup extracted from cypress and then served on a toasted sesame sauce and finished with spun sugar, or the thigh of Daino (deer) matured for 40 days in its skin which is cut directly at the table and then cooked on the grill. And, inevitable in every tasting, the Vacca, a truly extraordinary old cow steak because Edoardo, after his experiments, really managed to obtain the “best steak in the world”.

The wine and digestive list is very refined, curated by Klodiana, sommelier and maître de maison, custodian of the wine heritage of Chianti Rufina, as well as a selection of real gems from all over the world, especially French.

And to enjoy a carefree dinner, Podere Belvedere also offers rooms, overlooking the farmyard, which are worth booking even just to try breakfast. Served with white gloves, it is based on all the homemade delicacies on the farm such as venison finocchiona salami, fig jam and the delicious Maldon salt swivel.

A tasting at the Podere is truly an experience to be had at least once in a lifetime: you will be surprised both by the taste and by the techniques personally invented by Edoardo who will be able to tell you about it at the table with great irony, forever changing the idea you have of food, about life and everything you thought you knew about cooking.

The Secret

There are so many “secrets” about Edoardo Tilli’s cuisine; first and foremost the maturation, fermentation and similar techniques that are based on the principles of probiotics, applied both to meat and vegetables, in a continuous search for noble molds which increase its digestibility, flavor and guarantee its conservation. Trying is believing: even after the longest of tastings, thanks to the enzymes, you will feel incredibly light and with a flat stomach.

Useful Info

Podere Belvedere
Via S. Piero a Str. 23
50065 Pontassieve, Firenze
Tel. +39 333 8693448

Tasting menu: from 100 euros per person, wine pairing from 70 euros.