Cesare Battisti

Cesare Battisti, born in Milan in 1971, is the owner and the Chef of Ratanà.  He is considered one of the most representative chefs in revisited traditional quality cooking.  He is careful about using excellent raw materials coming from small producers and focuses not only on food sustainability, but also economical, environmental and social sustainability.

In his youth, he worked in some of the most prestigious food services in Milan.  He then left to travel the world on cruise ships where he experienced foreign cultures and food.

When he came back to Milan years later, he decided to dedicate himself to traditional cooking, managed the Ristorante Solferino and collaborated with the Trattoria della Pesa.

His strong desire to be remembered for his influence on cooking, however, soon had him creating a place that didn’t follow Milanese and Italian restaurant schemes, but fully reflected his food service philosophy. He opened one of the first contemporary inns in Italy, Ratanà, as a consequence, together with his friend Danilo Ingannamorte, in 2009.

It is there that he interprets the Lombardy gastronomic tradition, revisiting and modernizing it.  Although the preparation appears to be simple, it is not as simple as it seems, because it makes use of innovated cooking techniques and an immense study of raw materials.

It is, therefore, a modern kitchen strongly bonded to memory because cooking is composed of memories, of places, of sensations that evoke special moments in life, often belonging to childhood and home.

Ratanà narrates and is the signature of his philosophy through which he, along with his collaborators, express not only professionalism, but also social responsibility and respect for the territory and all of its craftsmen and producers.  He has tried to synthesize his philosophy in his “ten commandments” – “Sustainability underlying all rhetoric”.

Cesare has been a member of the Slow Food Cooks Alliance since 2010.  In Carlo Petrini’s opinion, he is a living role model for all of today’s cooks.  He was nominated Expo Ambassador Chef in 2015 and listed in the book, “Cento x 10” (“One hundred x 10”) edited by Mondadori, as one of the 100 cooks that have changed Italian cooking in the last 10 years.

He has been Secretary General of the non-profit association, “Ambassadors of Taste” since October 2016.  Carlo Petrini (Honorary President), Cristina Bowerman (President) and Paolo Marchi (Vice President) are also a part of the association that is committed to the promotion and valorisation of quality cooking and Made in Italy excellence in the world.  The Association is socially committed and cooperates with other non-profit organizations to support the values of sustainability and proper nutrition.  “Action against Hunger” and “Helpcode – the right to childhood” are among the organizations. Food preparation that makes it more pleasurable for patients with “dysgeusia” (alteration in taste due to illness or medicine) is another Association project in collaboration with the “Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori “(National Cancer Institute).