By now it's no longer a secret: we like to interview bartenders we meet on our professional path and ask them questions about their careers; if they then have a resume like Luca Angeli of the Four Seasons in Florence then it's a real pleasure.
What was the aspect of this job that fascinated you the most, so much so that it convinced you to pursue this career?
Since I was a child I was taken to the AIBES competitions of the great Tuscany Section, where I immediately fell in love with the bartenders' movements in practicing shakes and with the style of the bartenders themselves.
Much of your experience has been gained in hotels: what is the best aspect of working in this context?
Let's say that working in hotels you have the chance to deal with an almost abstract dimension of the clientele, being composed of 90% international and very demanding guests, thus giving you the chance to express yourself and dare a little more. On the other hand, my good fortune has been to make an important apprenticeship, starting from the smallest village bar to the international chain.
You have been at Four Seasons in Florence for almost four years: have you found the working environment that suits you best, or do you have plans for the future that might lead you to change?
Four Seasons is an exceptional chain, which has made me and continues to make me grow also thanks to the people with whom I am in close contact and who spur me on and let me express my ideas.
In the future I definitely see professional growth, with new stimuli both in the companies and outside, we'll see...How has the work for bars inside luxury hotels changed in recent years?
The big hotels have opened their doors to a more global audience, giving almost anyone the chance to enjoy an aperitif, light lunch or afternoon tea, and leading to elevating the knowledge of customers and the research of those in the industry.
Unlike others, despite your experiences abroad, you still decided to return to Italy: what made you do it?
I think that every age corresponds to a completely subjective experience: when I decided to leave, it was definitely to learn a new language and work in environments that could leave me with an important baggage, today unfortunately people go abroad yes to improve a language but mostly for lack of employment in Italy, and consequently the stimuli are different.
What has been the greatest professional satisfaction in your career?
Every day that I go to work with a smile and a desire to always improve, trying to give emotions to customers, transmitting to new recruits all the energy that I first employ.
Beyond the media aspect that many bartenders are taking on today and that often attributes unwarranted popularity, what do you think are the qualities that turn a simple bartender into a true professional?
The qualities of a professional are immediately noticeable and are definitely due to experience, study and the naturalness with which they move and behave; unfortunately, the name bartender, bartender or mixologist is casually or inappropriately attributed or worn, but the good horses are seen in the end...
Now let's go on to understand a bit about your tastes: what is your favorite distillate to mix?
I don't have a favorite distillate I go a bit by sensation, I'm very instinctive: at the moment I like to work Whiskey and Mezcal.
Andthe cocktail that best represents the way you work?
The Old fahioned.
If you had to name a professional in the industry whose work you particularly admire, who would it be?
Definitely the most important person for me on a working level is my aunt Annalia Fontanini, but my good fortune has been to work with great people before great professionals, but whom I don't thank now because I would prefer to do so at the end of my career.
Once you finish working and decide to be on the other side of the counter, where do you prefer to go drinking, not necessarily in Florence?
Having traveled around Italy a bit, I have many places, of friends and otherwise, to mention. Definitely in Valle d'Aosta I prefer my aunt Annalia's Bar Sport and the Old Valley from my friend Luigi Gal; in Milan there are many, from the Bamboo Bar run by Mattia Pastori, to Andrea Rella's Park Hyatt, to Edoardo Nono's Rita; without a doubt in Rome the Jerry Thomas and in Bologna the Nu Lounge; in Florence Mr. Paolo's Art Bar and the Fusion Bar from his friend Marco Vezzosi; and then Caffè Giardino in Forte dei Marmi, the great Riccardo Evangelisti's Caffé Mazzini in Massa and Lucio Carli's Eliseo Cocktail Bar in Sarzana; finally, impossible not to mention Davide Garazzini of Pachanka in Santa Margherita.
Last July you won the Italian leg of the Rose's Cup together with Luca Marcellin and Flavio Esposito: are you already thinking about the creation you will bring to the final?
I have a few ideas in mind, but as I said I am very instinctive so we'll see, what is certain is that I am lucky enough to have great traveling companions.
