Galaxy, Liquirito, Molecular Chocolate, Easy peel, Desperate Housewifes, Secret garden, Yogoloso, Pyramid, Message in a bottle, when the cocktail list of a venue proposes names and themes of this magnitude, we are faced with only two possibilities: either we are in the presence of madness or we are in the presence of genius, but Giorgio Tagliabue's very long and prestigious professional profile makes us rule out the first hypothesis. So I ask you as a first question:How many years of hard work and how much passion does it take to get to this level?
It takes a lot of perseverance and a lot of sacrifice if you want to reach high levels of professionalism. It helped me a lot that I am a "curious person" by nature, specifying that curiosity is understood as a desire for understanding . Passion is undoubtedly the mainspring that every day pushes me in search of new realities to experience and achieve ,I can not quench the "thirst" for learning and knowledge, every day new things are born and I would like to have cognizance of everything new that happens in the world of the mixologist, although I realize that it is impossible, I try to stay updated. When I can carve out time I love to meet colleagues with whom I can enrich my professional knowledge through their experiences. Fortunately, today there is the Internet, a great tool to be able to stay in touch with all the world's best professionals, on the web you can find blogs related to anything that fascinates us, you can express opinions and exchange views.
Your establishment, the Shake in Rovellasca (Como), you share with Leonardo Salerno and I understand that your roles are also well divided you the bartender, he the chef and probably this total mutual respect of skills is one of the keys to your success. But between Shake's way of drinking and eating, what relationship exists? Do the two aspects interpenetrate each other? Do you exchange tips with each other? How does Leo do between the glasses, and how skilled are you at the stove? Don't you occasionally feel like swapping roles, putting a "beak" in each other's work?
With Leo there is an absolutely special relationship based not only on the common desire to make a special reality like the "Shake," but on mutual esteem and respect. I must necessarily make a clarification : Leonardo Salerno was born first of all as a Bartender , his role as Chef was a necessity to which he subordinated himself at the beginning of our adventure, sacrificing his true vocation. The passion he has developed over the years has led him to the results that everyone knows. In any case, his professionalism at the bar counter is not in question , many creations always arise from a joint evaluation. May I add : "Irreplaceable" character.
What is the most peculiar clientele that frequents your establishment? The Shake is not exactly in the heart of Manhattan or London, and to frequent your establishment requires a high level of knowledge of mixed drinks, excellent culinary training, a dynamic and culturally advanced lifestyle, which is not, at least apparently, the most typical face of the Lombardy province, or am I mistaken, it is precisely in provincial towns that we must go for excellence in clientele?
Well ... I must admit that the fact that we are not located in a big city, did not help us much , especially the first periods. I worked for many years in the city, where everything happens much faster, frequently you have important guests, the media (newspapers, TV) are much more present, word of mouth happens quickly , I did not imagine how difficult it was to be able to carve out a space in the province . During the first two years the desire to give up assailed me many times, the few hours of sleep I had left I spent worrying,wondering if we would be able to go on ,if the road we had taken was the right one, many gave us up for defeat declaring that such a place would never work in a small town, but we held on , we continued to innovate ,to offer quality and so , after so many sacrifices , the great satisfactions arrived. Now that we have managed to be appreciated people are coming from far and wide. As they say, we have taken a few pebbles off our shoes. Now we have a rather diverse clientele, the frequenters we have managed to win over in the province are less fashionable, therefore more loyal, basically we are happy with our choice.
Where does your professional history start from? Of you we know some milestones, known to most, such as having been the first barman of many important Milanese venues such as Bistrot Marchesi, Peck etc., qualified lectures, important consultancies, participation in international events, but how did you get started, what were the first steps, how did this passion come to you?
Sometimes I think certain things are in your blood, I may have alcohol... Joking aside , my grandmother worked as a cook, she was in hospitality many years ago, I remember her taking me to the kitchens where I saw for the first time how she cleaned game. With my father , my mother and my sister I took my first steps in the bar world, later deciding to go to hospitality school. Much to the disappointment of my parents who argued (with good reason), the fact that this kind of life leaves little room for your affections, your friends, your hobbies. What little free time I have left, I sacrifice to inform myself and to go and research the new things that characterize my locale. Once school ended, the first seasons began ... and here I am !
In your experience, besides passion and natural talent what are the credentials to become an outstanding bartender like you?
I never tire of repeating humility first of all, the superstar syndrome that pervades some people in our industry really outrages me. Remember that there is always someone ready to teach us something. Engage in research , do not stop at either first failures or first glories .
In your opinion, does quality equipment make a difference in your profession or can low-level professional equipment be compensated by great talent?
One should never answer a question with another question,let me ask : can a good professional make a great drink with low quality products ? Obviously we had no choice but to rely on the best experts in the world of bartending where to buy the equipment we use daily, with Giorgio Negri , patron RG , we have a wonderful relationship, I continually claim that he knows more about it than many of my colleagues...a missed bartender. Always on the cutting edge,also a great researcher, never paying... When I look for something new I am sure I can find it only at RG.
Without giving away any secrets: where is your creativity going these days, what are the flavors, products and foods/elements you favor and are working on right now?
As I am used to say, there are no secrets in what I do, tomorrow morning I wake up, an idea rattles around in my head and I try to develop it , sometimes I get unnecessarily excited and I don't always succeed in putting into practice what I have thought.Certainly the friendship with the great master Dario Comini is the result of continuous research and experimentation , in essence there is no shortage of ideas to develop, sometimes there is a lack of time certainly not a lack of will.
I have noticed that even in this field, as in all cultural and artistic fields (because art it surely is) you and a few other of your colleagues who are truly masters, are pervaded by an extraordinary humility, a discreet and reserved sense of expressing your high professionalism, in your way of doing, expressing yourself, behaving there is always a great respect, an innate politeness, an elegant and never arrogant style, almost as if you think you have no merit for what you have managed to becomebut at least just for the friends of this blog, reveal to us what has been the greatest professional satisfaction you have received? The recognition that really gratifies you?
During my professional life I have been quite fortunate and have taken several satisfactions. Definitely the one I am most proud of , the most important one , in short the one that gratifies me the most at the moment, is the success of "Shake" which has gone beyond the most optimistic expectations.
I leave you with one last question. What do you think of all the improvisation we witness of people opening a bar, a club lacking any professionalism ? Do you have any advice, any suggestion for a passionate and talented young person who would like to demonstrate his diversity and preparation, compared to a mass of incompetents ?
I prefer not to pass judgment on the improvisation prevailing in our field . Today we are no longer in the 1970s , it is no longer enough to have a little money to invest to open a venue, people have become more demanding and when they are not satisfied professionally , they are bitter . The suggestions that I feel to propose to young people ,are the same ones that my masters taught me since my hotel school days: Spirit of sacrifice, humility, learning English today is essential , don't be tempted only by money, but by the importance of experience, you can be talented, but without experience you won't get very far, although they are not new they remain the foundations to train yourself in the right way if you want to become great professionals.
Thank you to Barnews for hosting me. I thank everyone for their attention and patience.
Giorgio Tagliabue Mixologist
For any in-depth information and a broader understanding of SHAKE, please visit www.barshake.com
Interview by Monica Palla
