Isabella Potì and Floriano Pellegrino
If your idea of fine dining is silver service and starched tablecloths, think again. In a tiny side street in the small city of Lecce in Southeastern Italy, there is a discreet sign with the word BROS’ written on it. Ring the doorbell, get your wrist stamped, pass through a curtain and you will find yourself in a pared-back and contemporary space beneath ancient, vaulted ceilings where Trap music is playing in the background. This is the home of Salento’s first Michelin starred restaurant and its chef patrons Floriano Pellegrino and Isabella Potì, a young couple with a fresh, daring and rebellious take on haute cuisine.
BROS’
Lecce, with its blonde stone and baroque architecture, is situated in Salento, Apulia (Puglia), often referred to as Italy’s ‘heel’. The region is known for its simple, rustic food, based on home grown grains, vegetables and fruit, and fish from its extensive coastline. Pellegrino and Potì are undoubtedly inspired by local traditions and ingredients but have fused these with the highly technical skills, experimentation and artistry acquired in some of the top kitchens in Europe.
Pellegrino grew up nearby, on his family’s farm outside of Scorrano where, from an early age, he immersed himself in the production and cooking of quality, sustainable ingredients. By 18, he was working at the Michelin starred Restaurant Ilario Vinciguerra in Lombardy, followed by acclaimed establishments in Spain, France and Denmark, including Mugaritz and Noma. It was at Hibiscus in London that he reconnected with Potì, a friend from Lecce who was by then Pastry Chef de Partie at the two Michelin starred restaurant.
Milk, Honey
When Pellegrino returned to Italy in 2016, he opened BROS’ with his two brothers and immediately began garnering awards. The brothers moved on to other projects but Potì – herself a rising star – joined BROS’ later that year. By 2017, when Pellegrino and Potì were just 28 and 23 respectively, they both appeared on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List and, by 2018, had secured the restaurant’s first Michelin star.
That’s an impressive track record but, if you’re planning a visit, there are some things you should consider, and one is going with an open mind. There is no à-la-carte menu. Instead, diners can choose from 17, 20 or 23 step tasting menus that follow a concept which changes twice-yearly. A QR code on the table takes you to the wine pairings, featuring organic and biodynamic selections by Restaurant Manager and Sommelier Ruben Perez Jimenez, but also to videos, paintings and other commissions from local artists to represent and explain each dish.
Timbale of Pigeon, Gone Wine
This is not the rustic and hearty food that Puglia is famed for. If you’re after a big bowl of orecchiette or a piping hot panzerotti, visit one of the local trattorias instead. At BROS’, the creations are meant to push boundaries and provoke, with unexpected combinations, bold flavours and avant garde presentation. Molecular gastronomy and ingredients in a stage of ‘decay’, such as rancid butter, old beef or gone wine, feature prominently. This might sound ghastly to some, but a cake made from chocolate, green, ripe and over ripe bananas was bliss. With Potì’s expertise as a pastry chef, the deserts are particularly noteworthy, but the presentation can be quite conceptual. A limoncello foam is served – sans cutlery – in sculptures cast from the chef patrons’ mouths. You need to kiss it to consume it.
Sugar and Pineapple Ravioli
We thought this was fun, but it’s not for everyone. Judging by customer reviews, people either seem to love or hate the restaurant and, in 2021, BROS’ made international headlines when a blogger’s scathing review describing it as “the worst Michelin starred restaurant in the world” went viral. But, as they say, all publicity is good publicity, and the furore doesn’t seem to have held BROS’ back.
In fact, today BROS’ is not just a restaurant, but a brand. Pellegrino and Potì are proud owners of a second venue (Roots Trattoria in Scorrano, which serves seasonal, farm to table fare), the Pellegrino Brothers marketing agency and even a rugby team (Pellegrino is a former rugby player, but Potì is the club’s President), which provides training to young people, both on the field and in the kitchen.
The pair are celebrities in Southern Italy and Potì, with her model looks, something of a social media influencer, collaborating with brands such as Nike, Giorgio Armani and Piaget. Her talents as a chef have led to television appearances, including as a guest judge on Italy’s MasterChef. Oh, and the couple have managed to juggle all this with starting a family.
Isabella Potì
Each year, they also stage the BROS’Land event (the fifth edition having taken place earlier this month), bringing together creatives from the culinary, art and music scenes, not only from the region, but further afield. This year, it kicked off with a dinner in the olive tree lined garden of BROS’ Trattoria, where 150 guests were treated to dishes prepared by Apulian chefs Domenico Cilenti, Michele Spadaro, Domingo Schingaro, Pietro Penna and Felice Sgarra.
The following day, the Visionary Food Talk was hosted by Dolce e Gabbana model Chiara Scelsi and featured a plant-based cooking demonstration by Davide Guidara of Tenerumi and a Q&A with award-winning pizza revolutionary Franco Pepe. Other highlights included an aperitivo served up by local suppliers and an after party featuring international DJs. The proceedings closed with another dinner and, this time, Potì and Pellegrino were joined in the kitchen by Guidara.
It’s hard to guess what BROS’ will do next. Experimental and conceptual rather than crowd pleasing, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected but, if you have an adventurous palate and aren’t afraid to step out of your comfort zone, be sure to stop by when you are in Southern Italy.
Read more about BROS’ here.
words. Huma Humayun
images. Courtesy of BROS’
