The Chef: cont.
When Franco opened II Perugino on April I, 1989, the restaurant was located on Cristo Street between Caleta de San Juan and Fortaleza, on the ground floor of a colonial house, until he decided to seek a new location. One of II Perugino's painted angels must have touched Franco with its wing, for he soon found a new site on Cristo Street, 20 meters from the Old San Juan Cathedral. Early in 1994, he renovated the building, moving to the upper floor while converting a dry well in the middle of the restaurant into a wine cellar which sommelier Marcos Mercado maintains well stocked with an excellent selection of Italian wines. Although II Perugino's cooking has always been creative, after the move, it became more personal, always rooted in the traditions of his native Umbria, but perhaps a little more influenced by the new gastronomic currents that converge in today's Italy. "My favorite restaurants in ltaly are not necessarily the most famous. I really like La Tenda Rossa. to which Michelin has awarded two stars, located in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, near Florence. In Rome, Sans Souci was very good and continues to be good, but the owner, who is a friend of mine, sold it and recently opened the Bellavista at the Splendid Hotel."
I also asked Franco what he thought of Felidia in New York: "Felidia is very good. I met Lydia Bastianich when they invited me to cook at an Italian food festival in New York to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the James Beard Foundation Awards four years ago. She is very nice, and she must have liked what I cooked because she came to my station several times to try what I had made."
As Seccarelli has stated, "I don't wish to criticize the modern cuisine of which I am part, but only that which pretends to invent without logic, which mixes for the sake of mixing, where there is no balance of tastes. There are those who don't respect the personality of the ingredients, their freshness, or their fragrance. One cannot renounce innovation, but instead must respect the harmony of tastes and simplicity."
I still remember a night when friends invited us to dine at II Perugino with the well known chef Jacques Pepin and his Cuban wife Gloria. Franco came to the table to see how everything was and to present us with a bottle of Vega Sicilia Reserva Unico, just as Pepin was trying a white polenta with shrimp that had come as an appetizer. Pepin stopped eating, looked at Franco and said to him. "White polenta, I didn't know it existed." Franco looked at him, smiled and shrugged his shoulders modestly.
The moment that clients learn that certain ingredients have arrived, they scramble for reservations, in anticipation of savoring dishes such as the sensational Fettuccine con Tartufo Bianco.
"My clients trust me. Fifteen years ago they began to tell me 'do as you wish,' placing themselves in my hands." Until recently, the walls of II Perugino were covered with photos of celebrities who had dined there, from Luciano Pavarotti. the Infanta Pilar of Spain and Piero Antinori, to the current governor of Puerto Rico, whose official residence is only two blocks away. The president of Puerto Rico's most important bank, Richard Carrion, lives near the restaurant and often dines there. "In 15 years, Richard has never dined from the menu. He calls when he is coming. and I have to wrack my brain to decide what to cook for him that I had not cooked yesterday or the day before. It is hard, but he has never returned a dish.".
Another of Franco's neighbors is the Archbishop of San Juan, Monsignor Roberto González, who walks a few meters from his residence to the restaurant. "His tastes are simple, a pasta with vegetables, an arugula salad, but, like a good Puerto Rican, he always leaves a little room in his stomach for dessert." In 2002 Franco and Sandra accompanied him and his delegation to the Vatican for the beatification ceremony of the Puerto Rican Charlie Rodríguez. "It was the only time that I have ever flown from San Juan to Rome non-stop. It was very emotional, a unique experience, because Charlie is a true saint."
I can just imagine the reaction of Franco's family and friends in Perugia, had they seen Carlo and Alma's little boy traveling with his friend, the Archbishop, to see the Pope. Who could have imagined it? Surely, Alma, surrounded in heaven by Il Perugino's cherubim, would follow the journey saying: "God bless you, my son, but make sure the veal is good, and cook with the best oil you can find; it's all in the taste."
