Chef's Table isn't your average Q&A. We scrapped the tired interview routine and went for something a little tastier: dinner. Here we are, wining and dining with some of Shanghai's best chefs, no scripts, no fluff – just food, drink and whatever else comes up. It's raw, like a good sashimi, but polished up so you can enjoy it too. Got a chef we should dine with? Let us know in the comments.

Chef and owner of Porto Matto, Roberto Bernasconi, landed in Shanghai in 2005 and swung the doors open of his very own restaurant nearly a decade ago in 2014. Aiming to showcase the flavors of his Italian hometown of Bari, Italy, Porto Matto is an ode to the traditional recipes of the Apulian region, ones that have spanned economic class lines and generational gaps and even bankrupted McDonald's in the Puglia region of Italy.

Riding on the coattails of the venue's 10-year anniversary (which took place last December 2024), we sat down with this powerhouse personality to learn more about his experiences cooking in rural villages in southern Italy, translating his legal studies at university into the kitchen, his most prized dishes, and what's next for Porto Matto and beyond.

CNS: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?

I was born in Bari, in the south of Italy, in the region we call Puglia. I was the last one – the youngest of four sons. In my house, from when I was small, there were always many people around the table. I don't remember even one meal with fewer than twelve people. My nonna stayed with us most of the time, we had a nanny living in the house, and my brothers, always, they brought their girlfriends or friends to eat with us. The table was never quiet – always noise, always talking, always plates going back and forth. I helped my mamma in the kitchen often, but in those days, I didn't think about cooking as a job. It was just something you do, part of life.

Then something happened. I was 14 years old. A friend of mine asked me to help him cook spaghetti for a big dinner at his place. Nothing too fancy – just spaghetti, you know? But that night – I don't know – something touched me. I saw everyone together, laughing, eating, enjoying what we made with our hands… and I felt something strong. I said to myself: This is what I love. This is something I want in my life, always.

CNS: Before you were a chef, were there any life experiences that tie into your cooking philosophy and make you who you are today?

Ah, I love this question – really, yes! And the answer is a big yes. Before everything, I played American football in my hometown for almost 20 years. Can you believe it? And for the last five seasons, I was also coaching – I was the lineman coach. That experience of mentoring, of guiding the team, it really shaped me. Because, in the end, it's the same thing in the kitchen. You need discipline, teamwork, trust – the same energy, the same leadership, just in a different uniform. In football or in the kitchen, you push forward together, always.

In those same years, I was also working as a bouncer at a nightclub. Believe me, in that job, you meet all kinds of people. So many personalities, so many situations – some of them, really intense. But from that experience, I learned a lot. I learned how to stay calm, how to read people, and how to talk in a way that brings down the tension. It taught me how to connect, how to work together with different types of people, skills that help me even today in the kitchen.

And then, after high school, I went to university in Bari to study Law. Later, I focused on medical criminology. I know – it sounds far from cooking! But actually, this knowledge helps me even now. It gave me the tools to protect my business, especially when it comes to legal matters like food safety and hygiene. So in the end, all these pieces – they all came together up to this point where I could say, Portto Matto is ten years old!

CNS: How did you get started in restaurants in Shanghai?

Ah, so – my wife, she's from Shanghai. We met in Italy back in 2002 and we got married there. After a few years – three, I think – I started telling her, "Come on, let's go back to China." And finally, in 2005, we made the move.

I had already been working as a chef in Bari since 1997, so when we arrived in Shanghai, the transition for me was not too difficult. I started working at Pasta Fresca – maybe you know it? At that time, they had five restaurants in China and six more in Singapore. I stayed with them for more than three years. After that, I moved to Da Marco, where I was a chef for four years, and then another four years at Mandarin City in Gubei.

Then, at the end of 2013, I found this old French brasserie space. I had a good feeling about it. By March 2014, Porto Matto was open – and that's where the real adventure began.

Where does the name Porto Matto come from?

Porto Matto! So – porto in Italian means "harbor," a safe place, no? Somewhere you go when the storm is strong, and you need some peace. And matto – well, that means "crazy." Because anyone who knows me even a little bit knows, I'm a little bit crazy!

So, Porto Matto? I wanted it to be a... a little bit of both. A cozy, comforting place for people who love food, really love it – but also a place with some surprises, some fun, a little twist here, there. We keep the true flavors from Puglia, my home in the south of Italy – the olive oil, the beans, the handmade pasta, the amore – but we mix in fanfare, a bit of spirit. It's like your nonna's kitchen.

CNS: What is your favorite dish on Porto Matto's menu?

This question... It's always difficult! I cannot choose just one dish, I'm sorry. But I always tell new guests: these are the plates you should try.

First, the Focaccia Barese. This one, for me, should be on every table. It's the most common street food where I come from, and really, it represents the city of Bari – soft inside, a little crispy outside, with tomatoes and olives… simple, but full of flavor.

Then we have the broad beans and the handmade orecchiette – these are also very close to my heart. They show the kind of food culture I grew up with: strong, rustic, made with love and tradition.

There is a story I always like to tell. About 20 years ago, in a town called Altamura – it's just 30 kilometers from Bari – a McDonald's opened there. But after less than two years, it had to close. It was a big shock to many people around the world. But for us, in Puglia, it made sense. The local places – the bakeries, the small shops – they continued to win. People preferred focaccia, bombette, tramezzini, and all the little local snacks. They didn't want the big fast food chains.

This story even became a film – Focaccia Blues. And it shows something very important: how proud we are of our food, of our land, of our traditions. And this is exactly what I try to give at Porto Matto – not just a meal, but a feeling of where I come from.

CNS: Do any dishes have a unique backstory relating to your personal life experiences?

I was lucky because I had a big family – really big – with two nannies who came from the countryside of Puglia. From them, I learned what comfort food really means – the kind that you feel inside. They brought me to their villages and showed me how to cook the dishes they learned from their parents and even their grandparents.

I'll never forget one dish with broad beans that my Nonna Teresa – she was my nanny's mother, but to everyone she was just nonna – made for me in her village. She cooked those beans for five hours, slow and careful, adding the seasoning little by little, always stirring, always near the wood-burning fireplace. That same dish is now my most sold plate since I opened Porto Matto.

The ingredients are simple – dry broad beans, good olive oil, onions, celery, and some dry bay leaves. I leave the beans in warm water for 12 hours, changing the water at least four times. Then I put everything in a big pot and wait for the smell to come – that's when I add the beans. I let it all cook slowly for two or three more hours, until the beans turn into a kind of mash, soft and full of flavor. It's a dish that gives comfort to anyone who eats it, no matter the time or the season.

CNS: What inspires you when you're creating new dishes?

Many times, I find inspiration during my visits to the market. I go often, and I always look for new ingredients, especially those that are seasonal, when the flavor is full and at its best. For me, the best kind of cooking is the one that respects the ingredients, that brings forward their natural taste without hiding it.

My father is from Milan, in the north of Italy, and my mother comes from Puglia, in the south. So in my cooking, I enjoy mixing different traditions, combining the ingredients and styles from both regions – and really, from all over Italy – to show the richness and variety of our culinary culture. One example is my osso buco – a classic dish from Milan – which I like to serve with pasta in the Apulian style, like scialatielli, which you can find in many forms on my menu. But of course, if a guest prefers to eat it with risotto alla Milanese, with the saffron, like we do in the north, I also have this as a choice.

If you could go back and give a younger Chef Roberto some advice, or advice to any other chefs that are starting out their careers, what would you say?

I would suggest coming to Shanghai earlier. I was already 38 years old when I moved here, and I regret that I didn't take the chance to work around the world when I was younger.

Also, I suggest to the new chefs to always be tasting new food. Trying new flavors, new ingredients – these things can help you to find your own special way. In the end, new chefs must think well before choosing this profession. It is a beautiful life, yes, but not an easy one.