The complete video now on YouTube

A sneak peak of the new
Le Calandre

Our restaurant has been remodeled. And with it, the entire concept of fine dining. Comfort and simplicity are what we are serving.

Sala da cucina: the lightness of essence
Culinary philosophy in the dining room

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a generational change in the clientele of our restaurant. Our customers are less interested in formality and the false sense of inaccessibility associated with the world's 50 best restaurants. The recent remodel of Le Calandre provided us an opportunity to update the concept of fine dining according to our primary pleasure, taste. Our goal was clear: comfort, ease and simplicity.

How did we achieve this?
We applied the same meticulous attention that we give to sourcing raw materials in the kitchen in the dining room. We designed everything ourselves - from the tables to the lamps to the glassware - and called upon the help of local artisans to make our designs a reality. We also created a team of dedicated talent, including the filmmakers who captured the rebirth of the new Le Calandre on video. An edited version of their documentary can be seen on the home page of our website, www.alajmo.it, while the complete version is available on YouTube and can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

Sala da Cucina

Breaking an unspoken rule of three-star Michelin restaurants, we decided to remove the white tablecloths from our tables. A book should not be judged by its cover, nor should a restaurant be judged by its table coverings. We preferred to highlight the tactile aspect of the table itself. We want our guests to feel free to run their hands along the brushed wood of the single, 180-year-old, oak tree from a forest in Normandy that we used to construct all of the tabletops in the new restaurant. We want to put our clients in direct contact with nature and history, giving them an immediate sense of serenity.

And to the skeptics out there who think that we are crazy to be making this type of investment in a moment of crisis, we offer you the following words:

Let's not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress. Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born form the dark night. It's in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure to a crisis neglects his own talent, and is more respectful to problems than to solutions. Incompetence is the true crisis. The greatest inconvenience of people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find the solutions to their problems. There's no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There's no merit without crisis. It's in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead. Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it. - Albert Einstein

“Le Calandre”, February 3, 2010
Raffaele & Massimiliano Alajmo