The “pitacos” of Gero Fasano
A collection of Gero Fasano’s 55 observations on gastronomy, hospitality, and its surrounding culture
Gero Fasano
“Trying to pick the best restaurant in the world is so pointless it almost becomes funny. After all, we are not athletes.”
— GERO FASANO
There are people who enter gastronomy to cook. Others to run restaurants. And then there are those who stay in it long enough to take on a third role: that of an observer.
Gero Fasano belongs to the latter group. The line is one of the collected in 55 Pitacos of Gero Fasano, a new book published by DBA. In another passage, the Brazilian restaurateur (a person who owns, operates, or manages a restaurant professionally) says that chefs who shout at and humiliate their teams should seek “another profession or a good therapist.” Elsewhere, he links the diversity of Italian cuisine to the country’s relatively recent unification and the strength of its regional identities.
These are short, direct observations, uninterested in consensus. Founder of the Fasano Group, Gero Fasano gathers reflections on restaurants, hospitality, leadership, tradition, and the trends that circulate through contemporary gastronomy, from international rankings to lists and concepts that quickly become industry shorthand. The texts do not unfold as arguments, but as recorded positions accumulated over time.
Gero Fasano belongs to the latter group. The line is one of the collected in 55 Pitacos of Gero Fasano, a new book published by DBA. In another passage, the Brazilian restaurateur (a person who owns, operates, or manages a restaurant professionally) says that chefs who shout at and humiliate their teams should seek “another profession or a good therapist.” Elsewhere, he links the diversity of Italian cuisine to the country’s relatively recent unification and the strength of its regional identities.
These are short, direct observations, uninterested in consensus. Founder of the Fasano Group, Gero Fasano gathers reflections on restaurants, hospitality, leadership, tradition, and the trends that circulate through contemporary gastronomy, from international rankings to lists and concepts that quickly become industry shorthand. The texts do not unfold as arguments, but as recorded positions accumulated over time.
The title may sound modest, but it works as a statement of intent. This is neither an autobiography nor a cookbook. What is at stake is the organization of ideas, opinions, and provocations from someone who built his career within one of Brazil’s most recognizable hospitality names.
The book features editing by Alexandre Dórea, illustrations by Marcelo Cipis, and a foreword by Diogo Mainardi. Together, these elements keep it firmly away from both corporate memoir and business manual. The focus remains on the phrases themselves, and what they reveal without needing further explanation.
There is also space for Italian cuisine. The volume includes 14 recipes that Fasano considers essential from his travels across Italy, executed by chefs Luca Gozzani, Nicola Fedeli, and Luigi Moressa. Among them are Bollito Misto, Cotoletta alla Milanese, Carciofi alla Giudia, and Capellini d’Angelo al Tartufo Bianco d’Alba.
There is no carbonara. No cacio e pepe.
No explanation is offered for the absence, nor does it feel necessary.