The most memorable moment during my studies was when Chef Roland Hinni — my supervising chef at the time — offered me the chance to work at his restaurant. Back then, I'd go to school in the morning and work at an actual restaurant in the afternoon. I was doing well at school, but when I stepped into the real kitchen, it was a completely different world.
If school gave me the fundamentals and the technique, the restaurant taught me that every dish had to satisfy the guest's needs — and that food was a medium for communicating with people. That experience shifted how I saw cooking. It was no longer just a skill — it was about creating satisfaction for others, and about running a business.
During COVID, I first ran a place called 'Ragu Ragu.' At first, I started with Italian delivery food to match the circumstances, but people who tried the food started coming to the restaurant in person. Naturally, I added tables — and later a tasting menu — and slowly grew into a solo chef restaurant.
I'm genuinely grateful that so many people came to love my cooking. It was on the strength of that support that I expanded and moved to what is now BATTITO. Instead of keeping the Ragu Ragu name, I chose a new one because I wanted to show my guests more evolved cooking and a completely new space.
And so BATTITO became a place filled by guests who remembered Ragu Ragu and came back for us — alongside brand-new guests stepping through the door for the first time.
What is the meaning behind the name 'BATTITO,' and what do you hope to convey through this space?
Battito means 'heartbeat' in Italian. I interpreted the word as a feeling — that flutter of excitement. I wanted guests to already be wondering, 'What will I get to eat today?' before they even arrive, feeling that sense of anticipation. The excitement you feel when you taste something delicious; the warm, welcoming flutter when you return to a place you love — I wanted to capture all of that in the name. More than a place to eat, I wanted BATTITO to be a space where that happy feeling of anticipation begins before you even walk in the door.
How do you feel the French culinary techniques you learned at Le Cordon Bleu still live in you, now that you're running an Italian restaurant?
French culinary technique, as I learned it at Le Cordon Bleu, is fundamentally about drawing out and concentrating the natural flavors of each ingredient — and about building layers of taste through precise timing in the cooking process. Italian cuisine expresses the natural taste of ingredients through simple, clean combinations. By layering French technique on top of that, I've been able to add a whole new level of depth to the flavors. So the dishes at BATTITO have that familiar, comforting Italian feel — but every bite carries something a little more vivid, a stronger impression that stays with you.
After opening your restaurant, was there a moment when something turned out differently than you'd expected?
There was a time around Christmas when I put a lot of effort into preparing a seasonal course — really going all out. I refined the plating, used ingredients that aren't easy to come by, and wanted to show guests something truly special. But what guests actually wanted turned out to be less about something new or elaborate, and more about food that felt familiar yet delicious — simple but deeply satisfying. That's when I realized there can be a real gap between what a chef considers great cooking and what actually satisfies a guest. Now I think finding the balance between the food I want to make and the food that genuinely satisfies my guests is the most important part of running a restaurant.
Ultimately, I think a restaurant is a space where guests eat in person and need to leave satisfied. It would be ideal if a dish that looks beautiful in a photo is also genuinely delicious and fits naturally into the flow of a meal. But if I have to choose one, I always prioritize the satisfaction guests feel when they actually eat it. So when deciding on a menu, the most important questions I ask are: 'Is this a dish someone would want to come back for?' and 'Does it flow naturally within the BATTITO dining experience?'
The visual element comes after that — it's something I think about as a way to better communicate the dish, not as the primary goal.
Could you introduce one dish you have a special attachment to, and share the story behind it?
It's the squid ink arancini — one of BATTITO's signature dishes. It's a dish that's been loved by so many guests, and at the same time, one I've most wanted to take off the menu. I actually tried removing it several times, and replacing it with something else — but guests kept asking for it, so it's stayed on. It's a dish I have a genuinely complicated relationship with.
Arancini is made by cooling risotto, filling it with cheese or other ingredients, and deep-frying it into a ball. At first I thought of it as a simple fried dish — and I failed a lot. Depending on the type of rice used for the risotto and how well it's cooked, the cheese would often leak out or the ball would burst during frying. Every time that happened, we had to throw the whole batch away. After many rounds of trial and error, we arrived at the highly refined version that is BATTITO's arancini today. The process is more demanding than you'd think — even now, I make it myself rather than leaving it to the staff.
It takes a lot of work and thought, but when you actually eat it, you think: 'Yeah, this one has to stay.' It's a dish that even I find genuinely delicious.
If you were to recommend Le Cordon Bleu to aspiring chefs, what would be the biggest reason?
I think it's because you get to learn the real fundamentals and standards of how to approach cooking. It's not about simply following a recipe. You learn why a certain technique is used, how to draw out the best flavors from each ingredient, and what judgment calls to make at the right moment.
Over time, cooking naturally evolves into each person's own style. But for that style to hold steady, you need a solid foundation — and that's what I feel. Le Cordon Bleu was the place that built that foundation for me. I believe it can be the same strong starting point for anyone who wants to carry cooking forward for the long run.
What's next for BATTITO — and what does the next chapter look like for you as a chef?
Going forward, I hope BATTITO becomes a place that is loved by even more people. Just like the name suggests, I want guests to feel that flutter of excitement even before they arrive — that's the kind of place I want it to be. And since we're committed to French-Italian cuisine, I want to keep creating dishes that are distinctly BATTITO — familiar and Italian in feel, but deepened by French technique, with a flavor and character that's entirely our own.
On my business card, it says 'YOUR CHEF.' It's not meant to sound grand — it's simply my way of saying, 'I want to be your chef,' to each and every guest. Going forward, I'd also love to bring the taste of BATTITO beyond the restaurant — through sauces made from our recipes, reaching more people's tables at home.
When you want something truly good to eat, I want BATTITO to come to mind like your own personal chef. That's my next goal.
What does Le Cordon Bleu mean to you?
Excitement. If BATTITO today is a space that gives guests a sense of anticipation and that flutter in the heart — then to me, Le Cordon Bleu was the very first heartbeat. The moment my dream of being a chef first started to feel real.
