Speakers

Cesare Battisti, born in Milan in 1971, is Ratanà’s chef and oste and is considered today one of the most representative chefs of the revisited traditional and quality cuisine, attentive to the use of excellent raw materials from small producers and focused on food, economic, environmental and social sustainability issues.

His restaurant Ratana’, is considered a model in Italy for a sustainable future in alternative with the hyper technologic new foods trends.  

As a young man, he worked in the most prestigious caterers in Milan, then travelled the world on board cruise ships, an experience that allowed him to get to know distant cultures and foods. When, after many years, he returned to Milan, he felt the need to dedicate himself to modernize the traditional Italian cuisine.

in 2009, he founded Ratanà, the first contemporary osterias in Italy. Here he interprets the gastronomic tradition of Lombardy, revisiting it and proposing it in a modern key through preparations that are only apparently simple, with innovative cooking techniques and a great search for raw materials. A modern and somehow futuristic cuisine, therefore, but deeply linked to memory, because cuisine is made of memories, of places and sensations that evoke moments, childhood, home.

Ratanà is the story and the signature of his vision, through which, together with his team, he expresses not only cuisine and professionalism, but also social responsibility, respect for the territory and for all artisans and producers. A philosophy that he has summarized in ten points in his decalogue 'Sustainability behind all rhetoric'.

Cesare Battisti is member of the Slow Food Alliance of Chefs since 2010 and, according to Carlo Petrini, he embodies a model for all chefs today. In 2015, he was appointed Chef Ambassador of Expo 2015 and included among the 100 Chefs who have changed Italian cuisine in the last 10 years in the book published by Mondadori "Cento x 10". Since October 2016, he has held the position of Secretary General of "Ambasciatori del gusto", an association through which he is committed to the promotion and enhancement of quality cuisine and the excellence of Made in Italy in the world. He is also actively involved in social work, collaborating with non-profit organizations and associations in support of the values of sustainability.

In addition to Ratanà, Battisti has initiated new projects that reflect his vision of sustainable, quality catering. In 2021, he opened Remulass, a bistro dedicated to vegetables located in the lively Porta Venezia district. In September 2022, he opened Pastificio Ratanà, a small neighbourhood shop in the Isola area, specializing in fresh handmade pasta and gastronomy, just a few steps away from Ratanà. Finally, in 2023, he launched Silvano – vini e cibi al banco, a meeting place in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Nolo, serving natural wines and mouth-watering small plates, creating a new convivial space for the community.

These projects demonstrate the continuous evolution of his cuisine, rooted in tradition but capable of responding to contemporary tastes and needs.