Puglia · Private chefs · London
Puglian private chef in London
A chef from Puglia cooking the food of Italy's heel in your kitchen: hand-shaped pasta, vegetables, legumes and very good olive oil.
The cooking
Olive oil, durum wheat and vegetables first
Puglia is long, flat and surrounded by sea, and it produces more olive oil than any other Italian region. Its cooking is cucina povera at its best: vegetables, legumes, bread and pasta made only from durum wheat semolina and water, shaped by hand. Meat is a treat; vegetables are the main event.
Each area has its own table. The north grows wheat on the Tavoliere plain; Bari eats raw seafood at the harbour; the Valle d'Itria grills meat at the butcher's; Salento, at the very tip, has its own pastries and dialect. Burrata comes from Andria, bread from Altamura, and taralli are on every table.
Signature dishes
What a Puglian chef cooks
Orecchiette con cime di rapa
Ear-shaped pasta pressed with the thumb, with turnip tops, garlic, anchovy and chilli.
Fave e cicoria
A purée of dried broad beans with bitter wild chicory and plenty of olive oil.
Burrata
A pouch of mozzarella filled with stracciatella and cream, best within a day or two.
Bombette
Little rolls of pork capocollo filled with cheese, from the Valle d'Itria grills.
Tiella barese
Rice, potatoes and mussels baked together in layers.
Ciceri e tria
Salento chickpeas with pasta, part boiled and part fried for crunch.
Panzerotti
Fried half-moons of dough filled with tomato and mozzarella.
Pasticciotto
Salento's shortcrust pastry filled with custard, served warm.
Sample menu
A Puglian dinner party in four courses
An example only. Your chef will tell you where the burrata and other imported ingredients come from, and how fresh they are.
Through the year
Seasonal notes
Cime di rapa are a winter green, so orecchiette with turnip tops is a dish for the cold months; in summer it becomes orecchiette with tomato and cacioricotta. Christmas in Puglia means cartellate, fried ribbons of pastry soaked in vincotto or honey, and pettole, little balls of fried dough.
Spring brings fresh broad beans and artichokes, summer tomatoes, peppers and figs. Your chef shops for what is in season in London and imports only what makes the difference.
How Venti works
A dinner party with nothing to do
Tell us the occasion
Date, number of guests, allergies, budget. By message, any time of day.
Meet your chef
We match you with a chef born in Puglia and send you their menu to shape together.
They cook, you host
The chef shops, cooks, serves and leaves your kitchen clean.
Venti is opening in London this winter. We are matching our first chefs for this winter, so join the waitlist to be first in line for a Puglian dinner.
Questions
Frequently asked
What does a Puglian dinner party at home include?
You agree a menu with a chef from Puglia, usually four courses: antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce. The chef shops for the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen, serves your guests and leaves the kitchen clean. Wine and drinks are your choice.
Is Puglian food good for vegetarian or vegan guests?
Very. Much of the cooking is built on vegetables, legumes and egg-free pasta, so many dishes are vegetarian and several can be made vegan. Tell us about your guests and the chef will build the menu around them.
Can the chef cook around allergies and dietary needs?
Yes. The 14 major allergens are confirmed with you before the menu is final, and dishes are adapted or swapped where needed. Tell us early about any allergy, intolerance or dietary rule.
How does booking work, and how many guests can we have?
Venti is not open yet: we are matching our first chefs for this winter. Join the waitlist and tell us the date, number of guests, allergies and budget. From a dinner for two to a larger party, we confirm what works for your kitchen and the chef before anything is agreed.
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