In the Sacre Forests of Casentino, Tuscany, chef Filippo Baroni and Marta Bidi assume the roles of Custodians, offering a monastic hospitality intertwined with sacred recipes in their Mater restaurant
MATER Restaurant: custodians, offering a monastic hospitality
A culinary journey that embraces a return to roots, embodying sustainability through profound respect and extensive knowledge of a specific region – the Casentino, adorned with its Sacred Forests. Every aspect, from handling to utilization, is approached with meticulous care and reverence.
Nestled at the threshold of the Sacred Forests, within the enigmatic landscapes of Tuscany, Filippo Baroni and Marta Bidi assume the roles of Custodians, offering a monastic hospitality intertwined with sacred recipes. They serve as the eloquent voices of an ancient territory, where Nature takes center stage, adorned with its age-old narratives. Once a haven for monks, shrouded in mysteries and ancient wisdom, the Casentino is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
MATER Restaurant stands as a haven of heartful silence, beckoning guests to rediscover the essence of ancestral cuisine and hospitality deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the Casentino Forest Park. Symbolized by a pelican, epitomizing sacrifice, the restaurant embraces this bird as a representation of self-sacrifice, love’s unconditional devotion to one’s offspring. It symbolizes Christ’s journey through passion, suffering, crucifixion, and death – an allegory of maternal sacrifice, Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, and the dedication found in labor. In the context of MATER, the pelican encapsulates the themes of sacrifice, rebirth, and origin inherent in the very essence of the word MATER.
Mater: A mother, a matrix, a vegetative womb
MATER signifies mother, earth, and origin. It embodies the concept of mother, the one who gives birth. In the agricultural realm, mater also refers to the stump, the trunk, the root, the tree wood—the intimate part of the tree from which, in the eyes of ancient observers, new stems sprout.
A mother, a matrix, a vegetative womb—a vital principle within the wood. Mother is synonymous with wood, and wood is synonymous with matter. In Spanish and Portuguese, we still express it as madera, madeira, denoting the primary raw material—the genesis of creation. MATER encapsulates essence through a journey back to the principle, to the origin.
MATER, Chef Filippo Baroni’s culinary style
Chef Filippo Baroni’s culinary style is forthright, unadorned, primitive, immediate, and elemental. Central to his gastronomic philosophy is the Casentino Forests, his native land, his sense of belonging. Within the chef’s creations, the essence of the territory, ancient traditions, and the products of small enterprises that champion excellence are all evident. The Nature of the Forests takes center stage through the seasons, guided by the rhythms set by Mother Earth. It’s a contemplative journey through age-old wisdom and flavors, a revival of a cuisine of origins.
The expedition to reach MATER begins along pathways that meander through the Forest, immersing visitors in the grandeur of a place teeming with allure and mystery. This experience extends within the restaurant itself. Upon stepping through the door, one seamlessly re-enters the woods of the Forests, almost an extension of the journey. Trees, wood, the hues of the forest, the fragrance of underbrush – all contribute to the ambiance. The expansive windows offer a view that seamlessly connects to the Forests, creating a space-time continuum.
In the dining area, Marta Bidi, Chef Filippo Baroni’s wife, and her team extend a warm Tuscan welcome, embodying the true essence of hospitality: smiles, lively conversation, and genuine sensitivity.
Restaurant Mixology
MATER’s mixology is founded with the cuisine of chef Filippo Baroni. Nature is respected and no chemicals are used. One works with herbs, liqueurs, vermouths and meads. To accomplish this, the forest, nature is experienced, where everything that can inspire the mixing of herbs. In summary, MATER’s mixology is an experience that integrates seamlessly with the kitchen in a studied, slow but precise approach. The rhythm of nature is followed, using natural ingredients and creating cocktails that represent a harmonious fusion of flavors.
With the garden under development, MATER is embracing a new mixology concept that enhances the beauty of fresh and locally grown produce to offer local and truly zero-mile drinks in the sign of no waste as well.
MATER, Filippo Baroni and the restaurant Sustainability
Kitchen scraps are used to create compost, which becomes natural fertilizer for the garden. No pesticides or other chemicals are used. The philosophy From kitchen to the garden and from garden to the kitchen cuisine has resulted in the creation of a Hortus Conclusus adjacent to the restaurant on the property of the I Tre Baroni resort where vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown and used for cooking: preparations, bases, syrups, preserves, et cetera.
A great attention to territorial sustainability: the restaurant works with small businesses in the Casentino area in a synergy of enhancing local excellence. Also a focus on business sustainability: the restaurant staff works only for evening service with two full days off weekly. Training and knowledge is encouraged through visits, tastings and meetings with professionals such as foragers, nutritionists.
Chef Filippo Baroni
Classe 1982, Filippo Baroni è lo chef e patron del Mater; radici a Poppi e nell’Aretino. Diplomato alla scuola alberghiera di Chianciano Terme, Filippo insieme ai due fratelli porta avanti il progetto ristorativo con I Tre Baroni, resort nel verde delle Foreste Sacre. Nel 2017 ha costruito il Mater Ristorante; qui lo chef, autodidatta, fissa i propri punti fermi di appartenenza al territorio tramite la ricerca di materie prime eccellenti e l’applicazione di una regola monastica in chiave avanguardistica.
