The young prodigy who left Michelin-starred restaurants to reopen a small 18-square-meter wine bar

by Simona Sirianni

It's called Farmacia dei 33, and after being the first pharmacy in Sacile, a small and elegant village in the province of Pordenone, it has become one of the most frequented places in the town, no longer for buying medicines, but for enjoying a classic Spritz with some cicchetti, the typical and tasty Venetian small plates that accompany the aperitif.

Farmacia dei 33, here comes Mattia Mancin

But after the historic owners decided to retire, rumors of the closure of the place became insistent, much to the disappointment of the patrons who thought they would lose a fundamental reference point. It won't be like that because that small gem of 18 square meters with two unique terraces overlooking the square reopens, and pulling up the shutters will be Mattia Mancin, well known and respected in the city for his great experience, around Italy with stints in London, as a restaurant manager. But who is Mattia Mancin really?

"I am someone who loves what he does and therefore tries to do it to the best of his ability," explains this 27-year-old who has been working in restaurants for more than ten years, and what restaurants: "I enrolled in wine and gastronomy school, but I didn't want to be a chef, I preferred the service in the dining room. At 16, then, I wanted to earn something and so I started accepting small jobs, especially in catering. While I was doing them, however, I realized that I liked them, and so after finishing school, I decided that would be the path I wanted to take."

Cracco, London, and returning from Cannavacciuolo

After some experience, here comes "the opportunity" with a capital "O": "They offered me a job at the only Michelin-starred restaurant here in Pordenone called Cecchini. And, of course, I said yes. Everyone said I was good at my job, and that was gratifying. In those years, cooking on TV was becoming a trend and MasterChef became the flagship program. Involved a bit by that world, I said to myself, I'll send my CV to all the Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and see if anyone responds. The only one who did was Carlo Cracco."

Not just anyone, since Mattia had a lot to learn to do his job well: "It was quite incredible because I had the interview and he hired me. I have to say that the experience was exceptional, with him, I really began to understand what needs to be done. And I have to say that, in a relatively short time, I went from the role of the runner, who brings dishes to customers, clears tables, etc., to becoming a second maître. When I reached this level, Cracco had opened his restaurant in the gallery in Milan where I stayed for two and a half years. For me, he was like a second father."

At that point, however, the desire to experiment and try new things takes over: "Through Linkedin, I received the offer from The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray in Berkshire in the United Kingdom. I couldn't say no. An experience abroad like this I couldn't let slip away. They took me on as an assistant manager, and I have to say that working there opened up a world to me because such a refined cuisine, I think, cannot be found anywhere else. A separate world, beautiful, but one that, to be so precise, left nothing to whimsy, to creativity. A bit too much for how I am. Therefore, once I learned everything I could, fortunately, the proposal to go and work at Villa Crespi came to me. I jumped at the opportunity to return, but unfortunately, with Cannavacciuolo, I didn't stay long because after less than a year, Covid arrived. At that point, not knowing when we would be able to restart, I made the choice to stay in Pordenone."

A leap to Milan with Exit

When the pandemic situation seems to balance out, Mattia starts moving again: he moves to Milan with Exit, Matias Perdomo's urban gastronomy project that has conquered Milanese foodies for years and unfortunately closed its doors in April: "I wanted to break away a bit from the Michelin-starred restaurant scheme. But Covid wasn't over yet, they started setting hours, yellow zones, green zones, etc., and then I said enough and returned to Pordenone to stay."

The return to Pordenone and the opportunity of Farmacia 33

The rest is today: "After all the experience gained in Michelin-starred restaurants, I was a bit tired, I wanted something more easygoing, less structured. And while I was thinking about what I wanted to do with the skills acquired over the years, I started working as an employee at Farmacia dei 33 in Sacile. When I saw the place, I imagined myself there as the owner: and when the owners decided to retire, I said to myself this could be my place."

From there, it's all downhill: Mattia starts a renovation to optimize the spaces, but the formula remains the same, namely that of the bacaro, the classic Venetian tavern with a popular character, where you serve ómbre or bianchéti and the typical cichéti, snacks, small plates: from the classic crostino with cold cuts, to meatballs, to whipped cod, to Venetian liver, sardines in saor, and stewed baby octopuses. Everything depends on the season, of course. Something, however, changes: "They were more focused on cocktails, I started to focus more on wine. I want to expand the cellar to have a lot of choice, but of high quality, with sought-after products. Then I would like to continue the work by organizing evenings to make Farmacia a space for an aperitif with good music. And even for food, I'm researching much more select and curated products. In short, I want to take up the concept of the tavern and create a young bacaro."

A present to build and for the future?

And with the employee crisis? "I didn't have any problems honestly, it might be my luck because I'm known for the experiences I've had, but I found staff easily. I think there is no crisis, you just have to make the right people work and pay them equally right. It is also important to be good teachers: employees are stimulated to do better. In my life, I have found some really good teachers and Cracco, I repeat, was the best. He taught me a lot, he took me everywhere to see how he managed the restaurant and the management. And he gave me the opportunity to be a second maître, which is not taken for granted. It's really thanks to him that I was able to then go to London and do everything I did. An incredible teacher." For the future, what's there for Mattia Mancin? "We'll see, now I focus on this because even though it's small, there's a lot of work to do. Then we'll see. I'm always open to new things, I like to experiment and change. But here I've just started. Time will tell."