The soft tinting of dessert holders, a silent murmur of recognition when an ingeniously willing dessert arrives at the table: who prove the creations of Riccardo Belalera experience much more than the sweet end of a meal, since their desserts are small works of Art that awakens memories and evoke emotions.
As Corporate Pastry and Bakery Chef of the Costa Fleet, Riccardo Belalera has revolutionized the cruise cruisery. He is not only a pastry teacher, but an authentic virtuous virtuous, awarded as World Pastery Star. His trip did not start at the high seas, but in the streets of Modica, a baroque city of Sicily famous for his unique chocolate. Today, the teacher sweetens the oceans of the world with their innovative desserts and their tireless search for perfection.
But how does a man love thousands of people every day with exquisite desserts amid the infinite extension of the world’s oceans? In an exclusive interview, Riccardo Belalera talks about his philosophy, the importance of ingredients and the search for the perfect taste experience.
“You can have the best ingredients, but without knowledge you can’t do anything good with them.” For Riccardo Belalera, this phrase is more than an empty phrase: it is the basis of his work. For him, each dessert begins with the careful selection of the raw material. High quality chocolate, fresh butter, cream, eggs and the best flour form the base of their creations. But Belalera goes one step further. He is convinced that the quality of the ingredients is closely linked to the quality of the manufacturers. That is why he works intensely with renowned partners such as Booton, Molino Dallagiovanna, Callebaut and Agrimontana. “The correct choice of the partners is essential: only with the best producers a perfect result can be achieved,” says Riccardo.
These collaborations always allow you to use the best raw materials and thus guarantee the exceptional flavor of your bakery. He is especially proud of his collaboration with Agrimontana, who supports him in his culinary visions and gives him access to unique products. Some of their favorite ingredients have a deep and personal meaning: almonds, honey, oranges and lemons, flavors that marked their childhood in Sicily and are testimony to the Arab influences of the island. “There are many Arab influences in Sicily: I grew up with almonds, honey, oranges and lemons,” Riccardo recalls. We can also find these flavors in one of their latest dessert creations such as the legendary ” Love ”, A tribute to his hometown, modesty.
The desserts and cakes of Riccardo Belalera love all guests aboard Costa Cruises and are authentic works of art!
Whoever thinks that a cruise bakery is comparable to the kitchen of a conventional hotel is very wrong. Riccardo Belalera directs a latest generation “pastry factory” that works 24 hours a day inside cruises to manipulate huge amounts. “Basically, we function as a great ultramodern bakery that works 24 hours a day,” he explains, describing the dimensions. With 6,500 passengers and 2,000 crew in a Tuscan coast with all its full seats, for example, efficient processes and the use of cutting -edge technology are essential.
The “favorite toy” of the teacher in his kingdom is the “chef cut”, a water cutting machine that is rarely found in the high land pastry. In addition, there are roogbos, foundry machines such as the “Selmi One” and deposited machines. Everything that Belalera has carefully selected for the new construction of the Tuscan coast with an eye on the future guarantees precision and consistency in production. But despite all technology, Belalera emphasizes the importance of the human factor. “I cannot be everywhere, so my recipes, processes and training have to be standardized so that the same quality can be offered in all parts of the world,” he explains. Its functions such as Corporate Pastry & Bakery Chef of Costa Cruises include, therefore, not only the development of new creations and recipes, but also the intensive training of the on -board equipment.
Belara has revolutionized dessert cuisine in the high seas worldwide and has received numerous awards for its work. Some cruises offer an excellent gourmet kitchen, but dessert is usually a secondary element in the menu. With Belalera, the World Pastry Star, Costa opens new roads in the pastry and is up to the Italian reputation of “Dolce Italy” and “The Best of Italy”: Riccardo’s desserts represent the world class of high pastries at high seas!
“Mandarin explosion”: the famous exclusive dessert of Riccardo Belalera delights cruise passengers around the world. Photographic credits: Riccardo Belalerael’s favorite toy of the teacher: the Cutbellaera chef took the cruise cruises to a new level through innovative solutions.
Author desserts, by Riccardo Belalera
For Riccardo Belalera, a dessert is an unforgettable experience that appeals to the senses and is remembered. Their creations have reached a worship status and delight guests of the coast fleet worldwide. The “mandarin explosion” has long become a coast symbol. Equally impressive is its dessert “Amuri”, a tribute to its hometown, mode in which the name of a modern is recorded by means of a water jet. The love of a Sicilian for his homeland in a completely different way! “This dessert is one of the best I’ve ever prepared: it represents my home and my roots,” says Riccardo with enthusiasm and an obvious pride. It is the perfect combination of traditional flavors and modern technology that carries the taste of sicily into the world.
“Amuri” – The sweet declaration of love of Riccardo Belalera to his hometown, mode. With this dessert, Riccardo Belalera carries the authentic taste of sicily to the oceans of the world. Photographic credits: Immaginoo_studio, Chocoacademy Milano
Goloso: hazelnut and caramel combined in a dessert that is pure seduction. Photographic credits: Immaginoo_studio, Chocoacademy Milano
Belalera’s desserts are more than sweets: they are memories, emotions and pure passion. “Ricordo d’Efanzia” is the name of this dessert of Belalera and embodies one of her childhood memories.
Riccardo’s trips are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. On its cruises and private trips around the world, it always finds new flavors and ingredients that incorporates its creations. He especially likes Yuzu fruit, from Japan, and uses it for special desserts. He also likes Brazilian flavors such as dragon fruit and passion fruit. “Exotic ingredients provide new dimensions to the pastry,” he emphasizes. “Each country has something special and, thanks to globalization, today you can get practically everything.” However, it is assured to obtain the ingredients mainly from its favorite, very high quality suppliers, to guarantee constant quality.
In addition, the flavors of almonds, honey, oranges and lemons that he knows of his homeland, Sicily, are an integral part of his culinary identity. “The smell of honey and roasted almonds of bakeries is one of my strongest memories.” In addition to exotic discoveries, their childhood memories also play an important role. “My mother cooked more salty and rarely sweet dishes, but made a fantastic Paradiso cake that reminds me of my childhood,” he says. Belara recently baked this cake according to a traditional recipe from all over Italy on the television show “Sweet Home”.
The television star and the most famous pastry teacher in Italy, Iginio Massari, was Riccardo Belalera’s mentor and remains his partner and friend until today. Photographic credits: Riccardo Belalera
The magic of creativity and exchange with world -class pastures
Belalera’s creativity arises from its inner curiosity and its constant desire to continue evolving. “My ideas arise from myself, they are intuitive,” he describes. “Sometimes I wake up, I go to the beach and suddenly I have a new idea.” He hates routine and stagnation. “I can’t be static: if I get bored of something, I change it immediately,” he emphasizes. “I’m constantly experiencing because I always need something new.” Your greatest critic? Itself! For him it is very important to exchange with other great chefs and pastry chefs, especially the connection with his most famous mentor, friend and teacher in Italy, Iginio Massari. “He was my teacher, he is my teacher and he will always be my teacher,” says Belalera respectfully. This exchange inspires him and helps him constantly expand his skills and knowledge.
Perfection in each layer: High pastry combines crafts, creativity and the best ingredients. Photographic credits: Matteo Linarello
The teacher Riccardo Belalera is a visionary. It always thinks a step forward and plan innovative projects to further enrich the culinary experience in coastal ships. They include culinary thematic cruises with the best international pastry chef. In addition to the legendary Chococruise, another special culminating point is the ice cream cruise Planned in collaboration with Agrimontana. “Every night a different taste of ice cream, combined with pastry,” he reveals. These thematic cruises not only intend to give passengers moments of enjoyment, but also allow them to deepen the world of high pastry. “Many people do not even know that these gastronomic cruises exist. We need to communicate it better, ”says Belalera. For him it is important to convey his knowledge and promote young talents. “Our master classes aboard thematic cruises are unique in their style: guests learn directly from the best bakeds in the world!”
His world is pastry, either behind the scene or under the spotlights. Riccardo Belalera with Irene Colombo in the Chococruise of the Tuscan coast.
Photographic credits: Costa Cruises
Disclosure : This is an editorial article that was possible thanks to the external support of Costa Cruises. However, the support has no influence on the content shown here and reflects my own opinion. I did not receive any honorary for this article.
Reproduced in Forbes with permission from Tanga Neumann.
Tanja Neumann is a journalist based on Krefeld (Germany) “in the middle between Italy and Austria” as she defines, and writes about her passions in her blog, Vielweib on Tour, where she has achieved a vast number of followers and in which she recounts In detail its select crossings that unite pleasure, culinary delights, cruises, city walks, luxury, travel experiences extraordinary, wellness, breaks, and even tours of road convertible.
