The essence of emotions

The essence of emotions
For Gianluca Fusto pastry arts mean the capability of combining ingredients with style, to give unique sensations to one’s palate.

To introduce Gianluca Fusto simply as a pastry chef is an understatement.
He is in fact a contemporary alchemist who plays with ingredients, consistencies, and tem peratures to give unique sensations to one’s palate while instituting an aesthetic and struc tural minimalism. Each one of his creations is a story to be savoured and enjoyed with every bite. He has an eclectic offering ranging from
the most important classics to experiential cakes, and it includes desserts that transform into conceptual expressions.

Years of experience
After graduating from the Carlo Porta Hospital ity Institute of Milan, Gianluca moves to London and works at Harry’s Bar with Chef Alberigo Penati. He then moves to Paris to the Hotel de Castille where under the guidance of Alain Ducasse, he discovers to have a certain predisposition for pastry arts. When back in Milan, he joins the staff of Gualtiero Marchesi’s Bis trot, followed by La Scaletta with Aldo Bellini.
But the big turning point both professionally and personal ly happens thanks to meeting with Aimo Moroni, patron of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia. With him, he learns to respect the ingredient and to internalize the importance of technique as a means for giving it value. At 28 years old, he enters professional training program of École du Grand Chocolat Valrhona in Tain-l’Hermitage, as the first foreign pastry chef of the teaching staff. Working with the food chemists, physicists and engineers allow him to perfectly understand the world of flavour, consolidating his rigorous and scientific approach to using ingredients. But Gianluca doesn’t stop there. He continues to travel, going from the Middle East to China, from the United States to Japan. The common thread of each trip is the relentless practice of keeping updated his mental encyclopaedia of ingredients. In 2008, he founds Gianluca Fusto Consulting, an entity of consulting, analysis, high-level training and courses aimed towards all areas of the food world. It confirms his love for technique, knowledge of ingredients, design, colours and aromas reminiscent of his travels. 2013 is a year with an important turning point created with Linda Massignan, Fusto’s partner in both work and life. Linda combines her experience in communication, marketing and musical man agement with the creativity of her husband. Thus, the “Fusto” brand is born.

Recent history
2020 was supposed to be an important year; the opening of his Atelier in Milan was foreseen with an adjoining Pastry School along with the development of a pastry and chocolate brand, Fusto Milano. The objective was to create a research and training hub and not just a productive “gym” for pastry Chefs, an idea credited also by the choice of location for its birth: a former gym from the 1930s on via Amilcare Ponchielli, a stone’s throw from Corso Buenos Aires in Milan. The pandemic imposed a change of direction and instead, a “speakeasy” boutique-laboratory was created. It isn’t visible from the street, and you can only enter by ring ing the doorbell between 10 AM and 7 PM every day except Mondays. It is a space dedicated to the study, production and sales (online, retail and takeaway) of “Contemporary Artisanal Pastries and Chocolates.” The main protagonist of the production is chocolate, to which Gianluca dedicated in depth research, allowing him to become one of the most creative maître chocolat iers of the world. His high-quality artisanal pralines, shipped to many foreign countries, have impressed the public, colleagues and critics. In particular, “Emotions in 3 cm2” represent a trip into memories of flavours. Tasting them allows you identify and fully experience emotions given by texture, aromatic profile, shape, dimension and respect of time and of technique. These small treasure chests are able to give value to ingredients such as Sardinian saffron, porcini mushrooms from Piedmont, white truffles from Alba, balsamic vinegar from Modena and a se lection of both Italian and non-Italian foods of utmost quality.

No compromises
For Gianluca Fusto, pastry arts mean the capability of combining ingredients with style and with technique, while considering the creativity and uniqueness of each pastry chef. The choice of ingredients and the pursuit of excellence are the foundation of his pastry arts. In order to not
forgo flavour, structure and consistency, one must study and respect the ingredients. In this way, for example, chocolate doesn’t exist but rather there are different types of chocolate to offer based on the season and the flavour pair ings. The secret to success for an artisan is to know how to evaluate the quality and seasonality of the products used, without forgetting one’s style and one’s heart. A great pastry chef doesn’t as semble ingredients, but mind fully builds a true cultural project. Definitively, the sweet arts gift the possibility to have the knowledge to understand oneself. It is the journey within that helps us understand the world, humanity and various cultures. Pastry arts, like life, are a continuous pursuit of the laws, colours, aromas and fla vours of nature, which are to be combined with the desires of one’s clientele, avoiding
trends and whatever is cur rently in style. It means con structing a pastry art “of the senses”, pastries that can give value to the ingredients, the seasonality and the territory. Gianluca Fusto has explained well his journey and his philosophy in important books.

Design, sustainability, ethics and quality
Beyond technique, Fusto Milano pastry shop is also about lifestyle, design, arts and inspiration. It is a cutting-edge space just like the equipment used. The different areas, divided by transparent walls, allow you to live the space in its entire ty, which creates an experience based on hospitality. At the foundation of every detail and choice, there is a philosophy based on minimalism, ecology and quality of work. Great attention is paid to packaging. Everything created in the space is in tended for delivery or takeaway, therefore it needs to arrive perfectly and in an original way; each size and shape of the pack ages is personalized and decorated, thus becoming a small work of art on par with the content it will be carrying and giving a complete sense to both items.

Recent Blog Posts