Chef behind ‘disastrous’ Michelin-starred meal responds ... with a drawing of a horse

When the story of a Michelin-star restaurant’s dining experience was shared online, the scathing review quickly went viral.

Describing the event as being like something from a “Dickensian novel,” Everywhereist travel writer Geraldine DeRuiter detailed her visit to Bros' restaurant in Lecce, Italy.

Despite enduring 27 courses, the writer and her friends were left fuming and hungry because all of the itty bitty dishes were each more disappointing than the last.

Edible paper slivers, a tablespoon of crab, fried cheese balls with ‘rancid’ ricotta, and even a partial scoop of green olive ice cream, which she originally believed to be pistachio, fell flat.

"Amassing two-dozen of them together amounted to a meal the same way amassing two-dozen toddlers together amounts to one middle-aged adult," DeRuiter wrote.

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Now, the chef himself has responded, and his statement was just as experimental and unusual as his menu.

In an email to Indy100, we received a "Declaration by Chef Floriano Pellegrino,” shared below. We’ll let you figure it out!

Page 1/3 of the "Declaration by Chef Floriano Pellegrino."Pellegrino Brothers SRL

“Being able to draw a man on a horse does not make you an artist. The result of your talent can be beautiful to look at, but it is not art,” begins the comment.

“Drawing a man on a horse is the same as making food. Many people are able to make good food. Your grandmother could do it. My wife does it great. McDonald’s knows perfectly how to make a hamburger that almost everybody likes, and the pizzeria around the corner does their job perfectly.Preparing food that is liked is like a making a drawing of a man on a horse. It is not that hard, but most people will admire you.”

The first page ends with: “Some people are great cooks. They make spectacular food. They have studied the history of food making and have taken years of lessons to make great dishes. The artist of this painting of a man on a horse has done the same. He's like the owner of a three star Michelin restaurant. A master chef.”

Page 2/3 of the "Declaration by Chef Floriano Pellegrino."Pellegrino Brothers SRL

“The problem with this artist is that many artists have made paintings like him. I admire the quality. It's well done. But I am bored with spectacular paintings like that. The Louvre and the Prado and the Hermitage are full with such stuff. It's impressive but it's shallow,” reads the top half of the second page.

“Contemporary artist are looking for new horizons all the time, instead. They discover the unknown. They doubt everything including themselves, they research every boundary, they even challenge the concept 'art' itself.”

“What is art? What if food? What is a chef? What is a client? What is good taste? What looks beautiful?”

“What is a man on a horse?” it asks at the end.

Page 3/3 of the "Declaration by Chef Floriano Pellegrino."Pellegrino Brothers SRL

“Does art have to be beautiful? Not necessary. It has to challenge you to understand. If it's beautiful too, that's even better.”

“Contemporary art does not provide you with answers, but offers you great questions. Contemporary cuisine should do the same. A chef should not offer easy answers, but challenge you with interesting questions.”

“Contemporary art is not easy. The contemporary artist asks you to think about beauty, to doubt yourself, to trust his creative process, to follow his ideas. That is how revolutions are born.”

“Here at Bros’ we strive every day for avant-garde.”

“We have undertaken this risk since we decided to return to our territory, after international experiences. We invest to revolutionize it and make it grow with us. We know very well where we are and what we are doing. We would rather be attached to our work and the technical aspects of it. How can we respond? Only with our menu. Because we are better with food than with words. We are used to talking with facts, working hard. We thank Mrs. XXX - I don’t remember her name - for making us get to where we had not yet arrived. We are out of stock of “Limoniamo”, thank you very much,” the statement concludes.

Reader - we’re as confused as you are. But fair play to the chef for responding, and in his own unique way.

And, to wrap up this bizarre tale, the original reviewer was kinda stunned by the response too!