By Sarah Stortz
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A fire ignites inside a small kitchen buried deep in Baroncini Ristorante Italiano, the heat is sweltering, and the chef’s face glows as he prepares Italian delicacies for a sold-out venue.
The banquet was a part of the Hancher Culinary Arts Experience, which took place in the Stanley Café Wednesday evening. The event features renowned local restaurants for guests to sample the culinary work. Baroncini Ristorante Italiano was featured Wednesday evening, the second restaurant in this year’s lineup.
Coming from a family with strong culinary art traditions, head chef Gianluca Baroncini has been cooking for more than 30 years.
“It’s a little bit of the family culture you absorb while growing up,” Baroncini said. “In Italy, the tourism business is a multibillion-dollar business. There’s a lot of organization behind it, and it’s normal for a lot of people growing up deciding to hand themselves to that sector.”
Baroncini resided in Italy until age 24, when he immigrated to the United States. Throughout his career, he worked as chef in restaurants located Washington and Miami. He started his own restaurant in 2011 to give a Iowa City a flair of Italian cuisine.
“I notice while looking for a good authentic Italian restaurant in Iowa City, there weren’t any,” he said. “I thought it would have been a good addition to the community to have a good Italian restaurant.”
Baroncini Ristorante has a unique approach to its cooking by using homegrown ingredients from both Iowa and Italy. Wanting to stay away from stereotypical Italian dishes, such as pizza, Baroncini said he provides a wide array of Italian dishes, mainly specializing in pasta.
Executive Director of Hancher Charles Swanson said he began an exposition for culinary arts so restaurants could “have a night where they can shine in this wonderful new building.”
Swanson said the evenings are magical by bringing guests together.
“There are people who don’t know each other sitting together at the same table,” he said. “By the end of the night, it seems like everybody is best friends with each other because the experience is so delightful.”
While it includes creative endeavors, Baroncini said, he additionally views cooking as a scientific process.
“It’s technical because of the way you need to have enough food for everybody, so you need to count what the portioning will be,” he said. “Every single element that goes on the dish, every single sauce, needs to be counted for. In order to make it good, you have to have the knowledge of how to portion out how many things you need.”
Heather Showalter, the UI Housing & Dining assistant director of banquets & catering, who was responsible for coordinating the event, said she had high hopes for the patrons Wednesday.
“My hope is that the patrons of Hancher Culinary Arts will be able to experience unique local cuisine from restaurants they have never been to before,” she said. “Or if there is a restaurant that is a favorite, for the guests to be able to experience the restaurant they love in the exquisite Hancher setting.”
Baroncini is confident in his abilities as well.
“It’s just enriching your life for that amount of time you’re there. I hope they feel enriched,” he said. “I hope the food touches their souls. It’s what we do.”