Chef and owner of Porto Matto, Roberto Bernasconi, landed in Shanghai in 2005 and swung the doors open of his very own restaurant nearly a decade ago in 2014. Aiming to showcase the flavors of his Italian hometown of Bari, Italy, Porto Matto is an ode to the traditional recipes of the Apulian region, ones that have spanned economic class lines and generational gaps, and even bankrupted McDonalds. 

Riding on the coattails of the venue's 10-year anniversary (which took place last month, December 2024), we sat down with this powerhouse personality to learn more about his experiences cooking in rural villages in southern Italy, translating his legal studies at university into the kitchen, his most prized dishes, and what’s next for Porto Matto and beyond. 

When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
I was born in the southern Italian town of Bari, Puglia as the last of four sons. For as long as I can remember, no meal ever had any less than 12 people dining together as my grandma usually stayed with us, we had a live-in nanny, and my siblings’ significant others and friends regularly joined for a family meal. I typically helped my mother with the meal preparation, but thought little of cooking as a profession at that time. 

The real turning point came when I was just 14 years old. A friend asked me to help cook spaghetti for a large gathering at his home, and seeing the joy on everyone’s face coming together to share good food and good company really triggered something within me. I knew then that cooking was a true passion of mine that I forever wanted to incorporate in my life. 

Before you were a chef, were there any life experiences that tie into your cooking philosophy and make you who you are today? 
I love this question, and the answer is a resounding yes. First, I played American football for almost 20 years in my hometown. For the last five seasons, I was also the lineman coach. This mentoring and coaching experience really shaped me as the same leadership skills translate to driving forward a full kitchen brigade.

During that same time, I also worked as a bouncer at a club, where I came across a myriad of personality types as well as some pretty intense situations. From this experience, I learned to collaborate and connect with different kinds of people while also gaining real-life experience on how to diffuse stressful scenarios.

Lastly, after high school, I studied Law in university in Bari, followed by a focus in medical criminology. This experience equipped me with legal knowledge to protect my restaurant, particularly in matters involving food safety. 

How did you get started in restaurants in Shanghai? 
My wife is from Shanghai. We met in Italy in 2002 and got married there. After three years, I pushed her to return to China, which we eventually did in 2005. As I had been working as a chef in Bari since 1997, I easily made the transition to chef at Pasta Fresca in Shanghai, a company that, at the time, had five restaurants in China and six in Singapore. I worked there over three years, then became chef at Da Marco for four years followed by another four years at Mandarin City Gubei.

Finally in the end of 2013, I took over the space of an old French brasserie, and by March 2014, Porto Matto had officially opened. 

Where does the name Porto Matto come from?
‘Porto’ means ‘harbor’ in Italian – representing safety from a storm, while ‘matto’ means ‘crazy,’ since, anyone who knows me, knows I’m anything but sane. 

I want Porto Matto to be a comforting, safe haven for food-loving people, with a side of the unexpected. It’s a place that maintains the traditional taste of the Apulian region along Italy’s southern coast with a touch of fanfare.

What is your favorite dish on Porto Matto’s menu?
It’s impossible to pick just one, so here are the must-orders I recommend to every new customer. 

First, the Focaccia Barese deserves to be on every table. It is the most common ‘street food’ from my area, and it really exemplifies Bari. Along those same lines, the broad beans and the handmade orchiette also really represent my own robust food culture.

In Puglia a little over 20 years ago, in Altamura (about 20 miles from Bari), a McDonalds went bankrupt after less than two years. This shocked the Western world because it proved that these big multinational corporations had lost the ‘war’ with local establishments – at least in Puglia – that sell fast, casual focaccia, bombette, tramezzini, and other local bites. 

This phenomenon became the inspiration for the movie Focaccia Blues as it illustrates just how proud of the Apulian fare we are. And this sentiment is exactly what I try to share with guests at my restaurant. 

Do any dishes have a unique backstory relating to your personal life experiences? 
I was lucky enough to have a huge family – one with two nannies that came from the Apulian countryside. From them I learned the true meaning of rural comfort food. They would bring me to their villages and teach me how to cook the dishes they learned from their parents and grandparents. 

I’ll never forget one specific broad bean dish my Nonna Teresa (my nanny's mother who was really a nonna to everyone) cooked for me in her village. She coaxed flavor out of the beans throughout a span of five hours, slowly seasoning and stirring them into submission, saddled up to a wood burning fireplace. That same broad bean dish is my most sold plate since opening Porto Matto. 

The humble ingredients are quite basic – dry broad beans, good quality olive oil, onions, celery, and dried bay leaves. I let the beans sit in warm water for 12 hours, swapping it out for a fresh batch of water at least four times. Next, I put all of the other ingredients in a large pot and let the aromatics begin to sizzle before adding in the pre-softened beans. I leave everything to simmer for another two to three hours until they’ve reduced to a flavorful mash, comforting to all those who eat them, regardless of time of day or season. 

Similarly, I also serve a type of vanilla and almond biscuit, called kipfel (or “crescent” in German” that was my great-grandmother’s recipe. This recipe comes all the way from my Austrian heritage (on my father’s side), many years ago.

If you had to describe your cooking philosophy in three words, which words would you choose?
Tradition, taste, and love

What inspires you when you’re creating new dishes?
I’m constantly inspired by new ingredients I find in my daily market visits. I love to cook with seasonal ingredients when the flavors are just right. The best cooking involves showcasing the inherent flavors of good quality ingredients. 

Additionally, my father is from Milan in northern Italy and my mother is from Puglia in southern Italy. Because of this, I love to combine cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavor profiles from across Italy to showcase how diverse the gastronomic heritage of my country is. For example, I serve osso buco, a common dish from Milan and I suggest that diners enjoy it with Apulian style pasta, like the wide variety of scialatielli on my menu. But, if people prefer to pair it with risotto alla Milanese, customarily simmered with saffron, I also have that as a menu option.

If you could go back and give a younger Chef Roberto some advice, or advice to any other chefs that are starting out their careers, what would you say?
To me, I would suggest coming to Shanghai earlier. I was already 38 years old when I moved here, and I wish I would have jumped on an opportunity to work around the world from a younger age. 

I would also advise budding chefs to be constantly tasting new food so they can pave their own path. Finally, new chefs should think carefully about pursuing this profession. It is a beautiful life but not an easy one. 

You have a really interesting story, where will it go from here?  
In ten years (if I’m still alive, *wink*), I see myself with a little beachside taverna – just a couple of tables and chairs and a modest menu – somewhere in the world next to the sea. 

Porto Matto, 2/F, 83 Changshu Lu, by Julu Lu, 常熟路83号2楼, 近巨鹿路.