We are all well aware of Marco’s passion for food, starting with the launch of Vigonovo, then the upscale eatery, Giulia, and also his dabble into the world of burgers. But what he has always been most passionate about is the farm to table concept; using fresh, organic produce to serve people delicious tasting food. Simple, tasty ingredients were always Marco’s go-to when he first brought us Vigonovo, and has always been the driving force behind his culinary journey. With this dream in mind, Marco has recently undertaken his latest venture: La Farm di Marco, and it’s a glorious endeavor.
La Farm di Marco is situated in Sicily, Italy’s largest island and one that is known to be incredibly fertile. The island is famed for its olives, figs, oranges, lemons, eggplants, tomatoes, pistachios, almonds, grapes, cherries, peaches and so many other varieties of delectable produce, including chocolate!
For Marco, it all started with a trip to Sicily. He visited the island for the first time last year to meet up with some friends, and he absolutely fell in love. Everything was amazing; the weather, the landscape, the people, and most importantly the food. Once he was back in Kuwait he could not stop thinking about the produce he had enjoyed while he was there. He decided that he would bring produce from Sicily to Kuwait for his restaurants, but then he realized he wanted to harvest the produce himself. And so the search for a farm began, and he found just the farm in Sicily that he wanted to own and cultivate produce from.
Marco is now producing his own olives, tomatoes, basil amongst other fruits and vegetables too, and is working on bringing all of the delicious produce to Kuwait to use in the foods he serves at the restaurants. Marco will also be going back to Sicily soon to produce his own olive oil that will be available to purchase in the local market. We absolutely cannot wait to enjoy fabulous quality olive oil in Kuwait!
You may wonder, who is managing the farm when Marco is in Kuwait? Through common friends, Marco met Pippo, the gentleman from whom he took the farm over on the condition that he could continue farming the land. Pippo is a Sicilian farmer, and lives and breathes farming and cultivating organic produce. Pippo believes in organic farming and he taught Marco so many old school tricks and tips, the ones that you don’t find in the books, the ones that can only be handed down through the generations.
“Right away, our energy matched despite the age difference. He’s 84, but more like a very energetic grandfather. I saw him watering the plants at 4 am, cooking me a fantastic breakfast of an omelet made of freshly crafted sheep ricotta and house eggs, and then he kept on working the land till dinner, and then danced late into the night. I wish I had the same energy!” Marco tells us about Pippo. It was the ideal situation for him to have this knowledgeable farmer manage the farm with such love and care when he returned to Kuwait.
La Farm di Marco has already harvested tomatoes, garlic, capers, walnuts, almonds, figs, grapes, lemons, oranges, amongst a variety of other produce. We are so excited to see what else is going to be grown on the farm next.
One day, Marco hopes to have a bed and breakfast at the farm. He wants to share the glorious produce that Sicily has to offer with more and more people and showcase the true farm to table concept. He tells us “Food, it’s my hobby, my passion, my work, my love, my everything.”
Now, if we know anything about Marco, we know that he will make it happen! We are already dreaming of seeing Pippo and Marco in Sicily, sipping on some limonata made from the local lemons, and we know that you probably are too!
To stay up to date with La Farm di Marco, we know you will absolutely want to, follow @siciliadimarcovigonovo on Instagram. We are eagerly awaiting the launch of the olive oil in Kuwait, but until then, you can also see what else is happening at Marco’s restaurants in Kuwait by following @vigonovo_kw and @giulia_kwt.
