Celebrity butcher Dario Cecchini does not speak English, but he makes a memorable first impression.
At the launch of Carna by Dario Cecchini – his first restaurant in the UAE – on May 20, the Italian greets every guest as his wife, Kim, translates. Once everyone is seated, he is still running around, blowing a little horn and yelling “Dario” to much applause.
It's ostentatious, funny and ensures the vibe at the steakhouse, located on the 74th floor of the newly opened SLS Dubai hotel, is anything but pompous.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening, however, is a five-minute conversation that delves into everything from veganism to listening to one’s grandmother and respecting people “no matter what they eat”.
It’s a very “live and let live” kind of mantra, something that's not particularly in line with the nature of his work. But those are exactly the kind of lessons he says he has learnt as an eighth-generation Chianti butcher.
“The most important thing I learnt is respect for life,” he says. “I know that this statement coming from a butcher might sound absurd, but it is a butcher who takes on the responsibility of killing so that the community can eat meat.
“Therefore, to have respect for the animal means guaranteeing that it has a good life, that it has space to move around, that it has good food, that it has an honest death, and that every part of the animal is used well, from nose to tail.”
It’s an intriguing thought, and Cecchini champions himself as a sustainable butcher of sorts – someone who recognises the gravitas of taking an animal’s life – and is intent on ensuring it is not in vain.
“Enjoying a plate of meat together around a big table is our way of respecting the animal and of honouring the sacrifice that it has made. In this way, we honour the death of the animal that nourishes our lives. All of us are part of the eternal circle of being born and dying,” he says.
I always tell the young butchers who work with me that we always must remember what we're working on, that it once had life
It’s one of the main reasons why Cecchini is not a fan of processed meats. In the town of Panzano, where Cecchini lives and has the family butcher shop as well as three restaurants, he prefers working with small farms that treat their cattle well.
“First of all, people need to realise that meat is not born in a styrofoam package,” he says. “Each animal has a right to the best respect. I always tell the young butchers who work with me that we always must remember what we're working on, that it once had life.”
Ensuring that no part of the animal goes to waste is another way of respecting it. “My family taught me that the animal is not made up only of filets and T-bone steaks – that every cut can be equally excellent if it is prepared well. This has become the spirit with which I work and in which I try to inspire others to work.”
This is why, if you scan the menu at the new Dubai restaurant, you’ll find fine cuts of steak alongside dishes such as marinated grilled beef heart skewers, as well as signature dish Il Bollito di Dario. Italian for “the boiled”, the latter comprises less popular cuts such as veal tongue, beef cheek and veal belly, all slow cooked.
“My personal favourite cut is beef knees or beef knuckles because it's a cut that nobody was interested in buying from our butcher shop,” he says.
“So my grandmother, my nonna Elina, became adept at preparing it in the most wonderful ways. She made it into a beef salad by boiling the beef knuckles with carrots and celery and onions, and then by serving the meat with a fresh chiffonade of the same vegetables, with the touch of the best extra virgin olive oil.”
Despite the honourable intentions, mentions of heart skewers and beef knuckles may not sit well with all – especially those who eschew meat entirely. Cecchini is well aware of global trends towards vegetarianism and veganism, however, and is even a fan of it.
“We are children of the Tuscan renaissance. And during the Renaissance, the most important thing was free-thinking. Therefore, I have great respect for those who choose not to eat meat – and for anyone who makes choices that are different from mine. However, I am a carnivore and I simply ask for the same respect back,” he says.
"It's not a coincidence, though, that in my two restaurants in Panzano, for each of my fixed meat menus, there is a corresponding vegan menu of equal importance," he says.
While the same corresponding vegan menu doesn’t feature in the Dubai restaurant, the select menu does include vegetarian options, including a cauliflower steak. As for the non-vegetarians, Cecchini hopes to normalise eating cuts that are seen as “less noble, less usual”, and to prove they are just as delicious.
“I had a desire, and you might call it a mission, to bring my food to this part of the world. And, I'm very grateful for the opportunity.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
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Results
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MANDOOB
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
