Dario Cecchini (born 1955) is a leading contemporary internationally known

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

butcher from Panzano in the Chianti region of

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. Dario has appeared on shows like Chef's Table, in which he brings a fun and playful attitude to his restaurants.

Biography

Cecchini was born in 1955 in the Tuscan village of Panzano where his father was a butcher. He studied

veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

at a university at

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but left half-way through his studies in 1976 to take over the family business from his dying father. Described as "... a personality, a celebrity, and a butcher extraordinaire. A theatrical host, a show-stopper, and an artist", In March 2014, Cecchini was featured in

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's ''

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'', which included a recording of him presenting at the MAD Symposium in August 2013 in

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, to 500 chefs from around the world. As if the 20 minutes Cecchini spent describing his life’s work and his love for his wife weren’t poetic enough, he closed by reciting a lengthy passage from

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

, by heart. Cecchini, on a mission to protect and promote the traditional local butcher from the rise of the powerful supermarkets, explained that he believed butchery was an ancient art that involved a respect for the animal, seeing his role as that of teacher and educator. According to Cecchini, there were no "premium" and "lower"

cuts of meat A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork. Different ...

, but rather all the parts of the animal were useful if butchered and cooked in an appropriate way. Cecchini argues that his work could amount to poetry, a combination of knowledge (understanding that you can use every part of the animal) and consciousness (respect for the animal) that can bring people back to the “original customs of the tribe,“ in a world where everything seems to be getting more and more commodified, processed and impersonal. In 2007, Cecchini was featured in Season 3, Episode 15 of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. In 2019, Dario Cecchini was featured in Netflix' documentary series Chef's Table.

In media

Dario Cecchini presentation at the MAD3: "Carne e Spirito" in August 2013
* Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Season 3, Episode 15

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecchini, Dario Meat industry 1955 births Living people