‘Be better’: a concept from our food to people’s mind. Cardenzia gourmet

‘Be better’ – Cardenzia gourmet

— by Annachiara De Rubeis —
It was a pleasure to discover this new place in Milano. It was a rainy afternoon after my Saturday’s dance class when my mates and I went to Porta Venezia for a typical aperitivo. However, “typical” might not be the best term for our experience – “atypical” suits best. Cardenzia is the name of the place, a tiny store, situated in via San Gregorio that sells food products such as renowned wines, confitures, kinds of pasta, and many other goods that you can taste with your friends.
The first thing that struck me when I entered was the warm hospitality from Andrea, the owner of Cardenzia. This impression was confirmed by the fact that everything in the room was established like in a home, so the place felt homely, with a cozy, welcoming design. In fact, the first thing that you can see, close to the entrance, is a large wooden table, often shared by others who are already drinking there. You can join them at the same table, which I thought was fantastic. You can chat with them, connect with them, and maybe give your follow too.

The concept of home is strongly accompanied with the concept of green, so I asked Andrea how he felt about sustainability. “Firstly, sustainability is never enough”, he said.
We can do more. 

Everything in the space is reused or repurposed; even if a neighbor decides to throw out an old wooden chair or bronze mirror, Andrea finds a way to give it a second life. Every object in the room has its own personal story. For example, the wooden table was found by Andrea during one of his travels and decided to take it with him. The room is furnished with some objects coming from Andrea’s home, life, travels, and also other people and artists he’s met along the way.

Andrea’s commitment to sustainability also extends to his product selection: his products are not made with a lot of ingredients, with many names of unknown things, but just few natural ingredients, well known and perfectly combined among them. Based on your tastes and what you fancy at the moment, he brings out what you like.

Cardenzia’s goal is to bring people of different ages and cultures together, encouraging connections.

According to Andrea, being better doesn’t mean ‘being excellent’, but be different against the mainstream and properly caring for our things and mind. In italian it sounds like ‘diversa-mente buoni’, that’s what Andrea says: different minds that preserve their own personal story.

If you are in Milan and you are looking for a good aperitivo with some of the best wines, not in the usual sense of “best”, you can go at Andrea’s Cardenzia and he will be happy to welcome you.

Remember: don’t ask for a specific glass of wine, let Andrea surprise you.