Osteria Arbustico was born from the desire of two brothers that, after working in some of the major Italian restaurants, decided to put themselves on the line by trying to invest all their resources in something able to recreate the so-called “taste of home”.
Driven by what ancient Greeks called “nostos”, the word which gave birth to the concept of “nostalgia”, the two brothers went back to the place where it all began: Valva, a small and peculiar village located at the feet of the rugged slopes of “Monte delle Rose”. Once there, they decided to embark on a brand new journey: thus, following the course of the Sele river, they reached the gates of the Cilento region, the place where their new project eventually began.
Bound by blood and ambition, the two brothers have been working side by side since then: Cristian leads the open kitchen of Osteria Arbustico restaurant with a creative touch, housed in the modern and elegant structure of the Royal Paestum Hotel; Tomas, along with a qualified staff of professionals, gracefully heads the dining room.
Cristian Torsiello’s cuisine tells the story of a territory with a great, but still unexpressed potential. A territory that stands out for the great quality of its products and for its thousand-year old tradition, that only waits to be told in a contemporary language.
I draw upon the best seasonal products that this territory has to offer, but I do not dedicate myself exclusively to the local cuisine: I spent many years in Abruzzo and Tuscany for training purposes, and the influence of both regions inevitably resonate in my dishes.
Cristian Torsiello
People often ask me about my dreams. My answer is that I like to live for goals more than living for dreams, and that my cuisine’s goal is to convey feelings and emotions through the substantial and outspoken nature of my dishes.
Cristian Torsiello
In order to create something original, that works, you have to start from the bottom: you have to know the raw materials, you have to study and handle them countless times. I spent innumerable hours washing the dishes, cutting the vegetables, peeling the potatoes and cleaning the floor, and I can say that even the humblest task has taught me the importance of doing something with one’s own hands.
Cristian Torsiello