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with friends. At the same time, I wanted it to be a destination for visitors looking for genuine Italian food in Miami. ML: Growing up in Treviso, near Venice, what childhood flavors or family traditions have stayed with you most strongly as a chef? Masarin: Tiramisù, without a doubt. It was created in Treviso, and it was something we made at home, so it’s a dessert that is very close to my heart. Salumi were also a big part of our family tradition. Cured meats were always on our table, and making and sharing them was part of everyday life. Both of those flavors stayed with me, and you can see them reflected in what we serve at Salumeria 104 today. ML: The salumeria tradition is central to the restaurant’s identity. What attracted you to building a restaurant concept around it? Masarin: It’s personal. Our logo is a pig, and for me the pig represents family tradition and my roots. When I was growing up, we butchered the pig ourselves and made our own salumi at home. It was a family event, something everyone took part in. I wanted to create an authentic trattoria that brings back that feeling, and the memory of going out with our families for lunch after church on Sundays. Salumeria 104 is my way of sharing that experience with Miami. ML: Your menus draw on Italian traditions and family recipes while also featuring seasonal specialties. How do you decide when to preserve a classic and when there is room to reinterpret it? Masarin: Most of the time, we let the seasons guide us, just as we would in Italy. In Miami, that can be a challenge, because the seasons and the ingredients available here are very different. So sometimes we adjust a recipe to work with local ingredients. The goal is always to stay true to the spirit of the original dish while making it work with what’s fresh and available here. ML: What made Miami the right place to introduce a concept so rooted in Northern Italian food and culture? Masarin: Northern Italian food and culture have traveled all over the world. Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines, and also one of the most varied. In a historic milestone, UNESCO has recently recognized Italian cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, making it the first and only national cuisine to receive this prestigious recognition. Miami is home to many Europeans and South Americans, people who already know and appreciate this kind of food. It’s a city where cultures mix, and that made it a natural place for Salumeria 104 to settle and grow. ML: Salumeria 104 has grown from Midtown to Coral Gables, Atlantic Beach and Weston, with each location developing its own personality. As the concept expands into new communities, what is the one element you consider essential to preserve? Masarin: Consistency, in both the kitchen and the service. Every location should offer the same food we serve at our flagship, along with the genuine hospitality that defines who we are. We use the same recipes across all of our restaurants and make only slight adjustments for the guests in each community. But whether you visit us in Midtown, Coral Gables, Atlantic Beach or Weston, you should feel that you are at Salumeria 104. ML: As Salumeria 104 approaches its 15th anniversary, what means the most to you when you look back at what you have built? Masarin: It all started with a dream of opening my own restaurant. With a strong belief in that vision and