In today’s climate, it’s easy to dismiss trade disputes and international policy as something abstract—far from the reality of everyday life. But for those working in food and hospitality, these global dynamics can hit close to home. Just ask Giampiero Gambardella, founder of Whiskers Smokehouse in Caserta. As he sees it, the recent chaos in international trade – between threats of tariffs, suspended measures, and political posturing – goes far beyond Ferraris and Prosecco. It affects the very foundation of his business.
“With import tariffs,” he says, “the cost of existing products will skyrocket. We won’t be able to meet demand and will have to turn to other markets.”
For Gambardella, this isn’t just theory—it’s dinner service. His menu is built around meats imported from the United States, the kind of cuts and quality that simply aren’t available locally. Whiskers Smokehouse offers a cuisine that blends American techniques with Italian sensitivity, adapting cuts like Boston Butt and St. Louis Ribs to Italian butchery practices, combining bold smoke with local nuance.
Originally from Ercolano, Gambardella doesn’t come from a culinary academy. His is a personal, winding journey—one of obsessive self-education, relentless experimentation, and a deep belief that cooking is science. He entered the food world in 2010, almost by accident, with no prior experience. His love for barbecue was sparked through books, online courses by barbecue masters like Gianfranco Lo Cascio, and trips to the U.S. where he immersed himself in authentic smokehouse culture.
“The kitchen is physics,” Gambardella explains. “You can’t just follow dogmas or recipes passed down. You need to understand what’s actually happening to food when you apply heat.”
After years of trial and error, he opened Whiskers Smokehouse in Caserta. The concept was clear: a smokehouse of moderate size, inspired by American cooking but filtered through a very personal lens. Even the name, “Whiskers,” evokes both the world of fire and smoke and the barbershop aesthetic he draws on for the space’s identity – a nod to his taste for vintage, characterful branding. The result is a venue that’s entirely unique, with a visual and gastronomic language of its own.
The heart of Whiskers is fire. Smoke. Time. Every civilization, he says, has relied on fire, smoke, or stone to preserve and cook food – and his menu is a homage to that universality. One of his most acclaimed dishes is a smoked cooked ham that takes over 20 days to cure, followed by hours of slow cooking. There’s also beef marrow roasted in the bone over coals, and a porchetta spiced with local herbs. Italian sausage gets the smokehouse treatment too, made from pigs raised nearby. Gambardella personally handles the selection and preparation of ingredients, consuming around seventeen whole pigs each week – an impressive number, especially considering his obsession with avoiding waste. Trimmings become sauces, slow-cooked meats are reimagined for the following day’s dishes. His operation is as efficient as it is flavorful.
Still, some recipes call for very specific ingredients. For those, Gambardella looks to the U.S. market, sourcing cuts like Black Angus brisket, which he smokes with oak, pecan, and whiskey barrel wood before serving it with coleslaw and honey mustard. These choices, however, are becoming increasingly difficult. Tariffs threaten to drive up costs, and with the UK no longer a viable source post-Brexit, he’s occasionally turned to Australian imports. But the meat from Australia presents its own set of challenges – limited availability, inconsistent quality, and high fat content that complicates the cooking process. The risk of shrinkage during preparation is significant, forcing Gambardella to plan purchases months in advance. He often places orders as early as March to ensure stock through November, navigating seasonal availabilities and fluctuating quantities with meticulous precision.
The consequences aren’t just logistical or financial, they’re also communicative. When the meat changes, so does the dish. Explaining those changes to customers without damaging their trust is a delicate balancing act. “Quality is everything,” he says. “But when you’re not working with your usual ingredients, you have to guide customers through the differences. You have to educate them, gently.”
And educating is something Gambardella does well. But it wasn’t always like this. When Whiskers first opened in Caserta, people didn’t know what to make of it. “The initial reception was awful,” he admits. “People expected burgers and basic sandwiches. I wanted to give them something else: slow cooks, complex smokes, intense flavors.”
That something else was worth the struggle. Gambardella’s smokehouse now runs like a well-oiled machine, but behind every plate is an enormous amount of work. Cooking times can stretch to 18 hours, which means planning, dedication, and serious endurance. Everything is prepared in advance; nothing is rushed. The results are tender, layered, and rich in depth. Every Kentucky-style rib glazed in barbecue sauce, every portion of roasted potatoes is the result of planning and persistence.
Looking ahead, Gambardella is preparing to scale. He’s opening a production lab in Caserta to streamline workflows and reduce cooking times. More ambitiously, he’s also planning a new location in Naples by fall 2025 – a bold move that shows just how confident he is in the Whiskers identity.
Part of that identity has been shaped online. Unlike many food influencers who shout their way through TikTok with greasy “food porn” antics, Gambardella takes a quieter, more thoughtful approach. His content is informative, educational, and calm, never boring, but never loud. “I don’t care about being a public figure,” he says. “My goal is to promote barbecue culture.”
His tone may be measured, but he doesn’t mince words when it comes to Italian meat. “Italian scottona is bland,” he argues. “Native breeds are disappearing. The quality’s dropping.” He prefers American Black Angus, which he believes has better marbling, richer flavor, and more consistency.
With his production lab in motion and a new Naples venture on the way, Giampiero Gambardella is poised to become a defining name in Italy’s growing barbecue scene. But for him, it’s not about trends or virality.
“Barbecue,” he says, “is more than just a fad. It’s an art form. One that takes time, devotion, and respect for the raw ingredient.”
