"I’ve always believed that if you want to be a great chef, you’ve got to work with the greats.
I carried this philosophy throughout my culinary career, and it has taken me into some of the world’s top kitchens over the years – from Alinea in the windy city of Chicago to a very brief stint at the United Kingdom’s world-famous Fat Duck, and most memorably, a three-month internship spent training under the great Yoshihiro Narisawa in hisnamesake Tokyo restaurant.
It was an eye-opening experience - being an Italian chef in a non-European country.Even before I arrived in Japan, I was already wholly attracted to the Japanese concept of omotenashi, or the art of selfless hospitality. The Japanese devotion to perfection is admirable because everyone takes pride in his craft, and there is simply no room for mistake. And what better way to learn this than from a true-blooded Japanese chef – and one of the country's most reputable at that?
I was initially concerned about the possible communication barrier during my time there. Thankfully, Chef Narisawa was very fluent in Italian everyone else in the team conversed mainly in English so communication turned out to be a breeze. Besides, it was cherry blossom season when I arrived in Japan, lending to a deeply zen environment that I’ve long read about, but could only truly experience in person. Chef Narisawa was also a big proponent of incorporating sakura flavours in his menu. The cherry blossoms add an acidic taste to the dish, but more than just a flavour, it also lends a longstanding culture and tradition to the dish.
It was incredibly inspiring to work alongside Narisawa who turned out to be more than just a renowned chef; he was an ardent and unbiased mentor, as well as a really great person to talk to.
Narisawa’s training imparted not only a great deal of knowledge to his pupils, but he also emanated a positive energy that was deeply assuring, despite the challenges we encountered along the way. Through a series of intricate Western and Japanese techniques, we were able to create each dish with soul and meaning. Precision used to prepare a dish makes a huge difference in taste – it’s all about achieving the perfect balance. I’m generally quite a messy person out of the kitchen but once I don my toque blanche, the Japanese persona within takes over! I believe the Japanese culture has instilled in me a good practice, and is something every chef should strive to experience at least once in his or her career.
One vivid impression that I kept with me was the time I had my first taste of the fugu shirako, a delicacy in Japan that’s deep-fried in a light tempura batter with a warm runny core, and famous among the Japanese for its beneficial properties. Raised in Italy, I was never exposed to such a delicacy and was quite taken aback when I found out it was blowfish sperm, but strangely enough, after trying it a few more times, I started to appreciate the complexity of the flavour and it really grew on me.
I am constantly sourcing for inspiration to come up with new ideas, which explains the curiosity and adrenaline rush I get whenever I step into the kitchen. Though Singapore is the the smallest country I’ve worked in, it offers a plethora of different cuisines thanks to its multi-cultural make-up, which was a driving factor that intrigued me to move over to this cosmopolitan city. It’s been a rewarding experience to be part of the local culinary scene here as Group Head Chef of Open Door Policy and Open Farm Community, and I am truly grateful for the opportunities that working with Spa Esprit, and with our Executive Chef Ryan Clift, have presented to me.
I will carry the skills I developed at Narisawa, and all of the other wonderful
restaurants I’ve had the chance to work in, as I continue my culinary career. If the
opportunity ever arose to return to Japan, I’d have my bags and wife packed in a jiffy."
