Love is the secret ingredient

Roberto Baggio, the ambassador of Italian cuisine with Starwood hotels, whips up more than pastas and pizzas in the city

October 21, 2016 04:27 pm | Updated December 02, 2016 10:46 am IST

Served with love by Roberto Baggio

Served with love by Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio’s goatee makes up for his bald head he says. And the secret ingredient and technique that makes him the ambassador of Italian cuisine with Starwood properties in India is the love that he liberally puts in his food he claims. Roberto is at Westin to treat Italian food lovers to some of the dishes he says that aren’t just Italian. “It is authentic Italian. I cook the way my grandmother cooks. The technique of cooking in hotels involves a lot of routine and text book precision but that wasn’t how our grandmother used to cook,” he explains.

As Roberto adds the finishing touch to his signature tiramisu, one cannot stop noticing how insistent he is about wiping the counter himself and instead of letting the empty mascarpone crème cheese tubs to be removed by the kitchen staff he insists on stacking them up neatly himself.

Roberto is a friendly chef, who laces his words with a bit of humour. He cracks jokes with a straight face keeping listeners guessing on whether it is a joke or a fact. “I don’t like to be sad. When food is all about happiness how can the person who cooks be sad? I am always happy and when I am less happy, I go shopping,” he laughs pointing out to his electric blue French Muller watch with coloured numbers to tell the time. “This watch is so beautiful. It is full of life, see the colours, they make you happy everytime you look at the watch. I love buying phones, caps, watches and gadgets,” he adds.

So, what does Roberto do when he runs out of money from all the shopping, doesn’t he become sad? “Why sad? I get happy counting the days when I would get my salary. Right now I am thinking, Diwali is round the corner and iPhone7 and its versions has hit the market,” he giggles.

As a chef who has been working since 1984, he equates the knowledge of a chef to that of a doctor. According to him, a doctor is an artist as well with the right degree and knowledge of science and “a chef’s art is to know the technique of cooking, presenting and feeding so that the eater attains a happy state of mind. Since I love my life, I want others to love theirs as well. So when they come to eat my food, I make sure I present it just the way it ought to be.”

As an Italian who stays out of his country for a long time, he loves spicy food. He insists that a sprinkle of spice can do wonders to the palate. Roberto will be in Westin, Prego to whip up some of his famed delicacies till the end of the month.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.