ALESSANDRO MICELI
“Put all your ingredients in one hand, the less items you use, the better your product” For him produce is the most important as you can create anything but the end creation will not taste as good if the product isn’t top quality. His teacher once told Him, “Put all your ingredients in one hand, the less items you use, the better your product” for example, there are few elements in a pizza, or bruschetta and they universally liked and less is more“. His motivation comes from three elements – the guests, the company, and the staff. If the company believes in you, and gives you creative freedom to turn profit, this is motivating. Guests give him compliments and critique, when they are happy, and he is happy. When his staff works together well, then they are a well-oiled machine in the kitchen. “Always stay on top of all 3 elements, if one doesn’t work you have a problem, remember this is not a machine job, nobody’s perfect as we are human”. Staying on top of cooking trends, Alessandro adds “You need to follow the trends but not lose your identity. I have moved around a lot and I try to learn what is new on the market. I tend to go back to the past though, it makes me feel better. Identity is very important. Nowadays people use delivery often. Families and schools should educate our kids on cooking their homeland dishes. The vegan and vegetarian trends are growing big, chefs need to stay on top of what the public likes and are expected to be ready to serve them as well. I have noticed that people tend to follow trends, not for health benefits but because they are trends”. The biggest issue Alessandro noticed worldwide, is that people are less in touch with their motherland, which in turn makes them strangers to their home cooked meals, passed down from generation. This is a positive and negative issue, on one hand people are growing and experiencing other cultures, on the other hand they are losing their own identity in the process. His advice to young chefs entering the kitchen for the first time… “Determination, hard work, humility. Don’t be a snob, talk to people. Everyone wants to cook a new trend. No one wants to cook a simple dish, like a simple lasagna. This job is very hard. Have humility until the last day. If you love your job the best is yet to come. Your approach is important. Any job is down to the approach. We worked to feed our families, now we work for glory.”
82 - WG May 2019
