Luciano Parolari is the head chef at Villa d’Este, the luxury hotel situated on the shores of Lake Como about an hour from Milan. This former palace is a fitting site for the ‘King of Risotto’ to ply his trade – combining craft and flair to produce food that is as elegant and luxurious as the sumptuous surroundings
01 Where do you live and why?
I live in Arco in Trento, northern Italy, where I was born.
02 What three things should a visitor to the Italian lakes do?
Of course one of the best things is a boat trip on the lake or a visit to the villas and gardens open to the public. Try a meal in a typical restaurant to taste the local specialities.
03 Where is the most beautiful view in the Lake Como region?
It’s difficult to mention only one place – Lake Como offers many spectacular views when you take a boat trip, when you climb one of the many mountains which surround the lake or when you visit one of the charming villages spread on both sides.
04 What inspired you to become a chef?
I used to watch my mother cooking when I was a little boy.
05 What has made you stay at Villa d’Este all these years?
The many opportunities. I was offered the chance to improve the standard of the restaurant at the hotel, and to travel abroad too. And, most important, the co-operation I always had in the hotel from my staff and from the management made it feel like a big family.
06 Is there a great local deli or market you can recommend to food fans?
We don’t have a special shop or market in the area but we have many local suppliers who offer the best quality products.
07 What’s the secret of an excellent risotto?
The quality of the ingredients, from the rice to whatever other ingredients you use in it.
08 Where do you find inspiration?
A couple of years ago we created a botanical garden called the ‘Chef’s Garden’ in the hotel grounds. Every morning I take a walk there to pick up the fresh herbs we use in the kitchen.
While looking at the different herbs and smelling their fragrance I frequently have great ideas about how to combine the herbs with the dishes.
09 What object can’t you live without?
I always carry a spoon with me because before serving I have to taste the food we have prepared.
10 As a diner what is your pet hate?
Smokers.
11 Of the many people you have cooked for, who do you most admire?
I had the privilege to cook for Pope John Paul II, and he is definitely one of the persons I most admired.
12 If you were a dish what would you be and why?
A risotto, of course, since I am called the ‘King of Risotto’.
13 How do you relax?
I like to walk. Villa d’Este park offers plenty of space to exercise.
14 What’s your favourite journey?
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel around the world – from the United States to Japan and Australia – and I must confess that I loved all the places I visited, so it is difficult to mention one in particular.
15 Which six people, alive or dead, would you invite to a dream dinner party and what would you cook them?
A dream party? What about inviting some of the world’s most beautiful women, from Monica Bellucci to Angelina Jolie? I am sure that they would love to taste one of my risottos.
16 What was your most memorable meal?
I would have to say the dinner I prepared at the United Nations for the former Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
17 Can you name three of your favourite European restaurants, and tell us why you like them?
I can mention three Italian restaurants. Dal Pescatore in Mantova (46013 Canneto sull’Oglio, tel. +39 0376 723001), Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan (Via Montecuccoli 6, tel. +39 0241 6886), and the restaurant of Gualtiero Marchesi in Erbusco in Brescia (Via Vittorio Emanuele 23, tel. +39 0307 760562). I really like their specialities.
18 Is there anywhere else in the world you would like to cook?
I cannot think of another place having already cooked in so many different places in the world.
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