Interview with 3 star Michelin Luisa Valazza

I will be honest with you, I get bored reviewing restaurants. I initially didn’t even want to do this (read this on my 3 star Michelin web site). As a matter of fact, I am now reviewing just 10-20% of the places that I am visiting  because many of them are not offering food that would justify that I spend time writing about . When I keep saying to people that I am not a true foodie, I guess you have right there a perfect confirmation of what I am talking about (I respect foodies and believe that they are the best architects of the newly-found enthusiasm for exciting dining experiences, but I know myself enoughly well to assert that I do not have their genuine enthusiam. I am just a cold hunter for what I believe is food that stands out in my view, but I don’t get any satisfaction in eating out just for the pleasure of doing so). To find motivation in continuing to write, I will vary once in a while between restaurant reviews, interviews of the greatest Chefs around the globe and culinary reportages.

This is only my second interview with one of the grand Chefs of the globe. Previous interview was with Chef Corey Lee, Ex 3 star Michelin Chef who was at the helm of the French Laundry (CA) when this restaurant was among Restaurant Magazine’s top 5 best tables of the world. Chef Lee is now at Restaurant Benu, SF (I am planning a culinary trip to SF in  the future which will include Manresa, Benu, FL, Bouchon, Ubuntu, Saison, Atelier Crenn but Benu won’t be reviewed since Chef Lee was interviewed here. Sounds not cool, but I find it more important to remain loyal to my principles.). As a reminder of my strict code of ethics: the restaurants which Chefs I am interviewing will never be reviewed. This reaches out to the very 1st rule behind my decision of reviewing restaurants: never interacting with the staff of restaurants that I review. An interview is an interaction, so no review!

This time, I am interviewing Chef Luisa Valazza of 3 star Michelin Al Sorriso in the city of Sorriso. Her restaurant is known, in world’s finest dining circles, as one of the very best of the world. Chef Valazza is also the perfect choice for the  type of Chefs that I praise a lot: an artisan Chef, far from the big buzz, busy behind her stoves, the only place we need a talented Chef to shine. Before publishing the interview, I want to thank Chefs like Corey Lee and Luisa Valazza for being down to earth, open to answer any questions coming from any of their customers. This sounds like a small detail, but in a world where many Chefs forget where they came from, and what brought them to the highest praises, it’s touching to see Chefs, among the very best in their domain, finding time and humility to answer the questions of their real customers, you and I, anonymous Joes!

Last but not least, Chef Valazza being Italian and not British, I dearly hope that you will remain open minded and thankful to her efforts to express herself in English. I am myself French and I feel flattered (and am thankful to them) to see English people sometimes trying their best to share with me in my own language. So let’s remain open minded and get the most out of this constructive interview :

Question #1: Chef Valazza , you have been at the helm of your  3 star Michelin table for a while now. In retrospect, would you be able to pin point the exact stages that made you evolve from a 1 star to a second then to a 3rd.  Any specific actions/decisions/changes that got you going from a 1st to 2nd star. Then from a 2nd to a 3rd? Did you make major changes to your cooking in between each of those stages? Or has this been the fruit of improvement in service, decor?  This is a question that I thought interesting to ask you, Chef, since many 3 star Michelin Chefs would simply respond that they got the 3rd star upon continuous hard work. Although that is surely true, it would be very informative to be more accurate about those steps of evolution.

 

My  first coming  in tu  the ciuisine it was on  November 1981  because  the   chef  we had  went away , so  i  decided  that  the  better  way it was to take  the  responsability of  the  Cuisine  , tu have a continualy  style.

Whit great work i had  the   first  Michelin  star on  1982  a Surprice,  and  continuing in to the pledge  and reserch i had  the satisfaction to have  the  2d star  even a  surprice. on 1988. i was crying .

I was feeling  more  responsable, bat  the  passion  and  thee desire of beeng  better geve to me the  sprein to  continuing  to reserce  the  best way  to an expression on my  plaite the  taste  and  the  parfum  of the Italian  cuisine.

all these bring  mee after  10  years  to have  with  a great  surprice  the  3rd  Michelin  star. with  great  and  hard  work  i crowned the  dream of  evry  chef.

 

Question #2: Italy has great produce and a cuisine that’s mostly glorious in its simplicity. But it slightly differs from region to region. What type of cooking do you offer: a recap of Italian cuisine from all corners of Italy?  Or Italian Cuisine from your  region of Piedmont only?  And how would you consider your cooking: a modern take or a personal re-interpretation of  Italian cooking ?

 

On  my  cuisine  thereis not only an interpretation of the  Piemontese  cuisine  but  i am looking in th the  region  around  Piemonte , introducing also even  fish from  the see , ( Sardegna , Sicily , Liguria  and everywhere there are better product. )  My  cuisine is  a cuisine of  reserce of the  traditional Italian cuisine in a modern Key.

 

Question #3: I have heard that you are a self-made Chef. So no training at all? Just going from home cooking up to 3 michelin star excellence?

 

Yes  I am professor of Italian Lecterture and  come  from University to the cuisine , on  my  family  my  mother  was also a professor  but she cooked at home and i never  tuch a pot before.

when i Married  my  husband  i  prefered  to do his job  , starting  first study  of  Italian cuisine book  from  old  and  new  cuisine  

 

Question #4: Many 3 star Michelin restaurants have some signature dishes that are the imprint of their culinary work. As an example, the seabass/caviar at l’Ambroisie, the Eel toast at LeDoyen, etc.  I believe  this makes sense since at 3 star Michelin standard, the level of dining is so high that it needs to leave its imprint. To a first time diner at your 3 star Michelin restaurant, what would  you recommend as the  signature dishes of your restaurant? What inspired you in creating those signature dishes and  what  message (if there was any) did you want to  convey through those dishes?

 

My  important plait are  1st  the  ”  patata  all’uovo gratinata  al  tarufo d’Alba ”     2d   ”  fungo porcino farcito con olio e aglio di Vessalico  ”  3rd   ”  The  green  ravioli  with Bettelmatt cheese and wild herbs  “

The  message i transmet to the  guest  is  the  semplicity, great product, great  taste.

 

Question #5 – Piedmont seems like the ideal place to open a restaurant: self-sufficient (wines, cheeses, meats, etc are found in this region). Was this the primary reason that led to the opening of your 3 star Michelin table in the beginning? What about your clientele: are they mostly culinary travelers ? Italians? Foreigners?

 

The  reason we open a restaurant in  Piemonte  is  that we are  Piemontese  from Here  Luisa is  from SORISO  and  Angelo  From  BOCA  near SORISO

My  clientele are  gourmet and  people they like good Cuisine  , must of  them are foreigner  from all ower the Word .

Hope  you  cann understand every  thing i send you  my  best  regards

Luisa  Valazza

***UPDATED: years after this interview, the restaurants lost its 3 stars. But at the time of this interview, they had the 3 stars.