Here he is, in his full glory, the legendary Chef Giovanni who made a name for Nicholini at the Conrad. Cooking is his life, 54 years of it to be exact, until his retirement. He was recently persuaded to return to head Gradini. Chef Giovanni is energetic, knowledgeable, humorous, engaging but above all there is this unmistaken 'old school' air about him that I find attractive. He was busy working the restaurant throughout the evening ... shaving seasonal white truffles, supervising deboning, checking plate temperature, bantering with regulars and charming first timers ... things beyond the pass that every chef should do but only a fraction of that community could, or even want to.
This picture with my two heroes will one day make history. Chef Giovanni in the middle, flanked by Chef Christoph Suter (HKJC) who was a close ally and colleague from their Conrad days, and yours truly, a blissful wannabe who just had a plateful of super pastas and a Bistecca alla Florentina.
Life cannot come any better ... do visit Gradini soon while he is still at the helm.
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-wine/article/1622998/giovanni-greggio-comes-out-retirement-run-gradini-central
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