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THIS WEEK FOOD maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 JULY 2018 14 Marvin Gauci - Malta's culinary delight Greco di Tufo DOCG 2017 Donnachiara, winery located in Montefalcione (Avellino), with its vineyards that stretch along the hills typical of the Irpinia, produces white wines and red wines of high quality including Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Taurasi DOCG but also sparkling like Santè Falanghina Nose: Offers fruity f lavours of pear, apricot, pineapple and citrus Palate: Smooth, elegant and structured, with good freshness and a great persistence that conf irms and amplif ies the olfactory sensations Food affinities: Perfect with all seafood, pasta with light sauces , white meats and herb cheeses Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co Ltd Valley Road, Birkikara T: 21 444 400 Fine quality Italian wines of tradition Irpina. Donnachiara, winery located in Montefalcione (Avellino), with its vineyards that stretch along the hills typical of the Irpinia, produces white wines and red wines of high quality including Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Taurasi DOCG but also sparkling like Santè Falanghina. Soft crushing of the selected grapes and after that cold decanting of the must fermentation at 57-60°F in steel vats for 15 days. Malolatic fermentation is not done. Full expression of it's territory, the heart of Greco di tufo, with a specific attention to all the factors of maturation of it's aroma's. Nose: Offers fruity flavours of pear, apricot, pineapple and citrus Palate: Smooth, elegant and structured, with good freshness and a great persistence that confirms and amplifies the olfactory sensations. Food Affinities: Perfect with all seafood, pasta with light sauces , white meats and herb cheeses Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Donnachiara Greco di Tufo: DONNACHIARA You built a gastronomic reputation of sorts and received many awards. What was the reason for this success? I always considered myself a rule breaker and never felt I could fit into strait jackets. I always saw food as a way to think out of the box and an opportunity to turn the conventional into unconventional. Not compromising on standards helped me reach my goals and achieve excellent results. Was yours a conscious decision to become a chef? It was a natural decision. I often note to my close circle of friends that I was born thinking about food and will die thinking about food. From a very young age, I spent hours in my mum's and my grandmother's kitchen where I felt the love towards gastronomy. Their passion in the kitchen nurtured in mine a strong interest to embark on a journey in the world of food. The past years were indeed an amazing experience which offered me the possibility to expose myself to different cultures, people, and food which helped me develop into the person I am today. Do you find it a challenge to constantly create? I recently read a quote by George Washington Carver who noted that "Since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible." Indeed creativity is a lifestyle that embraces originality and makes unique connections between seemingly disparate ideas. Creativity is about living life as a journey into seeing and communicating the extra-ordinariness of the simplest, most every day acts. I also feel that it adds an extra flavour to my work by offering me the possibility to think out of the box and to turn the conventional into unconventional. Do you source as much local produce as possible for each restaurant and does this have a big impact on the menu? I do use local fresh produce. It is ultimately what distinguishes specific dishes from other continental cuisines. The taste of fresh local fruit and vegetables is so intense and offers an added value to every dish they are included in. The same goes for local meats, poultry and fish. Nevertheless, in view of the range of cuisines my restaurants specialised in, we also have to purchase imported products. The limitations in volumes offered by local produce are also an issue which often obliges us to opt for foreign products. What brings tears to your eyes in the kitchen? An onion. Jokes apart, I would say the commitment of my team notwithstanding the challenges they face and the long hours. Do you have a signature dish? Not really. It is hard to choose from our range of dishes. Each Marvin Gauci knows his way around a kitchen. Chef turned restaurateur, he made a name for himself with the opening of his restaurant Tarragon in 2007. He went on to open further restaurants: Caviar and Bull in 2014, Buddhamann in 2015, Dinner in the Sky in 2016, and even exported Caviar and Bull to Budapest last year. This year he was awarded the Chef of the Year title at the 25th edition of the Best of Budapest & Hungary Awards. PHILIPPA ZAMMIT spoke to Marvin in a bid to uncover the man behind the public persona