Chef Gennaro Esposito talks food in UAE

As part of the Italian World Cuisine Summit held this week across Dubai, Chef Gennaro Esposito, was guest chef at Center Cut Steak House, The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC. We caught up with him before his gala dinner on Sunday.

What are your thoughts on the Italian food summit?

The Italian Cuisine World Summit is a great opportunity on several levels. For us chefs it is a time to get together with other chefs and share our ideas, be together, and stay on top of the trends of modern Italian cuisine. It is also a moment for communicating our philosophy of authentic Italian cuisine with a larger audience, so the Summit is an incredibly important event that I am grateful to take part in.

What recipe would you suggest for a novice chef trying to get into cooking?

The magic of Italian cuisine that we want to communicate is that on the surface it is a simple cuisine, but the focus is always on the ingredients. We pay attention to the quality of what we use and using them in the right season. When you follow these two rules, even a simple dish like pasta with tomato sauce can be an emotional experience.

What are your thoughts on the UAE’s culinary scene?

I am a very curious person and I am fascinated by the mix of flavours and juxtapositions in tastes that you find here. I have a lot more research to do and am looking forward to continuing my culinary education here.

Where is your favourite place to eat and what would you order?

One of my favourite places in Dubai is Center Cut Steak House at The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC. I have eaten there twice already and can say that beyond the quality of the food, the atmosphere made me feel right at home from the beginning. It is a marvellous place. I of course would order a perfectly cooked steak, and their asparagus is out of this world.

What advantage does attending events such as this one offer you as a chef?

As a chef, it is an important time to create and maintain strong relationships between colleagues, the Italian chefs who are visiting Dubai for the Summit, and as well as those who live here and sharing our cuisine with the people here. With a new and younger generation of Italian chefs maturing their craft, it is especially important for us to keep in touch and learn from each other and unify our message to the outside world. That message is one of using only high quality ingredients, respecting our origins and using our cuisine as the language of sharing our truth.

david@khaleejtimes.com