1/25/2008 11:04:00 AM Italian wants to instil old-fashioned table manners
Enjoy your food! Cladys Magagna gets to grips with some spaghetti. *Photo supplied
When chefs get it wrong...
Cladys Magagna believes these are the common mistakes chefs make while in the kitchen:
*Chefs invest too much in presentation but they forget about the taste. Mr. Magagna is a firm believer of taste first and presentation second.
*Too many chefs experiment on the job, mixing two types of food together to try something new, for example French and Japanese. Mr. Magagna warned that even the two most beautiful ingredients don't always work together. He jokes: "Fusions can make a confusion."
*Chefs add or change the ingredients of tried-and-tested recipes. Mr. Magagna said: "The same dishes should be consistent, but you hear people saying 'it wasn't as good as when I had it last time' or 'it tasted slightly different.'"
*Chefs don't experiment enough in their free time. Some of the best creations are created by accident. Mr. Magagna said: "Being a chef is like being a writer, you start with a blank page and it's your job to fill it."
Cladys Magagna picked up his passion for Italian cuisine as an eight-year-old boy who loved to help his mom in the kitchen.
Some of his fondest memories of growing up in Piedmont, northern Italy, are learning from his mom, who he calls "the best teacher he's ever had."
And his early start in cooking must have done some good. He has risen to become one of the most respected chefs on the island after taking over as Sous Chef at the Fairmont Southampton's Bacci Italian restaurant.
Mr. Magagna said: "I'm not sure I was much help when I was eight or nine, but I was the official kitchen cleaner and helper. Watching and helping my mom definitely taught me the basics."
He added: "Having worked abroad you realize that not everyone has as much passion about cooking as the Italians. All Italians grow up in the kitchen. Everyone can cook in Italy."
Mr. Magagna, who is recognized by the Italian Federation of Cooks, is therefore keen to bring the authenticity of Italian cuisine to Bermuda, by re-introducing traditional values and table manners.
He said: "When you eat at a restaurant in Italy, it's not just about the food, it's about the whole dining experience. I'm trying to introduce the same traditions and passions, so Bacci will feel like a little bit of Italy.
"Eating a meal should be enjoyable, it should give you pleasure. You don't just have one course then go, you savour your meal.
"And you make the most of your time at the table, you don't talk about work or anything that will stress you out."
Mr. Magagna said he would like to see people saying 'excuse me' before leaving the table and the father of a family should always be the first to get up at the end of a meal. He also doesn't like to see arms on the table or people touching their hair while eating.
Despite his mom's early influence, Mr. Magagna completed his mandatory military service then actually went on to become an electrician. But he admits "his cooking hobby never went away."
He said: "I just wanted to go home from work and cook. I was always thinking 'what am I going to cook tonight? what am I going to cook tomorrow? Or when should I invite my friends round for dinner?'"
Austrian inspiration
Then a vacation to Vienna, Austria, in 1997 turned into a great career opportunity after he was offered a job at Tuscan-Italian restaurant, Martinelli. He worked there as cook and then executive chef until 2002. He spent one more year in Vienna, working as chef at Novelli, which was named one of the five best Italian restaurants outside of Italy.
In 2003 he relocated to New York and worked at Carmaya, until he was recruited to be Executive Chef at the Italian Culinary Institute, where he provided culinary expertise for magazines, hosted visiting chefs and taught cooking classes. He even got the chance to cook for Luciano Pavarotti.
He then took a position as executive chef at Abraham Lincoln, a Wyndham hotel in Pennsylvania and introduced an Italian menu to the hotel's restaurant.
Mr. Magagna said: "I like being in Bermuda, I've always worked in cold places so I was looking for a nice warm place to live."
Mr. Magagna's favourite part of being a chef is the positive feedback from customers who have enjoyed his food. Being "stuck in a hot kitchen and going home with clothes smelling of food" is the downside.
Despite all his experience, he said he was always learning something new and admits to experimenting at home, often on the barbecue. He says he usually cooks the main course, while his wife takes care of the side dishes.
He said: "When it comes to cooking, I love to play and take risks. My wife often says 'What have you done?' I love to make a mess."
Mr. Maganga is full of praise for Bacci's authentic Italian Cuisine, which includes pasta freshly made each day, organic ingredients and fresh herbs. Bacci has this week launched a new menu, featuring "original recipes" from 20 different regions of Italy. There is also a weekly special menu.
Norm Mastalir, general manager of the Fairmont Southampton, said he "couldn't be any more excited" to have Mr. Magagna onboard.
He said: "The way he approaches food - with his fierce dedication to simplicity and freshness - is what really excites people most about his style. He brings a vitality and a force of energy that carries through in everything he does."
As for the all-important question of whether Bacci's Italian cuisine is as good as the real deal in his home land, Mr. Magagna said: "It's very, very close."
And to prove it he wants to tell all restaurant customers: "If you don't like the food, the chef will pay for your meal."
