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Category: Behind the scenes

4 questions to Viviana Varese…

Posted on by Jocelyn

… From VIVA restaurant in Milan

viva viviana varese

What makes your restaurant special?

My restaurant is special because it has been designed and imagined on the basis of who I am, on my manifesto, whose key words are inclusion, biodiversity, sustainability, love of food… on the values I want to convey, on the use of colour and light.

You personally studied and designed the spaces in your restaurant… Where did you get your inspiration and what atmosphere did you want to create?

Obviously, all these aspects were studied with professionals: Giulia Reali’s ALMAGREAL for the design of the brand, and Arca architects Sabrina Bignami and Alessandro Cappellaro for the design and appearance of the restaurant. The focus is on colour, light and iridescence.

What’s your best travel memory?

I’m lucky enough to be able to travel a lot, also because of my work, and get to know different cultures and countries. One of my best memories is certainly my trip to Colombia, where I was able to cook with local women in a wild and unspoilt natural environment, surrounded by music and their incredible energy.

Your cooking philosophy?

My philosophy is to use the environment and food to convey the idea of being ‘VIVA’ (which, in Italian, means ‘alive’), using living raw materials, colours, emotions and vitality. In my dishes, taste and ingredients are the protagonists.

An introduction to permaculture
at La Fenière Lieu de Vie, in Cadenet…

Posted on by Jocelyn
w96a9853florian domergue

Nadia Sammut is one of those examples worth following… The only Michelin-starred chef with a gluten-free menu, she cultivates micro-hospitality and a regenerative economy by using almost exclusively her own territory. Because customer care is more than just a fleeting luxury, this committed chef is offering a three-day total immersion in ‘the living’. The first step is a mindful walk through the forest, accompanied by mountain guides. This is followed by a plant-based buffet with infusions of plants grown on the estate, and a first meeting in the vegetable garden with a market gardener who explains how the soil is nourished and goes over all the work involved in sowing. In the evening, the gastronomic experience takes full effect in 11 parts.

The following day, Nadia Sammut usually invites a player from the living culture sector to give a private talk and fuel the discussions. “It’s important to pass on what we see, experience and support every day, as chefs and producers. That’s what real luxury is all about these days: providing tangible access to committed worlds, and being committed to the end… with homemade kefirs in the mini-bar, sustainable bedding, etc.”

nadia sammut hp edited