FT Foodies: Giorgio Locatelli

Chef-patron of the Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli in Mayfair, Giorgio Locatelli has worked at the Savoy in London, Laurent and La Tour d’Argent in Paris and learnt his trade at his uncle’s restaurant on the shore of Lake Comabbio, north Italy. He has just published a book on Sicilian cooking, “Made in Sicily”.

What were your school dinners like?

I grew up in a village (Corgeno in Lombardy) and we went home for lunch on our bicycles. When we cycled back my grandmother would be cooking for me and my brother – usually risotto, which was more the staple than pasta in northern Italy in the 1960s. Tuesday would be spaghetti with tomato – I would race home.

Did you ever consider another profession?

I wanted to be a motorbike racer, but by default I became a chef. I don’t have any regrets – I’d be dead by now if I had been a racer.

What was your most hated chore as a trainee?

Since I was a boy I spent my afternoons and evenings helping out in the family restaurant. I was a great escapist. I wanted to leave all the time. It was such a small place where everyone knew everybody else’s business.

Do you believe in the maxim, “never trust a thin chef”?

You should trust a thin chef even better than a fat one. The fact that the chef can create something indulgent but still look after himself is a good thing. I do pilates three times a week, or I walk to work.

What do you consider bad manners at the table?

Not to be thankful to the person who cooked the meal. I would rather put something in my pocket and walk away than say I didn’t like something. Otherwise everything goes.

If you could revive a defunct restaurant what would it be?

There was this restaurant on the shore of Lago Maggiore (near Corgeno) called Mimmo. My grandfather used to take me and my cousins there. We’d have a bicicletta – a lemonade with a bit of beer – and a pizza. I would like to go back, but not only for the restaurant, but to see my grandfather too. Food can be so powerful for the emotions.

What do you cook on the weekend?

Risotto usually. Especially now we found out my daughter is not allergic to rice anymore. Now it’s risotto every time, maybe with white truffle or a little bit of saffron.

Who would work in your dream kitchen?

I will definitely have Auguste Escoffier as saucier; and then Michel Guérard on starters; Vincenzo Corrado, an 18th century writer, on pasta; my own chef Ivan on pastry and we’ll surely find something for Heston Blumenthal to do. With those cooks, I’ll do the potwash, I don’t mind.

Giorgio Locatelli presents ‘Sicily Unpacked’ on BBC2 20th January at 9pm. ‘Made in Sicily’ by Giorgio Locatelli is published by Harper Collins (£30)