Chef Alessio From Sardinia to Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Italians are known to be passionate about food. Almost always they are depicted in movies as large families gathered around a long table in the garden of a rustic home or overlooking a hilly rock-strewn countryside with olive trees in the background, and enjoying every morsel of bread, every thread of pasta, and large portions of meat of all kinds. And then there is the wine that goes with the food and coffee at the end the meal.

One would say that if a country has invented the phrase “good food,” Italy would be it.

Food, almost always, takes center stage in Italian family gatherings. At least once in a day, they would gather to just savor the flavors of the season, the reason why meals would take longer than in most other cultures. Perhaps, this is the trademark of Italian cuisine, a creation that is to be enjoyed and relished in the company of friends and family, unmindful of the passing hours.

A few months back, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino took to its ward Italian Chef Alessio Loddo, a native of Sardinia with 15 years of training tucked in his apron. Chef Alessio takes charge of the hotel’s Italian outlet, La Gondola.

He admits that even before he decided to become a chef, he already knew what he was going to be. At the age of 7, the kitchen was his playground. And with olive oil practically running through his veins, Chef Alessio professes that when he was old enough to think of his future, he knew that the kitchen was the most likely place where he’d end up.

He started his professional career in the food business in local restaurants in Sardinia in 1996 and eventually venturing into his first overseas and first hotel affiliation at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah as a Sous Chef in 2000.

Two years later, he sailed to Thailand where he lent his expertise to two distinguished properties: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort and Amari Boulevard Hotel.

In 2007, he was taken in by Dusit Thani Makati as the Chef de Cuisine - Italian, before ending up at La Gondola.

Chef Alessio admits to the complexity of Italian cuisine, and he said that the authenticity of his creations comes from his knack for home-cooked meals – nothing fancy, full of only the freshest in-season ingredients, but with the twist of serving it in an excellent presentation.

He explains that Italian cuisine is complex, each region having their own specialty and their own versions for each dish. But he said that at La Gondola, the journey on board the gondola would take the diner to the different regions of Italy.

Italy, by the way, is divided into 20 culinary regions, each palate influenced by the topography of the region, as well as by its neighboring countries, most especially France and Austria.

“In Italy, there are so many different food that even for a dish, different regions would have their own variation,” Chef Alessio disclosed.

He explained that the geography and the climate of the place would play a vital role on the dishes of the region.

“In the south, it is colder so they are more into hot dishes,” he said.

He added that the seasons also play a key role in Italian food, emphasizing on the use of ingredients that are in season and locally grown and available.

For Sardinia, Chef Alessio revealed that even though the region is an island, their dishes do not focus merely on seafood, rather they are more into red meat like pork, veal and mutton or lamb.

“We have something similar to your lechon,” he said and continued that the difference with the local roasted pig is that in Sardinia, the suckling pig is cooked in a pit that’s been dug from the ground and over aromatic herbs and charcoal.

With Chef Alessio at the helm of La Gondola, diners will be taken to a satisfying, warm and comfortable journey to the mythical land of good food and still be back in a jiffy.