When she sits down for a chat the obvious question is what kind of a response she has received. Brushing aside the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ she has surely received, she says: “Oh, the first day is hardly the right time to judge people’s response to any food. When there is an opening, it is always exciting…”

So she’d have to wait for a few weeks?

“No, no, a few months. Ask me this question after six months and I’ll have the answer for you.”

This kind of honesty one certainly appreciates. So what’s her gut feeling? “I think the most popular dishes here could be some starters, some chicken dishes — because people in Chennai are used to chicken — as also the lamb chops. I think the desserts will be liked too, as also some pasta dishes and vegetarian offerings.”

You cannot miss the very strong wine theme at the very stylish Prego; run an eye around the restaurant and once you’ve taken in the remarkable flower arrangements that dominate the place, and the décor beginning with the very earthy beiges and browns blending into the flamboyant maroons, the “wine shelves” catch the eye.

And that’s only a sample of the impressive wine collection that Prego has. Executive Assistant Manager Manish Puri takes one to the freezing wine ‘cellar’. This wine library has 300 different labels, and 75 are from Italy; the rest are French, Californian, etc. A mini-wine tasting session follows; Puri first offers a French white - Dr Burklin-Wolf from Riesling estate. As white wine is one’s preferred choice – women like white more than reds, whereas the reverse is true for men — this is lapped up, as he had predicted. Intensely fruity with fantastic aroma, is the verdict.

After clearing the mouth with a piece of bread, one next tries an Italian red called Col di Sasso; Puri explains it’s a mix of two grape varieties, one French and the other Italian! The last is a Californian white from the Benziger winery in Napa Valley, California. This is a little oaky and not as opulent as the first one. A bonus from the wine library is a sampling of delicious Kalamata olives.

Apparently the world consumption of wine is roughly 40 per cent white and 60 per cent red; the positioning of red wine as good for the heart obviously helps!

The wait for the starters is made worthwhile by olive naans, a creation of Taj’s Corporate Chef Hemant Oberoi; a dip into the extra virgin olive oil on the table, seasoned with salt and pepper, and the result is heavenly. By the way, the salt on the table is from Tuscany and the pepper kept in the mechanised pepper dispenser is in five flavours and imported from Spain; the sugar that goes into your coffee is imported too, from Italy!

As it’s lunch, and one has to return to office — and hence the exercising of great restraint when it comes to the wines and the opting for a strong cappuccino at the end of the meal — one requests the chef for a lighter set of starters and main course. She suggests a simple tomato salad with buffalo Mozzarella cheese, and one also gets a taste of Le quenelle di ricotta ai quattro gusti (in English that would be a kind of light, delicate patty made of meat or vegetables with ricotta cheese and served in small oval shapes with interesting sauces). As always, one preferred what somebody else on the table was having.

But not when it came to the lamb chops. These, as expected, were succulent, with the aromatic herbs and the accompanying spinach making it the perfect choice. Apart from the olive naan, the other breads on offer are delicious and remind you once again of the abundant varieties one finds in Europe. The olive oil, which goes with the breads, is of course imported from Italy. So are the cold meats; but the lamb served at Prego (‘welcome’, in Italian) comes from New Zealand, and the seafood, ham, etc are all imported, though the shell fish is sourced from India.

The recommendation is that more than one dessert should be sampled, and who can argue with such suggestions when the choices range from the classic Italian dessert Tiramisu, made of a mild cream cheese, coffee, cocoa, etc; a pistachio soufflé with a coffee sauce, and a chilled bitter chocolate mousse with…. yes, ginger and chilli. All the three are mind blowing… really, really delicious.

Along with the taste, it is the presentation of these delicacies that distinguishes ordinary food from haute cuisine. When she is complimented on both, Chef Giovanna beams; obviously it is appreciation like this which makes the long hours of backbreaking work in the kitchen worth the effort.

Interestingly, even though this profession runs in her family — her grandparents and uncle were all chefs — she herself opted for oriental studies. But that involved a lot of travel and 16 years ago, “when I was pregnant, I realised that if you travel a lot you cannot have much time for your family.” So she opted for a chef’s job in order to “settle down” to a more stable lifestyle.

Chef Giovanna Marson

Giovanna has worked under many master chefs in Italy and is today one of the few well-known women chefs in that country. She has worked for the very famous 10 Corso Como in Milan, which has a boutique, a photography and art gallery, a bookstore and a restaurant. “It’s something like your Amethyst in Chennai, but much bigger,” she says. She worked there for two years beginning with the setting up of the menus and then became its chef.

As a chef she has travelled to Tokyo, “where I could speak the language thanks to my oriental language background, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

And now it’s Chennai with Prego. So how difficult was the choice?

“It’s not that I love Milan less, but I need to travel. This was a very big change and a challenge but it was also an opportunity. And believe me, I’ve not come here for my resume; I’m too old to seek such advantages.” The challenge, the “very talented team at Prego” and the environment of Chennai attracted her. “Mumbai is too messy for me, a visitor can feel that it is the economic capital of the country, but it is too big a city for me. Chennai is smaller and I feel better in a smaller place as it is easier to settle down and figure out what is happening.”

She came down in July, and it was a challenge to decide on the menu. One thing was certain; for the majority of Indians Italian food meant pizzas and pastas, and at Prego, no pizza will be served! As for the pastas, you won’t find the common stuff here; specialised varieties, including home-made pastas are on offer here.

But even then, the task was a daunting one and “my great helper was Hemant Oberoi; it’s fantastic to work with a master chef like him. Though I have experience with Italian and continental food, I had no idea of the market and the taste of people here. I’m absolutely sure western people love this kind of food but could not be sure that the Indian people would like it.”

So the challenge was to “introduce another kind of Italian cuisine… a kind of haute cuisine that is traditional but contemporary.” And along with that kind of food, a definite attempt is being made at Prego to introduce the wine culture too… to slowly evolve awareness about the different kinds of wines that go best with different food. Something more than the general but safe thumb rule — white with white meats and red with red meats!

Giovanna likes Indian food, and “though it’s spicy, once you get accustomed, it’s okay.”

So does she cook at home?

The answer is a shocked: “No, no, I have no time.”

Don’t know why, but to hear a woman say that sounded great!

Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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