Italian pastry chef Giovanni Pina on moving from medicine to baking and why he will never use margarine
- The owner of century-old Pasticceria Giovanni Pina, which has opened a branch in K11 Musea mall, Hong Kong, talks about why bakers must listen to their cakes
- He first studied medicine before changing career, which gave him an understanding of the chemistry behind cooking
Tell us about the history of your shop. “Our company was founded by my grandfather in 1920. His name was Giovanni, like mine, because it was the tradition for the firstborn son to take the name of the paternal grandfather. We lived in the same building as the cafe, which was in Bergamo, 50km from Milan.
“I started [at the cafe] as a child, helping by cleaning strawberries. I wasn’t very interested at the time, but for me it was a job. After high school I went to university and wanted to become a doctor, so I worked at the cafe to make money.”
When did you decide to join the family business? “I studied four years of medical school because I wanted to help people, then changed my mind and, in 1983, became a pastry chef. I was lucky to choose to be a pastry chef instead of a doctor – I felt it in my heart and blood.
“Before I became a pastry chef I did mandatory military service for a year. When I decided to become a chef, my father knew that my studies were finished while my mother cried for months because I was their only son and I was not going to become a doctor. My father was very happy I became a pastry chef because I have two younger sisters and two cousins – all female. I am the last [male] Pina remaining. I have three daughters. Did you watch the movie Highlander? Just one remains – me!”
Was it hard for you to adjust to being a pastry chef? “When I studied medicine, I also studied physics and chemistry so I understand how carbon affects the body, and sugar is made of carbon. I don’t want to blindly follow recipes. Every time I teach people, I always say it’s not important to know how you make something; it’s important to know why you make it. Every action has a reaction. I always tell people a cake can speak to you – you have to be able to hear her voice. I can see and hear her telling me, ‘I need sugar, I am burned, I am underbaked.’
“You need experience, but you also need to have a good feeling about what you are doing. So my job is my life. I don’t think about what time I start and finish work. For me to stay in the kitchen 14 to 15 hours is not a sacrifice. It’s something that gives me joy and energy.”