He wanted to be a motocross rider but ended up becoming a chef – and Francesco Gava says it has paid off
- The Italian chef de cuisine at Lucciola, at The Hari Hong Kong in Wan Chai, talks about how his mother kept him on his culinary career course, and the importance of not giving up
- The Piedmont native on falling in love with Hong Kong: ‘I liked that it’s vibrant, has lots of energy – positive and negative’
Did you know you wanted to be a chef growing up? “When I was a child I wanted to be a motocross rider, then later I switched to wanting to make pizzas. Then someone told me if I became a chef I could earn more money, so I decided that was a good idea.
“I was not a good student and my parents had a hard time with me, but they were very patient. My father worked at Olivetti, where they made typewriters, then computers. They valued the staff like one big family. I remember at Christmas us kids received gifts from the company.”
Did you learn to cook from your mother? “I didn’t learn to cook from her – she is not a good cook, but the few things she can cook she can make very well. Whenever I go back home I ask her to prepare Piedmont-style beef tartare, only seasoning the meat with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg and olive oil. When I was a kid, I ate this once a week. She also made the risotto we have on the menu here, with sausage and leeks. It’s a basic recipe but I love it, all the magic comes from the leeks with a lot of parmesan cheese on top.”
What was your first job like? “I did two years of culinary school and after my first year, at 16 years old, I got a job working the summer season at a basic three-star hotel in Piedmont. I was in the kitchen and I wasn’t getting along with the chef – we even had fights. Maybe I asked too many questions, maybe I didn’t like people telling me what to do. It was stressful because it was just the two of us cooking for the whole hotel, à la carte, and I had to wash dishes, too.
“On top of that, the chef and I shared a room. When my parents came to visit, my father wanted to take me home, but my mum said to leave me there otherwise I would change careers. I have to thank her for that, otherwise I would not be a chef today.”
What happened next? “Things got better because, in the middle of the season, the owner realised we needed help so he brought in a sous chef, who helped me a lot. He taught me about cooking and to relax more, don’t throw a hot pot into the sink. He helped me to see things in a different way, and showed me the enjoyment of this job.