The architects of ALMA: Elena Minari’s cooking

2017-09-15 Elena Minari of Parma brings her background as an architect into the kitchen. And not just as a hobby, cooking a big Sunday lunch at home: she is a professional! After graduating with a degree in environmental architecture, she took a diploma at ALMA-The International School of Italian Cooking in Colorno, and is now sous chef at Locanda Mariella, a historic restaurant in Fragnolo, in the province of Parma, where she works with chef Paco Zanobini.
What are your qualities as a cook, Elena?
“When I cook, I always try to demonstrate respect for the ingredients I use, to make the most of them without doing anything unnatural with them, and to express the quality of improvisation: I manage to make a dish with whatever I find in the refrigerator or the pantry, because my curiosity leads me to explore new ingredients, new techniques, to eat in restaurants that particularly inspire me and to read lots of cookbooks and other books about food.”
Is there a dish that represents you particularly well?
“The idea of apple tarte. Not so much the tarte itself, which I make in a slightly different way every time, so as not to repeat myself. It reminds me of my paternal grandmother, and it’s the only dessert my mother would make me when I was little. It represents me because it’s very simple, but it conveys warmth, the idea of home; it makes you feel good.”
Is there a link between bioarchitecture and ethical food?
“Ethical food is food from small producers who are reclaiming biodiversitity in livestock raising and agriculture, who work with respect for the environment, tradition and people. There is definitely a parallel with bioecological architecture.”
What is your home kitchen like?
“It’s a comfortable kitchen; over the years, I have equipped it with everything I need.”
Is there any one object so handy you would never give it up?
“The immersion blender, which I use all the time to make creamy sauces and soups, and above all for making French dishes. After all, I am half French, on my mother’s side.”
Can the design of the space you cook in have an impact on the quality of the food?
“Yes. Feeling good while you work, enjoying plenty of space, natural light and ventilation, has an impact on the quality of the food that comes out of the kitchen. And as far as I am concerned, that space also includes my colleagues, the people I work with. If there is an atmosphere in which we all get along and work together well, we work better, and the food tastes better as a result.”
 
Mariagrazia Villa