Food&Kitchen: architect and designer Simona Melli answers our questions

2018-02-12 Simona Melli graduated from Ferrara University with a degree in architecture and specialised in energy-saving constructions at Leuven University in Belgium. She now has her own practice in Parma, where, in partnership with architect Dario Costi, she has designed and built schools, gyms, museums, collective housing and private homes in Italy and abroad.
Melli has specialised in interior design for museums, private homes and yachts, founding Smell of design, the first online furniture shop to put people first. A special app proposes new interior design projects and recommends the best Italian-made home furnishings.
Simona, what is your first thought when you go into the kitchen?
“I hope there’s something in the fridge for dinner tonight! The frantic pace of working days leaves me little time to enjoy the pleasures of the kitchen, unfortunately. And it’s not easy to come up with a varied, substantial meal for three ravenous kids every night... We all appreciate good food at my house, and I’ve taught my children to appreciate quality and variety in food ever since they were little. Though we are Emilian down to the bone (everyone wants seconds of cappelletti or passatelli in capon broth), occasionally all five of us go out to an Indian or Japanese restaurant.”
What dish best represents your life, and why?
“I’d say homemade tortelli, stuffed with either squash or herbs. I still perfectly remember the big pastry board on which the elderly aunt with whom I spent a lot of time as a child used to knead flour and eggs to make fresh pasta. What I remember best is the motion of her wrist as she pulled the dough and rolled it the expertly around her rolling pin, and the flavour of the filling that I used to steal, still raw, from the bowl. Fresh tortelli made with egg pasta are the dish best representing me, because local identity is a precious thing, and our happiness as adults is often connected with happy times we experienced in childhood .”
What wine gets your heart beating?
“Sicilian wines in general. I love the island of Sicily, and if it goes with the food, I love to open a bottle of a Sicilian red such as Syrah. When I taste it, I feel like I’m drinking the warm breeze of a summer evening”.
What is tops in the kitchen for you?
“A man who cooks for me. And in fact my husband does most of the cooking at home.”
What is the ingredient you can’t do without?
“I can’t do without olive oil. I could dine on bread, olive oil and salt and be happy.”
What is the most fun item in your kitchen?
“An Alessi cheese dish, beautiful and elegant, made of steel and glass, but with a pop style mouse as the middle handle.”
Is there a dish you’d like to try making?
“I’d like to try making some vegan dishes and find out how to make vegetable proteins more appetising.”
When was the last time you had a really good meal?
“In a little mountain shelter by the Seiser Alm, called Gostner Schwaige, which you can only get to on skis in winter. A friend who lives in the area, the architect Walter Angonese, recommended it to me, and it was a great discovery. A little mountain refuge with a tiny little kitchen that revealed new taste sensations to me, such as a soup cooked in a bread crust flavoured with wild herbs. Really good!.”
What qualities do you appreciate most in a cook?
“Passion, balance, and courage. Cooking is something you do with your hands, your mouth and your eyes. If you don’t put passion into it, it’s impossible to make something truly good. It’s essential for a cook to be profoundly familiar with traditional recipes and ingredients, but to go on and take the next step, you need intelligence and the courage to put everything you are and everything you do into your cooking.”
What does food mean to you?
“Food is one of the great pleasures of life! of course it’s even better when you share it with others.”

Mariagrazia Villa