TRADITIONAL CUISINE AND SEAFOOD SPECIALITIES
TRADITIONAL CUISINE AND SEAFOOD SPECIALITIES
It was 1998 and Angelo had made up his mind: he was going to America. Then something happened not long before he was due to leave. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime chance occurrences that might just crop up at the right time, leaving you to decide whether to carry on listening to your head or take the plunge and follow your heart. La Forchetta is much more than a restaurant in our eyes, because it embodies our strength, courage and dreams.
I was always taught that earnestly believing in something can help to make your dreams come true. Like in the great myths and legends, if you sail through stormy seas, overcome conflicts and steer your ship on the right course through life, you can eventually make landfall on your island as a hero. We sometimes stop to think about everything we’ve done to get here and we can still feel the pull of the guiding principle that showed us the way. Back in 2010, Angelo sold his house and I gave up my interpreting career. Angelo and I were like a tiny crew weighing anchor on the good ship La Forchetta. With the aid of our deckhands, we started sailing the very seas that now provide some of our culinary specialities. We didn’t even know it yet, but we’d reached the island of our dreams.
I was just 13 when I started working as a pot washer in the Sicilian town of Santo Stefano Quisquina. From the age of 16, I gained experience working front of house and in the kitchen in Belluno, Milano Marittima and Parma, before going on to run my own kitchen at La Forchetta. There are two things I’ve loved ever since I was little: football and cooking.
The first dish I made? Tagliatelle with ragù, when I was 14.
I graduated with an Arts degree in Russia and I was planning a career as a teacher. When I was finally offered a position at the University of Parma through the Oxford Institute, we’d only been open for six months and I decided to turn it down so I could carry on working front of house full-time. I’m now truly passionate about being the manager of our two businesses (La Forchetta and Laltro) and taking charge of customer service.
I like the refinement of it all and I love choosing wines for our selection and making recommendations to customers.
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE
There are two sides to every great story and La Forchetta is no exception. We wanted to present a take on it that revolves around experience, rhythm and space.
We firmly believe that a totally different experience should be on offer alongside our restaurant, in a “parallel universe” with its own concept of time. It’s a place where customers can enjoy brunch, lunch, oyster bar service with aperitifs and drinks after dinner, at times that perfectly complement those of the restaurant. We’ve named it “Laltro”, which means the “The Other”. After all, it presents the other side of La Forchetta and it’s on the other side of the road from us.
