Italian dishes out a little culture in his restaurant
By Lu Feiran |
March 19, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ITALIAN native Stefano Micillo expects to bring a "real Italy" to China through his restaurant Mammamia and authentic Neapolitan pizza. He always wants to convey the idea of "quality" through the restaurant: the quality of food, the quality of products, the quality of cooking material and the quality of life.
Having lived in Suzhou for four years, Mammamia is not Micillo's main business. He has worked in the fashion industry for decades, mainly selling made-in-Italy accessories such as buttons and lace.
Micillo believes that quality of living is more important than money.
He used to live in Hong Kong. After deciding to move his family to the Chinese mainland, Suzhou quickly attracted his attention.
"I have traveled to many cities on the mainland, like Beijing, Shenzhen and many, many others," he says. "Eventually I chose Suzhou because it is modern and advanced, and on the other hand, it also enjoys a good ecological environment, rich ancient culture and a pace suitable for enjoying life. I myself can live anywhere, but I need to make careful decisions for my family."
In November 2010, Micillo opened Mammamia at Jinji Lake in the Suzhou Industrial Park area. The restaurant has a good lake view and serves authentic Neapolitan pizza and other Italian food such as Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella.
"I like to give feelings to people," he says. "I didn't open the restaurant for money. If you do it for money, you'll always have problems."
Micillo believes that making money is important, but living is not all about making money. "I find that some people care only about money. They work only for money," he says. "The philosophy of life is more about emotion, about living, how to grow up, and how to being human."
The restaurant doesn't have a TV or dance floor because Micillo wants them to forget about the hectic life outside its doors.
"I hope this place can be a sanctuary for people. Outside it's always stressful and in here they can relax," he says.
Micillo is proud of the food served in the restaurant, especially the Margherita pizza. He loves to tell patrons the legend of Margherita pizza. In the 19th century, a pizza maker from Napoli was asked to make a pizza for King Umberto I and the court. The pizza maker's wife suggested a new type of pizza made from tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil to mark the colors of the Italian. Queen Margherita was so fond of the pizza that the pizza maker decided to name the pizza after her.
In Mammamia, the Margherita pizza has a crust, buffalo mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce. They are baked in a wood oven. "The cheese is imported from Italy," says Micillo. "And buffalo cheese is softer and tastes better."
Micillo has a partner, who is a Neapolitan chef who teaches Chinese cooks the secrets of making Margherita pizza.
"The work is not as easy as it looks," he says. "It takes almost two years for a beginner to learn to make good pizzas. Making dough is the key point."
Micillo admits some of the customers have complained that the food served in Mammamia is too expensive, and he says it's because the logistics cost is rather high as many ingredients are imported from Italy.
"I want people to understand the difference between authentic Italian food from the others," says Micillo. "Once they understand the difference, they will not complain about the price anymore."
Micillo uses Mammamia as an "Italian museum" of sorts. One poster shows different types of pastas. It always attracts attention and Micillo is glad to explain the pastas to people.
"I love cooking myself, so I'm very familiar with pastas and other food," he says.
Micillo says he doesn't expect everyone to appreciate the restaurant and its food. "But it's Italy, whether you like or not," he says. "I just want people to know what real Italian food and culture are like. This is the philosophy of the restaurant."
Micillo says he hopes to further improve the restaurant. "I hope to make a Mammamia brand for the restaurant," he says. "I hope when people want to experience Italian food and culture, they will choose Mammamia."
He also says although he is a senior, his life is still full of challenges. "I always want to try new things," he says. "And I believe whatever I do, quality is most important."
Stefano Micillo
Age: 49
Nationality: Italian
Self-description:
I'm a very patient person because I know you need to be patient to get many things done.
Q&A
? How to improve Suzhou:
The city should improve its ecology. Pollution still exists. The quality of life is good here, but not good enough. Also there seems to be a lack of "culture" in the city.
? Strangest sight in Suzhou:
People quitting their job too frequently. They don't have any emotion about their job and work only for money, which I cannot understand.
? Worst experience in Suzhou:
Opening a company here actually is difficult. The bureaucracy is very annoying and sometimes I really don't know what's going on. And everything requires complicated procedures that take a long time.
? Motto for life:
Why not?
? Advice for new comers:
Just try to understand Chinese culture more and take it easy.
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