:: itchefs-GVCI ::

Panna Cotta in India, at Prego, in the Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai. The hostess is Giovanna Marson, a GVCI (Group of Italian Virtual Chefs) veteran and a member of the Board. Giovanna is widely known as “La Piccola Cuoca” (the little chef) and in her spare time runs a very strong-minded blog in Italia. Born in Milan, she comes from a family of chefs (she shares this profession with her grandparents and her uncle).
It is in that same city where she worked in some very famous restaurants such as Corso Como 10: a restaurant but also a book shop and an art gallery. Rasheeda Bhagat, an Indian journalist, wrote about Giovanna: “Her English might not be too good, but her creativity, talent and passion for the ‘haute cuisine’ are divine”. In fact, in terms of languages, Giovanna is fluent in Japanese and she has a degree in Oriental Studies. Thanks to this background she has worked in Japan, Hong Kong and Shangai.


Later on, Hermant Oberoi, Executive Grand Chef of the Taj Majal Hotel chain, convoked Giovanna to work at Chennai’s Prego, because he liked the style of Italian Cuisine she does: a kind of haute cuisine that is traditional but contemporary, which includes such dishes as the Eggplant Ravioli with Cherry Tomato, the classic Lasagna alla Bolognese, the Spiced Chicken Stew with black olives or the Homemade Fettuccine. Giovanna is well known for her wide cultural refinement, her charismatic writing, her plain, direct (well, sometimes blunt) way of speaking and, above all, for her honesty.