Laurent Pascal - Head Chef Chef's Laurent's love affair with food started from a young age cooking with his family and grew from there. In his interview Chef Laurent shares his very first "favourite dish", what he loves about Italian cuisine and exactly how much pasta Bellissimo goes through each week. <read the interview>
	Dario Forghieri - Sous Chef Introducing Bellissimo's new Sous Chef “Dario Forghieri”, he has recently arrived in Australia from Modena, Northern Italy. Dario’s passion for food began as he helped his parents and grandmother in the kitchen as a child. Chef Dario loves to work with fresh pasta – creating exciting shapes, flavours and textures from the freshest market produce of the day <read the interview>

Laurent Pascal - Head Chef

Where are you originally from?
Mauritius, I came to Australia 5 years ago. A few restaurants that I have previously worked in include BlueFire and Steakhouse

When did you start cooking?
I have been cooking as long as I can remember. I was always helping my parents and grandparents in the kitchen - food was a big part of our lives.

What was your favourite dish as a child?
(Says with a big grin) When I was young, my favourite dish to cook with my mum was spaghetti Bolognese.

Can you tell me how much pasta Bellissimo goes through each week?
(Laughs) Ok, give me minute to think about that.... I would have to say well over 30 kg of pasta per week.

Do you prefer Tomato or Cream based sauce with your pasta?
Definitely "tomato"

What do you love about Italian food?
I love the flavours of the cuisine, the exciting colours of the dishes. There is an endless variety of meals to try within Italian cuisine. There is lots of room to be creative, for example, I like to experiment with different sauces.

What is your favourite dish in Bellissimo?
Dario recently created a special dish to trial - Salmon ravioli with burnt butter and orange sauce - the pasta is handmade and all the ingredients are purchased fresh from the market. It was a real hit with the diners and I absolutely loved it, we are currently looking at putting it on the menu permanently.

Dario Forghieri - Sous Chef

Where are you originally from?
Modena in Northern Italy, I have been in Australia since March 2008

How old were you when you started cooking?
Cooking flows through the family's veins. My passion for food started with my Nonna (grandmother), I've been cooking with her since I was a child. My father was also a Chef - we always made and cooked fresh pasta together as a family. I started cooking professionally 7 years ago, prior to that I had a career as a soccer player, but I had to stop because of injuries.

Where has your new founded career taken you?
I spent the last 3 years in Spain, Madrid working in some of their top restaurants.

Have you ever cooked for anyone famous?
Some names that come to mind are; The Cranberries, a famous South American band called Manu Chao, Tennis players Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova

Do you prefer Tomato or Cream based sauces?
I'm not very fond of cream based sauces with my pasta. Fresh tomato sauce is the best! Back home just about every family in my town makes their own tomato sauce - there's a season for making it - it's like a big party / festival. After all the sauce has been made, on a certain day everyone brings food to a public outdoor area and share a meal together. It's something very special to me.

Can the average person taste the difference between fresh and dried pasta?
YES! To make fresh pasta you just need flour and eggs - most companies producing dried pasta don't use fresh eggs. When pasta is made by hand the pasta turns out softer than when done by a machine. After it is made it needs to sit for about 20 minutes before cooking (sitting time depends on the humidity in the air). At Bellissimo we use farm fresh eggs, flour and extra virgin olive oil to make our pasta - no preservatives or artificial colours are used.

What do you love about fresh pasta?
The tradition behind it, its a part of my life and my heritage and it takes me back to my childhood. I love working with pasta as there are lots of varieties - its up to your imagination to get creative with fresh seasonal ingredients.

Is it difficult to make fresh pasta?
It's actually very easy; anyone can try it at home. You don't need fancy equipment, just a chopping board and a rolling pin. I prefer to prepare it the traditional way, however in Bellissimo with so many people to cater for I do often need to use a small pasta making machine to help me feed everyone.

Not everyone has the time to make fresh pasta at home; do you have any tips on the best way to cook dried pasta at home?
A pack may say cook for a certain amount of time, but always test it. If you stir the pasta constantly in the pot you don't need to use any oil, but be sure to add salt to the water.

Boil the pasta until it's a couple of minutes before al dente, then place the pasta into a pan with your sauce and a little bit of water from the pot that the pasta was cooked in (this water contains the starch from the pasta and adds to the flavour). Finish cooking the pasta in the pan - the flavour from the sauce transfers to the pasta - "Bellissimo!"

What is your favourite dish at Bellissimo?
That's hard, but I would have to say the Linguine Pescatora. I love seafood and pasta together, I am currently experimenting on new seafood pasta dishes.

Most people have heard of spaghetti, penne and fusilli - can you let us know about a pasta type we might not have heard of?
- Butterfly shaped pasta
- Caramelle pasta, its in the shape of a wrapped up lolly. If you put sweet filling it makes a great treat for children.
- Torteli - think of an upside down top hat, filling goes inside.
I'm always trying out different combinations of shapes, fillings and sauces.