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Gualtiero, The Great Italian: the life and career of Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi told in a docufilm that doubles up as the story of Italian cuisine.
The story of Gualtiero Marchesi is not only the biography of one of Italy's undisputed greatest chefs, as well as the only chef to have earned the title of "Maestro," but also the story of great Italian cuisine. It's a story that spans over half a century, of a chef that reinvented his cooking style while learning how to combine modernity and tradition, whilst simultaneously knowing how to move forward without looking back – and never forgetting what he was.
Gualtiero – The Great Italian is a new documentary recounting that story and tracing the life of the Master, directed by Maurizio Gigola, produced by Food & Media International and realised with contribution from S.Pellegrino. The film details the Master's journey from Italy to the US, Japan and France, along with the experiences and memories of chefs who worked alongside him, or who were trained by him, including Davide Oldani, Andrea Berton and Carlo Cracco.
"It was an intense experience, both exciting and somewhat demanding," reported Gigola. "Gualtiero Marchesi is a wonderful person who kept us all entertained. By the end the crew almost became like family."
At the end of the film after nearly a month of shooting the director reminisces: "It is not easy to agree with chefs, and life with the Master is unpredictable. One night in Paris we were working from six in the morning, we were all exhausted, and suddenly Gualtiero decided to go and visit the first restaurant where he had worked in the city. Of course, we were greeted with a more than warm welcome, and while it was too late to serve us dinner, they did make us a 10 dessert tasting. This is what strikes you about Marchesi: his infinite love of life."
The film will be officially presented at the Italian Embassy in London today: you can catch the premiere trailer, at the top of the page.
