During this year’s World Gourmet Summit, I was invited by organizers Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd to a wonderful culinary workshop by David Rocco.

A charismatic Italian chef with a great passion in cooking, he engaged the participants in his cooking class with his stories of Italy and food demonstration.  I personally loved the way he presented his cooking, so simple yet each dish tasted so good. 

As he cooked, David loved telling stories about his family and he speaks so passionately of Italy, mentioning what a beautiful country it is and gave special mention of the town, Sisley.

David started off with a simple and healthy appetizer, Tuna and Bean Salad where he used cannellini beans, chopped celery, tuna and lemon juice with a splash of olive oil. We managed to sample the dish and I must admit, it was so refreshing and the lemon juice did remove the fishy scent and taste of the tuna.

Mr Rocco went on to mention in Italy, olive oil retailers allowed customers to sample the oil before deciding if they wanted to purchase it.  He also advised that good quality olive oil have expiry dates indicated and it should be consumed within 18 months.

I was not a fan of beetroot, but the Beet Risotto with White Wine, have instantly made me a convert.  David demonstrated this dish by adding beetroot juice to his risotto. I reckon the wine might add a sour flavor to this dish however, the dish was sweet instead.  I have also learnt a rule of thumb in making good risotto is to stir constantly.

No cooking show is over without a final presentation of dessert and David definitely did not disappoint as he showed us how to whip up a simple yet mouth-watering dessert -  Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar. Fresh juicy strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar with a sprinkle of ground pepper and sugar. Sounded like an odd combination? Surprisingly, the marrying of these ingredients did complement one another. I had this dish during the dinner and it was served with sugar.

After the cooking demonstration, we had an opportunity to meet David and excitement mounted as I looked forward to meet him in person and to also present to Mr Rocco, my very own cookbook “Food Inspirations”.  I also had a chance to speak to him for a few minutes and I am truly inspired when he encouraged me to continue my work with what I believe and all things will fall into place.  Like David said I am not a chef but an Italian, and I know that he is enjoying every bit of his culinary journey and just being creative in his cooking together with his inspiring stories.

I am really grateful for a chance to attend David Rocco’s culinary workshop and for more of David’s infectious culinary style, do catch Dolce Vita on Discovery Channel.

Pictures courtesy of Peter Knipp Holdings Pte. Ltd.

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