Food&Kitchen: photographer Luigi Bussolati answers our questions
2017-06-28
Parma-based photographer
Luigi Bussolati responds to our mini-questionnaire today. With a diploma in photography from Centro Riccardo Bauer in Milan, Luigi has been combining
intense personal research into photography with
communication projects for more than thirty years, working for a number of different enterprises, institutions, agencies and magazines.
His two most recent projects are
“Well Tempered Sight”, dedicated to a whole year of leaves, and
“Ab Ovo”, which is all about the egg, a symbol of creation and formal beauty as well as the primordial food, a sneak preview of which is presented here.
What do you think, Luigi, when entering your kitchen?
“
I clear my mind of all thoughts.”
What dish best represents your life, and why?
“
Bread, butter and jam. It is an alchemic union of opposites, and it generates perfect harmony. It’s my madeleine; I find my roots in it, and I believe it provides the foundations of the art of pastry-making/em>.”
What is the top in the kitchen, according to you?
“The fragrance of baking bread, after the dough has risen for many hours. Making bread is like watching a small miracle unfold: all the elements come together to give life to something nourishing. Even after years of doing it, I still find it thrilling. I’m grateful to the person who taught me this.”
What is the ingredient you can’t do without?
“My ancestors were cheese-makers, and I can’t do without butter and cheese.”
What is the funniest item in your kitchen?
“A burgundy-coloured apron my daughters Agata and Anita gave me, with “Dad’s cooking is so good” written on it in yellow.
When was the last time you had a really good meal?
“Last Saturday, at home with friends. Cooking and eating with friends always makes a meal special.”
Is there a dish you’d like to try making?
“When I was in Spain, I had a few timid encounters with Catalonian paella, but I have not yet learned to make it the way I would like to.”
Which recipe do you do best?
“All the recipes that connect me with thoughts of somebody, or some place or time in my life. I have been thinking of collecting together some material for an autobiography or diary with recipes I have discovered through my travels and through people I have met. In addition to my family recipes, I love a special recipe for spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, “aglio e olio a modo mio”, which my dear friend Marco used to make in Australia; he was a cook on an aboriginal reserve for some time. An “aio e oio” with a secret, that renders even large amounts of garlic innocuous.”
What traits do you admire in a chef?
“The fact that a dish can take me into a story.”
What is the meaning of food, in your experience?
“Food is a very powerful way of connecting with memory and culture. The different ways of making and sharing food always remind me that everything is about relationships.”
Mariagrazia Villa
Photos: Luigi Bussolati