Ever wonder what dishes are served in an Italian household like the Guidicellis in Cebu?
You can now their home-style Italian dishes at the newly-opened restaurant, Trattoria da Guidicelli, of Matteo Guidicelli.
In a short interview with the former Dolce Amore actor, he tells PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that his latest business helps him prepare for the future.
“It's a dream of mine to open up a restaurant,” says Matteo.
“You know, in showbiz kasi, if you're just an artist waiting for your job to come, you can wait forever and it will never come.
“So I decided to do my own things. This year is a very good year for me. I opened a restaurant with my family.
“Masaya, nakaka-proud. I'm lucky I have good partners with me.”
Helping Matteo manage Trattoria da Gianni are his father Gianluca and his sister Giorgia.
The restaurant is their way of honoring their late patriarch, Gianni Guidicelli.
Matteo takes pride in his chefs named Antonia and Gen at Trattoria da Gianni.
“My two cooks are [familiar with] home-style Italian food talaga.
“They learned from my grandparents."
He continues, “Hindi sila pumunta sa cooking school or culinary school, sa bahay lang talaga. They've been with us for the longest time, before I was born.
“When we opened the restaurant, both of them have represented the restaurant.”
Here are some of the dishes we tried for #PEPeats.
Mozzarella burrata
Crispy ham and mozzarella bruschette
Fresh pasta with beef stroganoff and mushrooms in creamy sauce
Osso bucco
Tiramisu alla Nonna
Tiramisu can be made and prepared in front of a customer.
Affogato
Located at Crossroads in Banilad, Cebu, if you have plans of eating there, always ask for “today's specials.”
It's only been five months since Trattoria da Gianna opened in Cebu.
So far, Matteo says the business has been doing very well.
“Restaurant is fun. But it's tough also, you know, because you meet all kinds of people—may mga masungit, may mga mabait, nagrereklamo lang.”
Despite this, Matteo says in conclusion, “Pero masaya, e. It's nice to serve people, it's nice to make people happy and fill up their stomach.
“Parang showbiz lang ba, pinasaya mo lang ang mga tao.”