• Prego’s Chef Marco Boscaini on the universality of Italian cuisine

The newest international hotel chain in Sri Lanka, Amari Colombo, recently opened its doors to the famed chain of Italian restaurants, Prego. Founded by Chef Marco Boscaini, the first Prego restaurant opened in Ko Samui, Thailand, and it is in Thailand that the Prego chain has grown. Prego Colombo is the first restaurant out of Thailand and will echo the chain’s authentic, home-style Italian cooking, which in fact is built on over 100 years of family recipes and Boscaini’s grandmother’s famed risotto, which even won him recognition in the book ‘The Best 100 Risottos In the World’.

Boscaini was in Sri Lanka for the launch of the restaurant, enthusing infectious joy on the first Prego restaurant to be opened outside Thailand. 

Following are excerpts from the interview:

What is Prego Colombo all about?

Prego Colombo is part of the big world of Prego, born 22 years ago in Thailand in Ko Samui. After opening several outlets, we decided to move abroad and so we arrived in Colombo. Prego Colombo is a traditional, authentic Italian restaurant. The recipes and the love for food is what I got from my grandma and I will bring those qualities in the food here as well. 

What sets the Prego brand apart from other Italian restaurants?

The authenticity of our food is what sets us apart. I grew up with my grandmother, in the kitchen, and it was with her that I learned to cook. From when I was seven years old, I would watch her making handmade pasta. She gave me a book which contained over 100 recipes and I extracted some of them for my dishes. This old recipe book has now become Prego’s recipe book. 

How has your grandmother influenced your style of cooking now?

Everything really started with my grandmother. When I was young, I was constantly around her. I would watch her cook every day –  pasta, pizza, tiramisu, and the list goes on. She would go to the market and pick up very simple, rustic ingredients and make beautiful dishes out of them. I was amazed. How did she do things like this? I said, ‘One day, maybe, I can do what she does’. 

I took that practice along with me, and since I became a chef, I cook my food the original, authentic Italian way – with simple ingredients and with passion. My food is very simple, very authentic, and I want to keep going this way in the future. 

What is the heart and soul of Italian cuisine?

Italian cuisine is a cuisine for everyone. It can make every country and every nationality very happy, because we have a variety of ingredients and different regional dishes that everyone can be happy with. From vegetarian food, to fancy food and meat dishes – we use many herbs and employ different styles of cooking. That’s why Italian cuisine has become so popular all around the world.

Italian cooking revolves around original Italian ingredients, whether it’s vegetables, cheeses, hams, or meats. If those ingredients are unavailable, what sort of a difference does that make?

I’m very traditional, so, for me, Italian food is not something I want to modify or change. There are some basic things that are must-haves in Italian cuisine. When we talk about products, there are products that are Denominazione di origine protetta (DOP – protected designation of origin) – which means that they are grown and packaged locally, only in Italy. That’s why everyone wants a copy. So, we talk about parmesan cheese or parma ham, some kinds of cheeses, olive oil, and so on. 

This doesn’t mean that we cannot make good Italian food in Colombo, for example, just because we don’t have access to DOP products. They are just a part of what makes Italian cuisine so desirable. 

Now, in this beautiful Colombo coast, we have a lot of seafood, a lot of nice products that we combine and put together with our herbs and other ingredients, to make great Italian food. But, we should always keep an eye on preserving the originality of the dish by using fresh and original ingredients. 

What challenges are there in cooking Italian cuisine for Asian and South Asian taste buds?

This is not that difficult, because Italy is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and we have 7,000 kilometres of coast – from the north to the south we have 21 regions, and every region has different food styles and traditions. The north is cooler so it’s heavier food – more fatty food. As we move to the south, the food is spicier because it gets hotter. There are more herbs and spices.

When I first came to Thailand over two decades ago, I noticed that the cuisines combined very well. We can bring in a lot of food from Italy, export it to Asia, and it performs very well in the region.

What’s your favorite dish?

I have many, but, if I have to choose one, it would have to be a risotto. When you talk about the risotto, the things that you can do to it and with it are never-ending. A risotto can be 1,000 different plates. It can be made with seafood, with fish, with meat, with sausages, and with vegetables. There are endless ways to make the risotto. It’s a beautiful dish that I can’t stop making. 

What is the best dish that Italians make?

Around the world, we are so well recognised for our spaghetti and pizza. This is very peculiar, although it’s quite amazing; it’s like saying that Japan only makes sushi, but you know that that is not correct.

Italians also don’t just stop after spaghetti and pizza. In the south of the country, we eat lots of grilled vegetables and a beautiful, assorted offering of grilled seafood. These dishes are what Italians eat every day, at least three or four times a day. That is what Italians do best; it’s not just the pasta and pizza that we have mastered.  

What are we going to see on your menu at Prego Colombo?

Since we are right near the coast, we will surely have a lot of nice seafood to work with. I went to a market that’s right next to Prego, and I was amazed to see all the fresh seafood and fish that they have daily. I literally went to the market and it’s amazing, this market, with many crustaceans and food – together with a lot of vegetables, herbs, and spices. This will be a good influence on the Prego Colombo menu for sure.

Now, Prego is in Thailand and in Colombo, both places where it might be challenging to bring in those Italian ingredients – Colombo specifically. How are you going to manage that challenge?

I think that Colombo is even more challenging than Thailand. It was challenging in Thailand when I arrived 20 years ago, and then after Italian food became more popular, it’s easier to source those authentic ingredients. Colombo is a little bit behind in that aspect, so the challenge is to adapt well. We have to visit the markets and see what they give us. 

We always find a solution for our food. I see a lot of vegetables that can go with my recipes, and with the beautiful beaches and seas we have around the island, I’m sure that we can have different seafood dishes. 

What has been the most rewarding part of working with the ONYX Hospitality brand and bringing your Italian heritage to the other side of the world?

It’s an absolute honour. I started at ONYX over 22 years ago but was not expecting this kind of success with the first Prego restaurant when back in 2003, I opened the first Prego in Ko Samui. Then came the second one in Bangkok, the third one in Pattaya, and the fourth one in Phuket. I was amazed to see how beautiful and welcoming everyone was to and within Prego.

It was an honour when they told me that they are going abroad from Thailand to Sri Lanka and that they wanted me to open another Prego at Amari Colombo. I am so honoured to take what my grandmother gave me – her passion for food, and her wonderful recipes – and take it around the world. That’s the best part of the whole thing for me. 

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)