Chef Igor Macchia

Igor Macchia, Italian Michelin-starred Chef

What do you do and how did you get into the industry?
At the moment, I’m managing three restaurants: La Credenza restaurant in San Maurizio Canavese; Casa Format restaurant in Orbassano; and L’origine by La Credenza restaurant in Taipei. I’m more hands on in Casa Format at the moment because it is our most recently opened. I started to work in the kitchen when I was 16. From the very first day on it has continued to be a roller coaster ride that has lasted 23 years so far. It’s been a lot of fun!

Share with us an interesting story from behind the scenes.
At the beginning of my career, when I was working at la Credenza as a commis, we use to serve homemade ravioli with fondue cheese. It was a very popular dish, selling quite well. One night, I didn’t realize, but I mistakenly served all the ravioli with a peach sauce, that looked very similar to the fondue cheese. To this day the chef has never found out 😉

What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
Both the best and the worst is that you never know what is going to happen during your day. It can be very exciting on one hand, but also difficult on the other.

What’s your favourite place to travel?
I love Asia and I’m lucky enough to get over there quite often.

What’s one of the wildest/ scariest/ funniest/ most outrageous things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
Behind the scenes, life in a restaurant is always a combination of wild, scary, funny and outrageous. But as they say about Vegas… “What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen…”

The perfect day off would be…
Going around my region and sourcing new ingredients and producers.

A day in the life of a chef is...
never boring. There are always new and challenging ideas arising.

What do you do for fun?
I love traveling. As soon as I get a chance I leave. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for a day trip or longer one.

What’s something you’d like guests to know about Casa Format Restaurant?
Casa Format is a new project. It’s eco-friendly and sustainable. We grow our own vegetables, interpret them in the kitchen and serve them in a modern setting.

What’s your favourite food and wine pairing?
I love cheeses with a good glass of Barolo.

What’s your view on the food scene in Torino?
Torino is getting more and more popular as a destination for food and wine. It is a modern and nice city worth exploration.

What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?
October and November will be the season of white truffles in Italy! A great time to plan a visit.

Check out Casa Format here and La Credenza here.

3 Comments

  1. Wow! 16 is an early age, so young!

  2. I love hearing the personal stories of the chefs and this is no exception. Cheers Diane

  3. Great interview and he has a brilliant smile!

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