When you arrive in Milan you are greeted with a sight not so dissimilar to London, tall buildings and a fast pace of life that swallows you up as soon as you arrive at the station. However, in Milan there is that Italian touch which means there is a particular “style” everywhere you turn, coffee from heaven and the history, well, it can literally take your breath away with landmarks such as the World famous Duomo.
After confirming that Viviana Varese would join our collection of Great Italian Chefs for the app launching in October I travelled over to Milan to visit her famous Alice Ristorante for lunch.
Viviana was born in the seaside town of Salerno and started her culinary career in 1994 at the age of 21 when she took an internship at the restaurant "Mediterraneo" of Piacenza, followed by another famous restaurant "Albareta" Erbusco to learn under the guidance of the Master Chef Gualtiero Marchesi who is a hero of Italian cooking.
Famous for her exquisite seafood and meat dishes, one of the most unique qualities of Viviana’s new cuisine is her emphasis on gluten-free dishes and in particular, her vegetarian offerings which are light but full of flavour. This is something I wanted to try for myself.
On March 2007 Viviana brought all of her experience and knowledge to Milan to open Alice Ristorante with her friend and partner Sandra Ciciriello who researches every product and ingredient for Viviana creating an unbeatable duo. It was not long until Alice Restaurant was awarded with the Michelin Star and praise from L’Espresso and the Gambero Rosso guides.