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Jakarta Post

Oriana Tirabassi: A chef with many passions

Courtesy of Oriana TirabassiJakarta’s five-star establishments and independent restaurants have lured many foreign chefs to our capital over the last decade

Erza S.T. (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, June 23, 2011

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Oriana Tirabassi: A chef with many passions

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span class="inline inline-left">Courtesy of Oriana TirabassiJakarta’s five-star establishments and independent restaurants have lured many foreign chefs to our capital over the last decade.

Some of them survived the Big Durian, leaving food lovers here with a memorable experience, while others were quickly forgotten upon departing for greener shores.

However, chef Oriana Tirabassi at Shangri-La Hotel’s Rosso restaurant is likely to leave a lasting impression on Jakarta.

Oriana is not your usual kind of chef. Not only does her larger-than-life personality exude genuine sincerity, her passion for cooking has also already impressed the city.

In the seven months she has been in Jakarta, Oriana’s creative dishes have successfully satiated food lovers’ cravings for Italian cuisine. The food maestro now in her mid-40s doesn’t follow stereotypical home-cooked recipes, but infuses her cooking with a modern touch.

“Italian cuisine is not just home cooking, it is way beyond that. It is an art, passion and culture of its own. Many great poets, philosophers and artists of all time have left indelible writings about what Italian cuisine has contributed to human history. For me, Italian cuisine is about originality, using only the best and genuine ingredients to present the best of Italian food. The other thing is, Italian cuisine is also about celebration. Food is not just something to eat, to keep you from starving. Italians consider mealtime as a moment of celebration,” Oriana told The Jakarta Post recently.

Back in Roman history, she went on, the host would have a luxurious dining room set to serve long set menus. Tables were set for a festive banquet, then the food would be presented as if it were a series of performances.

This is what Italian cooking is all about according to Oriana, who is passionate about introducing her guests at Rosso to Italy’s culinary treasures.

But some of you might wonder what made her so passionate about cooking.

“It is my grandmother who was the earliest and biggest influence. My family was always involved in the food business, especially my grandmother who, back then, was considered one of the greatest chefs in the region where I grew up. She is the one who nurtured my cooking skills and inspired me and my creations even until this day. She can recognize the quality of ingredients by her senses and always cooks with passion and all her heart, instead of just following recipes.”

With all the encouragement her grandmother gave her, Oriana opened her first restaurant in 1987.

“I married at the very young age of 18 and as soon as I had a husband and a baby, I needed to stay around the house more than before to take care my family. During this period, I spent much time in my in the kitchen, which gave me the opportunity to explore my creativity in this field. I discovered my passion for cooking once again.”

It was actually Oriana’s husband who suggested she should open a restaurant, she recalled. So, she gave it a try and that is how it all started.

Oriana has lived a rich and colorful life so far, having done pretty much everything from athletics, winning the Italian Junior national championships, to studying art and working as a stylist for Gucci fashion house.

She finds both fashion and food interesting, as they require a sense of art and a certain level of creativity in order to ensure innovation.

“I always like to present a dish the same way I present a fashion item. My dishes not only please the taste buds, but also the eye of the beholder.”

On top of all of these achievements, Oriana is also famous for her acrobatic pizza spinning. Her amazing acrobatic talent combined with her incredibly delicious pizza made her the only woman to ever win the Pizza World Championship 1994 in Las Vegas — a feat that still belongs to her until today.

“Pizza has been one of my favorite and I take it very seriously. The secret of making a nice pizza is to keep the ingredients for the dough as simple as possible. The dough is the key to making a great pizza aside from perfect maturation time.

When I am flipping pizza into the air, it is not just merely for entertainment, but it is actually an important step to spread the softness evenly — which you can’t do by rolling the dough on a flat surface using a roller,” the pizziolo (a person who makes pizza) exclaimed.

Oriana seems to fit well in this city. With such a dynamic personality, she has found Jakarta to be exciting, especially culinary wise.

Nevertheless, like any other restaurant serving foreign food, Oriana has had to overcome a few hurdles when cooking in Jakarta.

“It is challenging to source the ingredients I need. I only use original ingredients in my cooking to present the best of Italian cuisine to my guests. Most of the ingredients have to be imported and sometimes they are difficult to find. Or if I can find them, it will only be in limited quantities at the local market”.

But despite all these challenges, she still manages to dazzle her loyal customers with her consistent cooking.

So what would Oriana have become had she not decided to be a chef?

“I always loved pretty things like dresses, shoes, flowers or even nice gift boxes. It is always amuses me to be in the middle of creating these nice pretty things. For me, art is in our hands. So yes, creative hand-made practical art is one of my biggest passion aside from cooking.”

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