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Journalism of Courage
A pizza champion who adds chocolate and vanilla to her toppings, Oriana Tirabassi wants you to change your festive menu
Most of us enjoy snacking on crusty pizzas. But how many have tried feasting on a pizza dessert? Chef Oriana Tirabassi, appointed as the Chef de cuisine at the Mezzo Mezzo restaurant at JW Marriott in Juhu, makes sure that pizza desserts become an integral part of this festive season.
Known for inventing new dishes and an
expert in menu engineering, it is her signature dishes like pizza desserts8212; pizza topped with fruits, chocolate and vanilla cream 8212;that have earned her a distinction.
Tirabassi8217;s name may not be as renowned as Anthony Bourdain or Gordon Ramsay, but it is her unique distinction of making 8216;sweet pizza8217; has taken her around the world to Raffles the Plaza, Singapore, Grotta Palazzese, Leipzig, in Germany and Son Amar in Majorca.
Add to this the distinction of being the only female chef to be ranked number one at the Pizza Championship Awards and you have a biggie. 8220;The top 10 competitors apart from me were male, and the last thing I expected was to win. I was standing with my friends, enjoying the air of competition, spirit and fun when the jury announced my name over the mic,8221; she says with excitement.
While pizza helps her earn her daily bread, making pizza dessert is her forte. 8220;A friend in Italy loves desserts and as a surprise to him I adapted the pizza into one that would suit his taste. Through pizza, I believe in exploring different flavours and unknown combinations which will keep my customers coming back,8221; says Tirabassi.
While she hopes to popularise the pizza desserts in India, she wants to fit the aromatic garam masala and the spicy condiments into her pizza making armoury. 8220;With each taste or aroma, I8217;m conjuring different combinations of pizza that I can offer to my guests, personalised to the Indian taste buds,8221; insists Tirabassi.
Indian foods like roomali roti which remind her the way pizza is made, stuffed paratha, chicken gravies and saunf appeal to her palate but the
Indian pizza requires some getting used to. 8220;I grew up on the authentic flavour of Italian pizza, but now I am evolving an Indian taste at a rapid pace,8221; she says politely, adding, 8220;I want to introduce an entirely new style of pizza making to the cosmopolitan Indian.8221; She hopes to use techniques that revolve around using spices, tropical veggies and Indian condiments. 8220;I also deem it absolutely essential to add wine in Italian food as it forms a core and authentic ingredient.8221;
