A family that cooks together
How about this one for a family matter… and a family business at that?
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By Don Mendoza, TODAY | Posted: 30 May 2009 0731 hrs
Nestled a few stones’ throw from the heart of the city, Trattoria Da Paolo, then, was one of only a handful of authentic Italian eateries on the island — an astonishing fact, when you consider our protracted (at least as far back as this 38-year-old can recall) and rather curious obsession with Italian food.
Capitalising on its strengths in this vastly popular cuisine, the casual start-up by executive chef Paola Scarpa and his wife Judie has since diversified and grown into a gourmet dynasty of sorts, comprising no less than 10 food and beverage enterprises.
Clearly, chef Paolo can’t be at all restaurants at one time, but he is still king of his kitchens, ensuring the standards he has worked hard to attain. His son Andrea is now also a chef and, like his dad, thrives on hard physical work, his mum Judie proudly declared.
The 22-year-old graduated top of his class at a renowned culinary academy in Parma and is currently garnering experience in Europe at leading Italian restaurants, before he returns home to help run the family business.
Call it what you want, but surviving our fickle — though not always discerning — palates and two of our country’s worst economic storms, and coming away as a leading brand name in Italian fine foods is no mean feat.
In late-June, the opening of Da Paolo Group’s latest Gastronomia outfit (its fifth gourmet store, at Marina Bay) will aim to lay proof of its continued success.
“There is always hay to be made,” Judie said. “We also believe that in this current economic gloom, our products are extremely attractive to professionals working and living in the vicinity.”
Enjoying such high quality food at a restaurant, she explained, can be a relatively expensive affair. “But these cost only a fraction at a gourmet cum eat-in concept store.”
Okay, so its new mushroom with taleggio cheese sandwich (S$10) I sampled can’t compare to the homemade egg pasta filled with braised veal in veal jus (S$24, at Da Paolo’s Il Giardino on Bukit Timah Road). But that’s not the point, is it?
While they are called sandwiches, they aren’t quite what many delis would serve. Premium ingredients aside, the freshly baked country bread I selected for my sandwich also flaunted a freshness I could actually taste.
Despite its modern-minimalist facade, the new Gastronomia outlet will be taking the same unpretentious approach to fine dining — that is, serving fine foods without the prudish peculiarities of a meal at a fine-diner.
And, unlike its other outlets, it will be serving new pasta dishes whipped up a la minute — these will average S$12 to S$15 per serving. There will also be new salads and Italian wines sold by the glass, alongside the usual staple of desserts. The lemon tart (S$8) that I often have is just the generously portioned, nicely sweet and sour delight I would go for after a light savoury meal.
But how is this thriving family business planning to keep up with Singapore’s continually changing culinary landscape? By “keeping it together in the family”, of course.
Daughter Francesca, 26, is now one of the group’s directors. “She has ambitions to bring the business to the next level, so it was a natural progression,” Judie explained.
“She also felt that it was her duty to relieve her parents of the day to day running, so that we can slow down and enjoy the fruits of our labour.”
Da Paolo Gastronomia is scheduled to open in the third week of June at The Sail (#01-15 Tower 2).
- TODAY/ yt
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.
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