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Chef Giussepe (Pino) Posteraro
By Shayne Stephens
August 26, 2011
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If not for a sobering ‘ah ha’ moment in a hospital ward, Vancouver’s highly decorated chef Pino Posteraro would have been fixing hearts instead of fixing up his signature, award-winning dishes.
“While I was studying to become a doctor, I worked summers in a restaurant,” explains Posteraro. “And every time people left the restaurant, they were smiling, because they were satisfied. When I was doing dialysis with patients, on the other hand, I saw how unhappy they were, and it was hard to watch them suffer. That’s when I realized that there was nothing more rewarding or energizing than working in [foodservice].”
This realization led him to Canada to work in his brother’s restaurant, and then on a world tour to hone his craft at a number of well-known restaurants in Europe and Singapore. In 1999, Posteraro decided to branch out on his own, opening Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill in Vancouver’s trendy Yaletown, and a year later opening Enoteca, Cioppino’s wine library next door. In 2007, Posteraro won the prestigious Gold Medal Plate for Vancouver.
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Voted Vancouver Magazine’s Best Formal Italian Restaurant nine years running, Posteraro obviously has Italian cuisine down pat, which is why he gets frustrated by the way Italian dishes are often presented in North American restaurants.
“There are so many misconceptions,” he says. “A huge one is dividing the cuisine into North and South. There are 21 different authentic regional cuisines in Italy! And each region does things differently, so that division is way too reductive. It’s like watching the Sopranos and saying that all Italians eat with spoons.”
What makes something a truly authentic Italian dish? Here are a few key things:
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First, it is imperative to do your homework. “Travel to Italy! Read books! Seek out an authentic Italian experience,” he says. “If you don’t, it’s like me, even being a professional chef, wanting to make Turkish food, but having never been to Turkey or eaten Turkish food. How can I even begin to understand? How will I understand the cultural way of doing things?”
Secondly, keep things simple. “The reason Italian food gets a little bit disastrous is because people tend to improvise and forget that less is more,” explains Posteraro. “For example, it is always thought that in Italy they use a lot of garlic and oregano in the marinara. This just isn’t true. If you’re going to make good, traditional Italian food, it is essential to keep it simple.”
Third, seek out only the finest ingredients. “Real Italian food is so good because it is so focused on all the amazing ingredients from Mother Nature,” says Posteraro. “In Canada we are blessed with great people who cultivate the land and abundance of produce, seafood, meats and fish. Use fresh, flavorful, quality ingredients and you will have successful Italian dishes.”
Posteraro is now looking to open a casual Italian restaurant featuring true Italian cuisine. What advice does he have for other chefs looking to follow in his footsteps?
“Don’t watch too much Food Network,” he chuckles. “Remember that you cook for a living. Take yourself seriously in the kitchen, but don’t think you’re a rock star, because you’re not. Be passionate. Be true to your roots. And never forget that food is supposed to be about happiness.”
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