CHEF PROFILE: GIANFRANCO VISSANI

"The secret of my cooking? It's really all in the ingredients" says master chef Gianfranco Vissani of his culinary success. In the last few years, he has won a place at the pinnacle of international cuisine and knows what he's talking about: the proof may be in the pudding but the moment of truth is not in his characteristically short cooking time, but in the careful selection of the primary ingredients. Vissani views the Italian cuisine as a string of regional traditions which can change dramatically from one village to the next. There are no set rules, no firm standard prepartation of even traditional favorites such as bucatini all'amatriciana, pasta e fagioli or cassata siciliana. Each dish is interpreted in a different way, according to local customs and ingredients. It's up to any serious chef, to travel throughout Italy and study the differences and subtle nuances of each region first-hand. Gianfranco Vissani is a proponent of high-quality cuisine, based on genuine ingredients and traditional Italian dishes reinterpreted with a dash of his unique creative flair. His tortini are renowned, as are his spectcular compostion and original taste combinations. Of the wide range of components available, Vissani shows a marked preference for fish, shellfish and vegetables -- light and versatile ingredients that allow the imagination free range. According the the master-chef, vegetables are sure to be the heroes of tomorrow's cooking trends, along with aromatic herbs whose role will be extended beyond food preparation to use in beverages. Without a doubt, Vissani is the man of the moment. "Esquire" magazine recently dedicated an article to the five Italains most famous in the US at present: Roberto Benigni, Giorgio Armani, Oliviero Toscani, Giancarlo Giannini and Gianfranco Vissani. The accomplished chef began his career in Umbro, in Orvieto, at the age of 13 at his parents' restaurant on the Lago di Corbara. Travelling through Italy, he refined his culinary talents working in large restaurants and hotels in Venice, Genoa, Florence, Rome, Naples and Cortina d'Ampezzo. For some years now, he has taught a course in nutritional agriculture and haut cuisine at the very institiute which trained him, the Istituto alberghiero di Spoleto. This experience has sparked his fondest dream -- the foundation of a cooking college in his home region. He is often called upon to instruct apprentices and give courses in various parts of the world, places such as California, Australia, Japan, Germany, Thailand, Singapore... His accomplishments at the Casina Valadier, widely considered the jewel of the Pincio, bear witness to the chef's growing role in Italian gastronomy. The Pincio, constructed from 1810-1818, was the first grounds created in Rome as part of an initiative to make green zones available to the public at large. The Pincio hillside lent itself well to the project, being an area occupied in Roman times by several splendid aristocratic villas which the old Romans surrounded with their orti. The transformation to public park was planned and supervised by the architect and Roman archeologist Giuseppe Valadier. It was the largest project in an urban renewal campaign centered around the Piazza del Popolo zone which includes the Augustinian monastery, the gardens, the Pincio hillsides and the Casina. Visitors passing the Casina Valadier, which houses Gianfranco Vissani's prestigious restaurant, will soon encounter the vast Piazzale Napoleone I and the terrazza del Pincio which offers one of the most beautiful and best-known panoramic views of Rome.

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