Meet Luigi Andrea Calcagno, owner and chief Zibiru, Cucina Italiana in Seminyak, Bali.
I assume you are from Italy. Where in Italy?
I am in Rome. My extended family is in the business F & B, so the passion for good food is a long tradition at us. Our daily lives have revolved around food. When I'm at school, I spent many summers and days worked in kitchens across Europe, South America and New York.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A firefighter or astronaut of course! But make and serve good wholesome food is in my blood, in order to become a chef with my own restaurant was what I always wanted and have now realized.
What made you come to live in Bali?
offered me a job as a chef for a Kuta Italian restaurant in southern called Ifiori restaurant in 2009. I loved it here and by 2012, I opened Zibiru, good faith 'cucina Italiana' on Jl. Drupadi in Seminyak. He was formerly Café Vienna. It is a great introduction - the architecture brings a little nostalgia for the old Bali. I wanted a space that would communicate three things: old Bali, authenticity and usability, as the comforting feeling of being in a friendly place. It is really lovely garden area, and we even have an airy roof terrace where you can see the night sky during dinner.
What Zibiru means
Zibiru is the combination of two names ?; Ziba and Nibiru. Biru means "blue" in Indonesian, and you will notice that the colors throughout the restaurant.
Tell me a funny story or bizarre Bali.
The funny part of Bali that many of us experience is in the bureaucracy. Sometimes it is so complicated, it is comical. It is impossible to plan coherently. We learn to slow down and see the humor in this. Also a really funny thing here is the widespread use of small tools for big jobs! The grass is cut with scissors and small brushes are used for painting large walls!
What are the best things in your life now?
My beautiful life partner, Lisa. In addition, having the time to devote to make food. Our kitchen offers traditional and unique dishes from all regions of Italy from North to South. You can literally take a culinary tour of the country! We make our own pasta, pastries, bread, butter and jam, as well as more exotic foods like foie gras terrine, bottarga and cheese in our 'gastro-workshop ". I like working with different types of meat (such as quail, rabbit and lamb) to my dishes and also creating fresh pasta in various shapes and colors. We harvest our organic heirloom vegetables from our farm in the mountains. I look forward to developing a true dining farm to table. I will not use more than three or four ingredients in each dish to keep it simple in the Italian tradition, so that the quality and freshness of the food stands.
This question is about smoking and the new smoking laws that have been adopted. When did you start smoking?
I started smoking at a very young age! Let us leave.
Do you smoke?
Yes, especially after a meal or with a glass of wine. The rest of the time it is to relieve stress.
What do you think of laws that prohibit smoking in clubs and restaurants?
I do not think these laws are so bad. Anything that helps to make the air cleaner for the public good. I prefer to go smoke-free places. You inhale the smoke so second-hand when a club is crowded with smokers. It is good not to let the smell of cigarettes. As for restaurants, I do not always want to be the table next to smoke inhalation while I eat. I hope the anti-smoking laws are the beginning of laws that protect the air to be contaminated with other pollutants as well.
What do you think of vaping?
I tried, I speak from first-hand experience when I say this is not working. It's just a tobacco substitute for the same ritual, but you are inhaling chemicals instead.
How do you see Bali in ten or twenty years?
I see Bali improved using modern technologies. A modern mentality to good planning is an integral part of creating a good infrastructure here. Once face the fact that Bali is a small town, but a city growing and progressing accordingly, many of the existing problems could be addressed in an organized manner. No need to wait until the streets are flooded quickly correct them at the last minute. If this could be integrated to more sustainable solutions, nature and culture would thrive.
Bali is an international island. It is very metropolitan. People come here from all over the world because Bali has a unique energy, we are all drawn to. This spirit, this energy will always be there.
You can find Luigi in Zibiru info@zibiru.com