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	INTERVIEW with Chef Fernando Garcia of Piatto Bistro
	interview LORI McLORN     photo STEVE UHRANEY

	Where were you born Fernando? I was born in Madrid, Spain. When did you first take a direction towards cooking? I was born in 1951. I started to cook when I was 12 years old, I’m 60 now and still have the same energy in the kitchen as I did when I was much younger. What truly inspired you to acquire that culinary emotion? Today we integrate many cultures into our cooking with their diverse techniques. Truly though, it is the mother and the grandmother that inspire us. In my point of view, women are the head of the family – it really starts at home. What are some of your past accomplishments? Well let’s see, I had a restaurant in Madrid and then I traveled all over the world. I opened a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta - had two restaurants in San Francisco for 14 years and a restaurant in Honolulu. I then relocated to Vancouver in 1994 and had a restaurant in the Famous "Gas Town" district. However, during that time, the economy and real estate market were suffering and although we were an exceptional restaurant, we had very few customers. That must have been hard for you? When you are a person that has a special quality and you know it, you give your heart. Like me, I know that I am a good chef. You show it. You work hard and you are told that you are great. Yes, it was very hard. Today it’s all about entertainment. The young people are confused. They think they are going to be a great chef in six months time by watching these Food Network shows and by working just part-time hours. It is all about hard work and dedication.      Since 1993 you have worked very closely with the owners of Piatto. You must all work well as a team? Yes, it is very important to work as a team. At the same time they give me the freedom and space to create. We are here six to maybe seven days a week. It’s like home for us. I have heard tremendous reviews and recommendations about the service staff at Piatto. Do you have a strict training policy or are they customer service oriented by nature? We have had staff here for more than 20 years and two of them have just recently retired. All of them are extremely professional by nature. What is the most rewarding part of your career? Pleasing the clients. I often come out of the kitchen to talk to our patrons. The other night there was a table of ladies who were engaged in intense conversation. I offered them cappuccino’s to lighten the mood. Later, they came to the kitchen to thank me for my intuition. I was delighted to serve them, I always try to make things better. If Chef Fernando Garcia went to another restaurant to eat dinner (albeit if he had a night off) what would he choose for his meal? A fish of the day or a succulent steak.    What is the most important utensil or item in your kitchen that you can not live without? For sure, it would be my frying pan. Why your frying pan?  I can sauté vegetables, fry French Fries, boil water, roast meat in the oven, heat up soup or simply warm a salad, easily, in one pan. It’s the most diverse tool I utilize in the kitchen.  GL		Chef Fernando Garcia is a man that embraces and exudes a rare and ultimate passion for food, wine and customer service. In his lifetime, Chef Fernando has made his mark around the world with his extraordinary accomplishments. However he is really quite content satisfying his loyal following of new and faithful clientele at Piatto Bistro here in Mississauga. His European up-bringing, education and culinary studies reflect the importance of customer service in a restaurant - from the purchasing of fresh ingredients to simply serving a cappuccino to a guest. We chatted at length about the lost profession of customer service, food quality and passion for the art of cooking and pleasing people.