FILIP BOYEN

Viva Viviana Varese Milano, Italy

From a panoramic view of Milan's Piazza XV Aprile to an inspiring journey through the high-end gastronomy world, Chef Viviana Varese's story offers a refreshing perspective on the entrenched culture of the culinary industry. Despite being widely recognized as "misogynistic, white and racist," Varese has carved her own niche, demonstrating that talent and passion can outshine traditional stereotypes and biases.

Viviana is an active advocate for diversity and equal opportunity within her industry. Born in the Amalfi Coast, her experience as an immigrant, combined with the challenges she faced due to her weight and sexual orientation, inform her approach in the kitchen and beyond. Today, her restaurants serve as a beacon of change, championing inclusive hiring practices and equal opportunity.

Viviana Varese is not only recognized for her culinary talent, with her restaurant Viva earning a Michelin star and a spot on the coveted "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list, but also for her advocacy for marginalized groups. Her workforce is notably diverse, featuring former drug addicts, refugees, and a balanced gender representation.

The narrative of the HoteliersGuild BEYONDCUISINE and the SIRUIUSACADEMYAWARD scholarship campaign aligns perfectly with Viviana's vision. The scholarships, designed to assist black African females, promote equal opportunity in the hotel and gastronomy industry, a sector notorious for its racial and gender disparities.

Viviana's story serves as a testament to the impact of such initiatives. By fostering talent and diversity in an industry that has long been criticized for its exclusivity, BeyondCuisine, along with Viviana, is advocating for change, equality, and fair representation in high cuisine.

Applauding Viviana for her steadfastness, here's the trigger for my own 'outburst', a summary outline of an excellent article, "High cuisine is still overwhelmingly misogynistic", white and racist" written by Anne Goebel and published in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Varese's restaurant 'Viva', located in Milan, has earned her significant recognition including a Michelin star and a spot on 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants' list for its innovation.

The article delves into Varese's unique perspective on gastronomy which is deeply influenced by her personal journey as a lesbian woman from the south of Italy, often belittled as 'terroni' or earth eaters. Despite facing numerous rejections in her early career due to her gender, Varese emerged as a successful self-taught chef. She shares her concerns about the prevalent exclusion, lack of equal opportunities, and entrenched hierarchies within the culinary world, and expresses her desire to change these dynamics.

Varese's activism extends to her kitchen, where she employs a diverse brigade including women, former drug addicts, refugees, and people from all backgrounds. Her restaurant décor echoes her advocacy for diversity and inclusivity, featuring coloured glass objects, friendly light wood, and rainbow-coloured cutlery.

Her personal experiences of discrimination have also influenced her culinary style, with dishes like the grilled artichoke heart with dark chocolate and liquorice, and the small steamed pizza ball with a sweet tomato centre reflecting the flavours of her southern Italian origins.

In addition, she spearheads a project called 'Io sono viva', employing victims of domestic violence to create ice cream creations, fruit tarts, and breakfast brioches. The restaurant also sources locally produced vegetables and fruits from the Amalfi Coast and her own garden attached to her second restaurant, 'Villadorata', in Sicily.

Through the article, Viviana asserts her stance against the discrimination still prevalent in high cuisine, emphasizing the necessity for inclusion and diversity, and sharing her commitment to disrupting traditional hierarchies within the culinary world.