Supermarket shelves usually packed with flour, pasta and tomatoes were completely empty.
We all dedicated more time to cooking and eating together and the enthusiasm for homemade bread and pizza reached unprecedented heights.
Confined to our homes and unable to dine in restaurants, we had more money to invest in the highest quality products offered by the best restaurateurs and chefs in Australia who, due to the pandemic, had to reinvent themselves.
Among them is Luca Ciano, a Milanese chef who has lived in Australia for around 20 years.
Ciano’s stellar career began at one of the most famous and prestigious Milanese restaurants, Il Posto di Aimo e Nadia, a family-run business founded in the 1960s and currently managed by the daughter of the original owners.
During his time at the restaurant, Ciano fell in love with the concept of simple cuisine, using only the best ingredients.
“[We served] seasonal dishes, prepared with respect, like spaghetti with onion, a dish created in 1965, which brings out the gentle, elegant side of the onion,” he said in an interview.
“It’s simple, but absolutely incredible.”
During the 1990s, when Ciano was working at the restaurant, it earned its second Michelin star.
In addition to the philosophy of simplicity and the quality of ingredients – which was valued by the Japanese in the 1980s and pioneered by Aimo and Nadia Moroni – Ciano also learned another important lesson: the need to reinvent himself, remaining faithful to the solid foundation of Italian cuisine.
Ciano began cooking at the age of eight with his mother and grandmother, from whom he inherited a passion for food and respect for others.
Following his studies, seasons in restaurants at holiday resorts and years at Il Posto di Aimo e Nadia, Ciano worked at London’s prestigious Millennium Gloucester Hotel and the Relais & Châteaux resort in Bermuda.
Upon his arrival in Australia, he worked in prestigious venues, such as Sheraton on the Park and The Westin in Sydney, and Cypress Lakes Resort in the Hunter Valley.
In 2008, Ciano joined Barilla Australia and established the Casa Barilla cooking school in Sydney, where he still offers regular hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations.
Based on regional Italian gastronomy, and showcasing the breadth of Italy’s cuisine, he has travels with this concept around Australia, New Zealand and many Asian countries.
Throughout his career, Ciano has been awarded by the Professional Italian Chef Association (APCI), has collaborated with myriad restaurants, magazines and Italian brands, and has become a popular television personality, with his most recent program, Luca’s Key Ingredient, airing on Network 10.
In his work, it’s clear that Ciano has never forgotten the lesson he learned all those years ago at Il Posto di Aimo e Nadia, as he continues to change his skin without ever forgetting his roots and values.
In 2015, Ciano reinvented himself, bringing a wide range of products, such as ready-made sauces, olive oil and fresh pasta to the Australian and Asian markets.
The following year, he published his first cookbook, Luca’s Seasonal Journey, and last year, perhaps as a result of the lockdown, he published his second: Luca’s Culinary Journey.
You won’t find complicated recipes in either of the cookbooks, because Ciano’s goal is always the same: “Simple food and fresh, seasonal ingredients.”
We wouldn’t expect anything less from a chef whose favourite dish is the essence of Italian cuisine: “Spaghetti with tomato, basil and Parmigiano Reggiano.”