Luca Govoni

Alma

piazza Garibaldi, 26
43052 Colorno (Parma)
+39 0521.525211

Born in Florence in 1979 but raised in multiple places, Luca Govoni is now a professor at Alma in Colorno. He’s a populiser of food culture with a previous experience as cook: «I was already enjoying this in middle school», he recalls, «but I stopped when I got my classmates – then 13 – drank after adding too much rum to my babà cakes». Later he works at the restaurant from his first year at university in Pavia: during the day, he studies Preservation and restoration of cultural goods, specialising in history and art, while in the evening he works as a kitchen hand at Osteria delle Carceri, next to Laura Curti, his first teacher. «It was perfect», says Govoni «I’d read while washing the dishes». Except he has a talent for cooking, so he was later promoted to cooking.

In 2004, after graduating, he’s not sure if it’s best to continue with his studies or become a chef for good. Historian Alberto Capatti puts him at a crossroads: «You can either go to Bologna and study Food history with Massimo Montanari, or go to this new private school they’re about to open in Colorno». Not having enough money, he chooses the first option and two years later he’s a convinced follower of Montanari, certain that food is always an expression of the culture of a people.

He starts two write for Slow Food: he researches the presidia around the world, and writes about them. A marketing and communication experience, in the Assica firm in Assago, leads him to follow new adventures: he returns to South America, follows the Amazon River. And this leads to a new idea: «I’ll go back to Bologna to study Anthropology». Except he ends up at Alma, in Colorno. In 2011 Luciano Tona and Andrea Sinigaglia ask him to teach “History of food and gastronomy”, his current role. He offers pills of history and wisdom to new kitchen professionals.

Among others, he meets chef Paolo Lopriore here. Together they explore the anthropological roots of our diet and their partnership becomes closer resulting in some of the most brilliant theories on the history and evolution of Italian trattorias.

Has participated in

Identità Milano


by

Gabriele Zanatta

born in Milan, 1973, freelance journalist, coordinator of Identità Golose World restaurant guidebook since 2007, he is a contributor for several magazines and teaches History of gastronomy and Culinary global trends into universities and institutes. 
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