BORN AND RAISED IN ITALY , CHEF MASSIMO CAPRA FIRST ENTERED THE CULINARY INDUSTRY AT JUST 15 YEARS OF AGE . His boss at the time , Michael Carleyale , had passion for food and wine that inspired Massimo to choose cooking as a lifelong career . After many years of working and training in Italy , Massimo moved to Canada in 1982 . Since that time , Massimo has been behind many popular restaurants including the Rainbow Room , Boccone Trattoria Veloce , Boccone Pronto , Soprafino Restaurant and Capra ’ s Kitchen . He is also a published author , receiving the Gold Canadian Culinary Book Award for “ 3 Chefs : The kitchen men ” in 2011 . Massimo has appeared on many TV programs including the Marc & Mandy Show , CityLine , Restaurant Makeover and Chopped Canada .
CANADIAN HOME TRENDS What is your signature dish ?
MASSIMO CAPRA One of the dishes I am proud of is “ Red Beet Risotto ” which is completely my creation and copied the world over . Other popular choices include Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragù , Wild Boar Agnolotti , Pistachio Crusted Swordfish and Mustard Crusted Black Cod .
CHT Name the three kitchen tools you can ’ t do without ?
MC Mandoline , pasta sheeter and wooden spoons .
CHT What chefs do you admire for their work and career ?
MC Daniel Boulud , Jose Andres and Italian Food Philosophy
CHT What is your favorite food and beverage trend ?
MC I despise food trends , CATEGORICALLY ! It reduces food and nutrition to a pedestrian , vapid , and superficial way of thinking .
CHT What is one ingredient that you use in every dish ( or almost every )?
MC Onions , garlic and olive oil . CHT What is your go-to seasoning ?
MC The high quality food I use already has a lot of flavor . I seldom hide it with excessive spicing and powders . A touch of salt to balance and appropriate seasoning is all it takes .