A champion of street food fare
Italian celebrity chef Rubio who is in Sri Lanka as ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for an event to mark World Food Day 2019 talks to Sashini Rodrigo
In an age of extreme diets and fast food, the important thing is to fight for something that makes your future look and taste better. This is the advice Italian celebrity chef Rubio has for his viewers.
Besides being a renowned TV personality, Chef Rubio is also the ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). In Sri Lanka this week for a forum commemorating World Food Day 2019 organised by the Embassy of Italy, he spoke to the Sunday Times in an exclusive interview about his life’s journey, his work with IFAD and his simple solution to maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
Born Gabriele Rubini in Frascati, Italy, to a middleclass family, his passion for food has been lifelong, but he only became ‘Chef Rubio’ more recently, he says. He just needed to wait for “the right moment to push harder for that path”.
After finishing his schooling, Rubio focused on playing professional rugby. He also began studying law, but soon realised the bureaucracy didn’t match his character or schedule. “I like to fight for the right things,” he tells us and this is a defining characteristic that has stuck with him throughout his life.
In between his rugby, Rubio also began to forge a new path for himself — this time in the kitchen. Although initially seeing it as a fallback career, Rubio found that it actually made him happy and it wasn’t a great loss when injuries prevented him from moving further in rugby.
He worked as a commis chef for two Italian restaurants and at the age of 21, realised that this was his calling. “Even if I was working 15 hours per day, I was happy. I didn’t feel the pressure because my training was hard. It was like being in a relaxing situation in the kitchen,” he says.
He continued his culinary studies at ALMA - the International School of Italian Cuisine in Italy. After graduating in 2010, Rubio realised he didn’t want to be a part of the standard kitchen hierarchy, instead preferring to be his own boss and learn from his own mistakes. He has since worked as a freelance chef and consultant in many countries, including a stint under Michelin starred Chef Alessandro Breda in his renowned restaurant Gellius.
As he travelled the world, Rubio would sometimes make culinary videos for fun, focusing on simple and traditional fare that is accessible to everyone rather than the “fancy” cuisine that was always shown on television.
Eventually, he was noticed by Discovery Channel, which commissioned Unti e Bisunti (Greasy and Greasier), a series dedicated to street-food which made Chef Rubio the household name that he is today.
Rubio has always respected the people on the street and this is where his show gets its inspiration. “All the rules that exist to make money are not ones to protect the culture.” To Rubio, talking about street food and the people who make it is important to showcase their existence and protect their culture.
He also became heavily involved in charity and social initiatives, teaching people with disabilities as well as those in prisons and hospitals. This work led to his appointment as an ambassador for IFAD, and consequently his journey to Sri Lanka.
As part of his work with IFAD, Chef Rubio attended the forum commemorating World Food Day 2019 this Wednesday organised by the Italian Embassy in Colombo, in partnership with Sri Lanka Tourism, the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management and the Chefs’ Guild of Lanka, joining a panel of local experts discussing the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
Screening his ‘Recipes 4 Change’ video filmed in Anuradhapura where he visited a Sri Lankan family and cooked along with them whilst imparting information on nutritional and sustainability aspects, Rubio addressed the importance of recognising and learning the value of traditional ingredients. “The focus is to bring back the knowledge about these plants that are good for many things that are also part of your culture, which young people don’t know about.”
Informing the younger generation about the benefits of traditional ingredients is something that Rubio is particularly passionate about. He points out that the Moringa ( murunga) plant, for example, and all its natural benefits and properties have long been forgotten, which he hopes to change with this video.
Just like with the murunga plant, he tells us the value of the traditional Italian/ Mediterranean diet is in its ingredients. Rubio has found that preserving the traditional cooking methods and recipes of each culture and natural benefits of those ingredients is something that is common to every culture.
As the fast food industry continues to rise in scale, Rubio uses everything in his arsenal (including his own social media pages) to show people how to eat healthy, just like their grandparents used to — a positive and healthy influence amongst the “Rolexes and diet pills” as he wryly puts it.
“It’s important to be on the frontlines, fighting for things like this. If you know how to grow and cook these plants, maybe you’ll have a better future because you’ll be healthier and happier and you’ll know more about your culture,” he adds.