Neven cooks up a treat as he delights in love for Italy
Maguire TV chef Neven Maguire said he had the best three weeks of his life filming his new cooking and travel series.
The 42-year-old father of two not only learnt the secrets of Tuscan cooking in Italian Food Trails but he also got an adrenalinpumping experience in a racing Ferrari and a microlight aircraft.
But it was meeting the local producers of parma ham, cheese, prosecco and balsamic vinegar the Cavan chef really relished.
He said: “It’s a very privileged experience to go to Italy – a country I love and whose food I love – just to see their love of food and the way they really appreciate traditions.
“It’s not gimmicky, it’s real food.
RESPECT
“And I had the best three weeks of my life. I’m even drinking prosecco now.
“You hear from some of the producers that they learned from their grandmother and their mother – that’s the beauty of it.
“It’s in their blood, good food, they eat so seasonably and they eat from their own region, which is very important.
“They have respect for their ingredients, their traditions, their cultures.
“I’m a chef and you think you know a lot about food but by God did I learn a lot about produce.
Neven’s Italian Food Trails airs on RTE One on Thursday at 7pm.