Abu Dhabi: We know talented chefs. We have seen gifted artists.
But here is an Italian chef who has turned around his culinary skills into a performance art.
Meet Pasqualino Barbasso, a pizza acrobat from Sicily whose entertainment show at Prego’s at Beach Rotana is as much a super hit as the pizzas he bakes.
Watch him twist, turn and toss around the pizza dough on his finger tips while shaking his legs to groovy Italian pop numbers. Much like ribbons changing shapes and colours in a magician’s hands, the flour dough swirls up in thin air, increases its circumference, lands back safely and twirls on his fingers as flowers, Frisbees and umbrellas.
When you think you have the chance to take off your eyes to enjoy a bite form your plate, you see Barbasso lie on the floor and fling his dough from one hand to the other from under his legs. Next moment, he springs to his feet and storms across the restaurant juggling two and then three set of dough simultaneously up in the air and around his body.
The show is not over till he works around a massive 1kg pile of dough that grows bigger and bigger into a round flour carpet that he swings around without breaking it.
“This comes from years of practice. I have been doing it since I was 24,” the 40-year-old chef told XPRESS.
Barbasso said he started juggling his dough for fun. “I never thought this will get professional.”
After his first show outside Italy as a pizza acrobat, Barbasso has travelled to almost every country on the Atlas except Australia where he will soon be visiting. He is recognised by the Sicily’s Acrobatic Pizza Championship and has even won the World Champion title in 2001 and 2002. Barbaso also runs a pizza acrobat training institute back home in Sicily.
“Good food and entertainment go hand in hand. As a chef I keep experimenting with my ingredients to make new dishes. The entertainer in me works on new acrobatic tricks that will entertain my guests,” said Barbasso.
So if you are looking for more than just pizza on the menu, head to Prego’s at Beach Rotana where he will be performing till the end of next week.
