'I teach the technique, not the dish'

She fits the profile perfectly. In her chef's outfit, her cheerful blushing face and bountiful figure, chef Susy Massetti fits the profile of a mother ... La Mamma.

A mother who is on her feet for hours on end, working in the kitchen over the heat of a scorching stove to prepare the perfect meal.

Her food may not be the best you have ever tasted, but she cooks with her heart; she cooks with love; she cooks with passion - and that is a rare commodity.

Chef Susy is bustling in and out of the kitchen of La Mamma at the Sheraton Hotel.

Soul chef

She is fusing over the food and peering over her customers. "I want everyone to be happy and to enjoy my food," she says, barely having enough spare time to sit down for an interview on her cooking classes.
 
"The classes are open to everybody who enjoys the company of their family and friends. Food is something to enjoy and must be shared," she says.

Chef Susy enjoys nothing more than cooking. "I was literally born in a restaurant. My mom simply didn't know what was going on and she had me while she was in the kitchen. Since I was 9, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I used to watch my mother, who is also a chef and I just knew."

All in the family

Chef Susy comes from a family of chefs. "My mother is a chef, my grandmother is a chef, my brother is a chef and so is my daughter but she won't admit it yet," she says with a twinkle in her eyes."

One of the major reasons she came to the UAE, she says, is because "it is so like Italy where family is important. You take time off for lunch. I wanted to come to a place where people enjoyed food".

Classes

Don't expect her cooking lessons to be conventional classes.

"It is not just me talking to a class of students. My classes are fun. We experiment. Tea and coffee are passed around during the class. During the class there is a lot of brainstorming and talking. It is an open discussion and a friendly environment. After the class we have a half-hour break to tidy up and prepare a table to eat what we've made during the lesson. You are welcome to invite friends and family."

She teaches you how "to do something very nice with very little".

"I teach the technique, not the dish. I teach five different techniques."

For example, she says, "I teach you how to use a sauté pan," enlightening me on the use of pans.

"If the pan is very hot then the food will taste different from when the pan is cold. Once you know the technique, you can use duck instead of meat or fish. You can use whatever you want as long as you know the technique."

"People ask why it doesn't taste so good even though they used the exact same ingredients. It is because the technique is wrong. All is right and all is wrong in cooking depending on the dish you are making but the most important thing is the pan. With one skillet you can do wonders."

Italian cooking

The Italian chef adds in a delicious Italian accent, "I am not teaching Italian food per se, it is the way of cooking. I won't teach you how to make a lasagna."

For the majority of us, speaking of Italian food conjures up images of a large pizza or a steaming plate of hot pasta smothered in Bolognese sauce.

"Italian food has many influences. There are 20 different regions in Italy and each region does its food in a different way. Italian food is not just pizza, lasagna and tomato sauce," says Susy.

"Italian food is full of stereotypes. One of the major ones is tomato sauce. The only fact that you can generalise about all Italian food is parsley. We use a lot of parsley and we put it on everything. We even have a saying in Italy ? Sei come il prezzemoco meaning 'you are just like parsley' - you are everywhere."

Simple cuisine

In three words, chef Susy sums up Italian cuisine: Simple, straightforward and honest.

"If you get lasagna, you know it is going to taste like lasagna. If it looks like cream cheese, it will taste like cream cheese. There is no fuss about it. You can experiment but keep it simple and uncomplicated."

"My food is 100 per cent Italian in its soul but I use ingredients from all over. Chinese, Indian, North African ? I love to experiment but cook with my soul."

"Good food is food that is done by the heart and prepared with love." 

Course structure

- One class session lasts up to 2 hours including the actual meal preparation.

- Each cooking class will equip the participant on the preparation of a complete meal from appetisers to desserts. The menu will be based on chef Susy's cookbook, Mangia.

- There will be five different cooking class sessions, so a participant in one session can join another scheduled session as each one offers a different menu, different techniques and recipes.

- One may take only one or more sessions.

Who can join

- Open to mothers, housewives, ladies or men.

- An invitation will be extended to the spouse who would also like to join for lunch or dinner (at the same menu and price).

- Each class should have a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 participants.

How to join

- Just call (02) 6970 224 (F&B office) or (02) 6970 258 (La Mamma) to sign up.

- The fee is Dh75 net per person per session, which includes the two-hour cooking class, meal prepared in class with coffee, tea and water at the La Mamma restaurant.

Timings

- Classes are being held on Sundays and/or Thursdays.

- Morning session: 9.30 to 11.30am. (
A two-hour cooking class inclusive of lunch, prepared in class plus coffee, tea, water at La Mamma restaurant, and an invitation to the spouse who would like to join.)

- Afternoon session: 4.30 to 6.30pm.
(A two-hour cooking class inclusive of dinner, prepared in class plus coffee, tea, water at La Mamma restaurant, and an invitation to the spouse who would like to join.)

Incentives

- One personalised apron, recipe cards and a group photo per participant, per class.

- Those participants who complete five sessions will get a complimentary copy of chef Susy Massetti's Mangai cookbook (per person) with all five techniques and recipes and a certificate of participation.