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Vania Ghedini, on bringing her passion for no-frills cuisine from Michelin-starred Oro in Venice to Singapore 
<figure id="attachment_141880" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141880" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-141880 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Vania-Ghedini-by-Letizia-Cigliutti-1.jpg" alt="Chef Vania Ghedini now helms Michelin-starred Oro restaurantof Hotel Cipriani." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141880" class="wp-caption-text">Chef Vania Ghedini now helms the Michelin-starred Oro restaurant at Hotel Cipriani in Venice.</figcaption></figure>
As the sunlight plays across the aquamarine waters of <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/venice/belmond-hotel-cipriani/about?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA74G9BhAEEiwA8kNfpTufZtSx-M_Rt1zWC7y-VaM3aLcpwPVa2N8sT2Zxc5LnpojldTW4mxoCT4EQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds?destinasian">Hotel Cipriani&#8217;s</a> huge pool, one of the largest in Venice, the irony is not lost on Vania Ghedini, who helms the hotel&#8217;s Michelin-starred <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/venice/belmond-hotel-cipriani/dining#oro?destinasian">Oro</a> restaurant. Once a champion swimmer, the rigors of 15 years of daily training no longer held any appeal, and she left the water to pursue a calling for cooking.
&#8220;Swimming wasn&#8217;t a passion for me,&#8221; explains Vania, &#8220;I don&#8217;t remember one day that I didn&#8217;t get into the swimming pool—there was never a day off.&#8221;
Coming from a family of bakers, cooking has been a way of life for as long as she can remember. Vania still retains a thirst for culinary knowledge and is always keen to learn new skills to shape her no-frills style of cuisine, where the ingredients speak for themselves.
Vania showcased her talents at the opening residency at the Taste of Italy event at Singapore&#8217;s <a href="https://mandala.club/?destinasian">Mandala Club,</a> featuring top chefs from <a href="https://www.belmond.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA74G9BhAEEiwA8kNfpX4b5Xg7o76cC5nKa6ps0G-5_zXojJkKiNiOnTjNm4eGYnzMcQqXTBoCeXQQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds?destinasian">Belmond&#8217;s</a> Italian hotels. Showstoppers included a deceptively simple-looking roasted eggplant with eggplant cream, coriander, and parmesan sauce; to her homage to the Singaporean favorite: chili pepper crab, with her iteration served with spaghetti.
The local crab shares a similarity with the seasonal soft-shelled Moeche crabs found in Venice. &#8220;You can eat the entire crab,&#8221; explains Vania, &#8220;they are amazing. The fisherman catch them one by one, by hand, from the lagoon. It&#8217;s a very hard job and one that’s actually going to disappear in Venice. Only a few people still have the skills to do it.&#8221;
&#8220;When you think about the produce the fishermen catch every day in Venice, it&#8217;s amazing. We are in the middle of a lagoon, on an island where vegetables grow in the soil &#8216;seasoned&#8217; with the salt from the sea. The taste is fantastic. We have a lot of products that can only be found in Venice.&#8221;
In Vania&#8217;s no-frills cooking style, there&#8217;s nowhere to hide. &#8220;If the ingredients are not top quality or perfect, I can&#8217;t create a miracle. I respect the ingredients, and I work to elevate the flavor,” she explains.
<figure id="attachment_141882" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141882" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-141882 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oro-Restaurant-of-Hotel-Cipriani.jpg" alt="Sunset at Oro Restaurant of Hotel Cipriani." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141882" class="wp-caption-text">Sunset at Oro Restaurant, overlooking the water.</figcaption></figure>
Showcasing that no-frills approach can be spectacular in its simplicity. On the menu at the <a href="https://www.belmond.com/mandala-club?srsltid=AfmBOoq-D4dUt4IEr5DlhWCeQsjvIbXr5isQpE4qYCtLZL4VioG_L8nR?destinasian">Taste of Italy</a> event, the Solo Un&#8217;Insalata (Just a salad) delivered in both aesthetics and taste. At the same time, a palate cleanser of a small green plum, akin to the Italian jujube and marinated in yuzu – was a contradiction of simplicity and complexity. Culinary skills were always part of Vania&#8217;s childhood, not learned through lessons but by watching the everyday workings of the family kitchen, &#8220;We would make fresh ravioli, alongside my grandma, watching her hands. I had to really understand how to make it.&#8221;
Despite an appetite to learn, her dream job nearly didn&#8217;t materialize. When one of Italy&#8217;s greatest chefs, <a href="https://destinasian.com/singapore-dining-torno-subito">Massimo Bottura</a>, called her to open Oro in Venice, Vania turned him down.
&#8220;I was in Marrakech, nine months pregnant with my husband, two cats, and a dog. Massimo called me to say we should open a restaurant in Italy, but I said no. My family couldn&#8217;t believe it. &#8216;Massimo called you, and you said no?!'&#8221;
&#8220;I said to Massimo that I didn&#8217;t want to take the job because I didn&#8217;t know what I was going to face after giving birth, so I didn&#8217;t want to take the responsibility of a new restaurant.&#8221;
But the pull of the opportunity won out. With a young baby in tow, she moved to Venice to open Oro, housed at Venice&#8217;s famous <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/venice/belmond-hotel-cipriani/accommodation?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAzba9BhBhEiwA7glbakPolO3HOAuf0wLRb7eQbQy3gNzBWFHJJgedDDtyqrSTCJUcv7zHZBoCZ7gQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds?destinasian">Hotel Cipriani</a>. The restaurant now holds a Michelin star. While the hotel closed for the winter season this year, the Hotel Cipriani team had the opportunity to enjoy Singapore&#8217;s warmer climes.
While feeding lunch and dinner to discerning diners in an unfamiliar kitchen may faze many, the kitchen is Vania&#8217;s happy place, even though she misses her young son. &#8220;I really miss the smell of my baby; I just want to hug him. But at the same time, I&#8217;m calm and happy because I know my husband is taking care of everything; I don&#8217;t want any more than this.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_141883" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141883" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-141883 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Rombo-Alla-Mugnaia.jpg" alt="Laguna; Rombo Alla Mugnaia." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Rombo-Alla-Mugnaia.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Rombo-Alla-Mugnaia-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Rombo-Alla-Mugnaia-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Rombo-Alla-Mugnaia-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141883" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Signatures of Oro&#8217;s menu: Laguna; Rombo Alla Mugnaia</figcaption></figure>
For a chef, food is the focal point of every day. &#8220;We eat 4-5 times a day because we enjoy it,&#8221; says Vania. Chicken rice (roasted, not boiled) is her Singaporean favorite, along with the fresh mangosteen, jackfruit, and rambutan bought from local foodie favorite Tekka Market. New tastes are essential to constantly challenge her sense of smell and further educate her palate.
&#8220;I love to eat. When my husband and I eat out, he knows I&#8217;ll choose for him because I know what he prefers! Food tells a story of a city. I don&#8217;t like tourist tours; l prefers discovering a city&#8217;s secrets by myself. If I know someone else in the city, I&#8217;ll call to get suggestions of something to see or eat.&#8221;
Asia&#8217;s urban delights, such as  <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/hong-kong">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/macau">Macau,</a> and <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/singapore">Singapore</a>, are all favorite places. &#8220;I love Asia. I want to see more, like <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/japan">Japan</a>, <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/cambodia">Cambodia</a>, and <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/thailand">Thailand</a> (once my baby grows up a little).
&#8220;For now, it&#8217;s mostly Italy and Europe. My husband is Moroccan, and the first time he left <a href="https://destinasian.com/editorial/high-time-for-tangier">Morocco</a> was when we moved to Italy. So now, for us, it&#8217;s better to stay in Europe. When my son is older, I&#8217;ll take him and my husband to see America. It will be the first time for all of us.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_141884" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141884" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-141884 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Solo-Uninsalata-Millefoglie-di-Frutta.jpg" alt="Solo Un'insalata; Millefoglie di Frutta." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141884" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Solo Un&#8217;insalata; Millefoglie di Frutta.</figcaption></figure>
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From Venice to Singapore: Italian flavors to savor