Thoughts

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Every one of us has their own wisdom. We can’t teach each other our wisdom, we can’t pass it on to anyone, we can’t share it. It’s only ours to come to and to carry with us as we go to accumulate more of it on the way. Although it is such an exciting thing, the fact that we all are wise in our own different ways, can also become destructive.

Peace is celebrated by all of us and yet it seems to have become of little value globally. There is too little peace. We all need more, we all can create more. Everything that is important to me, my relationships with my sons and daughters, my career, the things I enjoy, all of what we call personal values — branches out of one fundamental human need — peace. My personal responsibility is to be “guilty of peace”, and this is my core value. I carry it with me everywhere I go. I build my relationships both in personal life and in business with honesty, respect, and transparency. I value healthy human interactions and am convinced that they contribute to the overall global emotional climate.

“We are all guilty; we are all guilty of war. Always. In the same way, we can all be guilty of peace. Always. I ask this of you on bended knee: I’m ready to die for you, if only you will become guilty of peace. I always say to the children who write me from all over the world: “Think about all the things you like…” Children like all sorts of things, but none of them has ever written that what they like is war. …You don’t know how wonderful peace is. You have no idea how disconcerting peace can be. But I know.“

Paolo Sorrentino, Stefano Rulli, Umberto Contarello, Tony Grisoni

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Making and enjoying food has always been a big part of my story. I come from a family of talented culinary professionals, and to say food is important in this family is an understatement. Happy times and happy people in my life are accompanied by my kitchen adventures and experiments inspired by the chefs I have learned from in person and virtually.

My kitchen is my man’s cave, a space for thought and creativity, for growth and reconnection. The food I make there is the ultimate product of my personal growth and a great tool for building relationships. There are two tables at which I feel my very best: a business negotiating table and my dining room table. Both offer a reason for promising interaction.

So, what is it that I like to cook? Well, there are a lot of ideas every time I roll up my sleeves near the stove, but the truth is… I cook what my critics eat. There are four of them, and they don’t always agree. So wild fusion it is. Italian is most likely to make it on the list every time. I have pretty much mastered TexMex, moving on to learning the magic of real Mexican with Gabriela Camara’s masterclass. Exploring the freedom of Jaime Oliver’s recipes gave inspiration for quite a few of my creations, tailored, of course, to the preferences of my regular dining room crowd. When it comes to new challenges of true culinary self-expression, a workbook from Gordon Ramsay is often in front of me. A new goal is to conquer Georgian, unsurpassed in its Southern Caucasus wild spirit and aromas that speak festivity and music.

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“IF THE TRACK IS TOUGH AND THE HILL IS ROUGH, THINKING YOU CAN JUST AIN’T ENOUGH”

When I first read this poem by Shel Silverstein to my then four-year-old daughter, first I laughed, and then I read it to her again. Sometimes the most powerful universal truths are unexpectedly found in the most subtle, yet the most honest resources — children’s books. Seeing what really is important and focusing on it; the simplicity of this core wisdom is lost with age, as knowledge and skills accumulate, and tasks become more significant and complex. But when I see the levels of concentration my four-year-old is demonstrating while weaving a masking tape spider web around the house, I definitely have to admit that this kind of determination could become a subject of envy for many seasoned professionals, including myself.

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Tarantino’s wild cinematography is another passion of mine. His films have taken their place in my bucket of ultimate art together with Chagall, Vrubel, Gesse and Puccini. His wicked humor, explosive action and thrilling dialogues, but more than that, his unsurpassed passion of staying true to his vision in art — is what makes his creations so spectacular. I still own the Pulp Fiction VCR that was a gift from friends long ago, it is resting on my library shelf neighboring Anna Karenina and Nabokov.