As exotic and varied as the people of Italy is the food at La Pizzeria. Part of the Little Italy Group of restaurants, this Italian eatery managed by an Italian Chef is a delightful place to tuck into  your pasta.

Chef Dezio compares himself to a Film Director coordinating the final production. Only here, the final creation is presented not on the silver screen but on a platter. And yes, unlike Movie Directors, he is certainly not a 'behind the scenes guy'. Chef Dezio is very much around to watch the reactions to his O La La creations. "You know, in Italy there is a saying, that what a person eats reveals a lot about his personality," explains Dezio with a twinkle in his eyes. This perhaps explains  why you find Dezio all over the place in this elegant, purely vegetarian Italian restaurant. "I love to check out what customers have ordered and watch their reactions as they go for it."

 Food has always fascinated Dezio, who received the award for the best Chef and the best Italian restaurant in the country for the year 1999-2000. Ciao Italy, an international association, has members travelling across the world to check out the best Italian restaurant of a particular country. And Mama Mia! La Pizzeria was the chosen one and conferred with the title of 'Insegna del Ristorante Italiano.' The only person not surprised with the honor was Dezio himself. "I will never modify my cooking to suit people's tastes. That's  pure sacrilege!" he gasps. "Italian cuisine is as varied and exotic as the people who inhabit this beautiful Mediterranean land and it goes against my grain to present it any other way," he bristles. And varied it most certainly is. Nobody wants to eat the same old boring food. I want customers to get excited every time they pick the menu card" says Dezio. Not a difficult proposition when you have a selection of around 26 varieties of pizzas, a dozen salads and an exotic list of first and second courses to check out. Sicily, Dezio's birthplace, is famous throughout the world for its great variety of flavours, and the fragrance that emanates from the La Pizzeria kitchen are entirely original with all ingredients imported directly from Italy.

For Dezio, not compromising seems to have paid off. He no longer does a double flip when he hears an Indian customer say 'Spaghetti  please, al dente.'
He respects the fact that his knowledgeable customer does not wish to have overcooked pasta..
La Pizzeria has franchisees at Goa and Mumbai and plans to start more across the country. So you may soon have some great Italian food served at a restaurant closer to home.


Bon  Appetito!

- Shabari Shetty