Champion of pasta
It’s easy to imagine Enzo Cianci as an opera singer, a soccer player dribbling the ball past his opponents, or a stage actor on stage in front of an enthralled audience. In fact, in his gourmet den dedicated entirely to pasta, the Italian-born chef is all these things at once. His handkerchief-sized restaurant, which has grown over the years, is his own opera house, stadium and theater. All shaken together to create Frabbrica Pasta. A place as simple as it is discreet, just a stone’s throw from Geneva’s Plainpalais plain, Frabbrica Pasta rekindles the flame of transalpine specialties by combining traditional know-how with modern creativity. Winning the title of Italian pasta champion at the last edition in 2021, the chef continues his culinary journey with the same panache and passion.
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Fascination with transformation
Tattooed, with a curly gray beard and slightly unkempt hair, Enzo Cianci doesn’t go unnoticed. Dressed in his work apron, this Italian gastronomy enthusiast was hooked from an early age. He arrived on the shores of Lake Geneva for the vacations and never left. “I was a rambunctious teenager. My mother sent me to Switzerland to join some of the family, because she couldn’t stand me anymore,” recalls the chef with humor. Following in his older brother’s culinary footsteps, young Enzo familiarized himself with the world of toques, starting out as a dishwasher. Enticed by the atmosphere of a restaurant, whatever its sector, he began an apprenticeship as a chef in 1988. “I was fascinated by the transformation of a product and the impact it could have on the customer”.
He experimented behind the stove, but it was pasta-making that mesmerized him. He threw himself heart and soul into mastering pasta-making in the purest Italian tradition. Production, pasteurization, drying… everything is scrupulously done by hand. In the meantime, the chef became an entrepreneur, successively opening the Geneva establishments Ponte Vecchio, Le Vivendo, Le Levento and Le Labo. But the wear and tear of the profession caught up with him, and Enzo Cianci left his ships and decided to rethink his approach. “At the time, I was beyond the point of exhaustion. I had to change my life and refocus on what was essential.
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Handcrafted products
As if on cue, he realized that it was imperative to get back to basics, and that salvation could come from pasta. Enzo falls in love with the current small arcade with the possibility of setting up a production laboratory there. 2017 marks the start of a new adventure. The chef discovers a creative spirit by combining original and novel flavors. Ravioli with artichoke hearts, tortellini with squid ink, fagottonis with truffle cream… all combinations are possible and, for the first time, the boss sets no limits and gives free rein to his imagination.
Customers respond to his call, and despite a health crisis that is taking its toll on the profession as a whole, he confidently decides to enter a culinary competition. Need recognition? An extra challenge? “Without asking myself a thousand questions, I threw myself into this championship. I had to test my level against the best candidates”. Speed, presentation and taste were the selection criteria. His sea urchin cream bucatini with bottarga won the competition.
The future looks bright for the Italian entrepreneur. A renovation is in the offing, new creations are on the drawing board, and tailor-made, on-demand cooking courses for pasta enthusiasts are in the pipeline. Grazzie chef!
