1. LOREDANA
SANTARELLI
When her pizza-making career came to an unfortunate cessation,
Loredana Santarelli followed her passion for food down the path of a
chef. Now the kitchen manager at one of Rome’s most beloved traditional
restaurants, she considers herself to be extremely lucky to have worked
with people that supported her journey. With Flavio, the owner of Felice,
Loredana expressed her curiosity in researching and creating from
traditional Roman cuisines. With her students, she teaches them the
importance of the “culture behind the dish”.
!
“Food for me is curiosity.” Today, the media popularizes chefs as the
V.I.P.s of a restaurant. Loredana expresses that this is quite the opposite.
Down-to-earth and curious, she describes the kitchen and the restaurant
as a venue for learning and teaching. From teaching interns to regular
customers about traditional Roman cuisines, Loredana took it upon
herself to tell stories through the recipes she recreate. Food, for her,
becomes a matter of tradition and memory. With a stubbornness to
adhere to these traditions, she communicates them in the quality of her
products.
!
Loredana grew up with the aromas of the countryside. She refers to
herself as “lucky” for following her passion from the farm to the kitchen
to Velavevodetto ai Quiriti. From a young girl that mixed and matched
the different flavors on her dinner plate, she grew to be one of the most
notable chefs in Rome. “If you are willing to do something, you can
reach the goal.” As one of the Petronilla women, she shares the Petronilla
trait of passion and determination.