There’s a whole world behind a plate of food: the personal story of the one who prepares it, the values that the food conveys, the tradition and the culture that it expresses and, of course, the flavors and the scents of the land from which the ingredients come. It is a principle that applies to famous chefs, but also when at the stove any one of us, is driven not only by the need to satisfy our hunger, but also to convey through a meal love, care and the joy of sharing.
The story of Victoire Gouloubi embodies all of this. From a chef’s point of view, 35 year old Victoire Gouloubi, originally from Brazzaville in the Congo Republic, is a rare gem. She is an African woman with an Italian professional diploma, in a profession which is still very masculine. Tenacious and spirited “like my mother,” she says while recounting how she has struggled to climb many stairs, from being a simple worker in the kitchen to having the role of the executive chef, that is, the leader of the team of cooks, to collaboration with famous chefs and of being the first African chef in the Expo. Victoire is an Italian chef by adoption, who loves the métissage in the dishes with the scents of her land.