❔Gennaro Contaldo asks Savva "do you cook?"

Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo asks Savva if he cooks. The answer and response is much deeper than you may expect. 

You can catch the full episode with Gennaro which was published on Feb 10th, 2026. Just search for Gennaro or scroll down the list. 

To find out more about the project and Savva - head to threefoodmemories.com
Insta - @savvasavas @threefoodmemories

Email us at threefoodmemories@plated.com.au, we'd love to hear from you! 

TFM is produced and edited by Lauren McWhirter with original music by Russell Torrance. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Do you cook? I do cook. What do you like to cook?

SPEAKER_00 0:10

I'm also a father. I have two children and I cook for my children. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Which one is your best child?

SPEAKER_00 0:19

I've got my book. Let's not book it better. You know, I cook for them. And I cook and you could and and I cook for their their bodies, you know, and you can we will go out to eat somewhere, and it's, you know, it's but it's there's there's something about me cooking at home in front of them. So I I cook for them, Gennaro. And I cook the same way as as as you speak, about respecting the ingredients, making sure you use everything, you know. I put very little in the waste, in fact, nothing, because I'm always planning with what I have. I think my cooking has gotten, as I'm getting older, my cooking is getting calmer. I'm much more relaxed with the ingredients. I am have I have a relationship with them and I am speaking to them. And the one thing that I do, and I don't know if this is a hereditary thing, you know, we we my family were poor growing up. Even my grandparents, there was very little food in the fridge. So when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is open that fridge and I and I thank God that I have food in the fridge to feed my family. So as I get older, the my cooking has changed.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yes. You see, you said my family was very poor. Your family was not poor, might be poor because the work, no enough money, the things, but you were very rich. I can see you in spirit. That wasn't a richness that nobody can buy, nobody can take away. And this is why what you actually do, you have a respect of whatever you do, especially the food, because you never said, we never used to chuck anything away, we used to keep on everything, and this is so important. You see, when you cook for the children, for your wife, for your love, your partner, your friend, and things, special for the children, let's go to the children. You don't teach them how to cook. What you transfer them, you transfer them a love. Then one day, perhaps many, many, many, many, many years, you won't be no, and not anymore in this world. I won't be anymore in this world. But they probably will cook something. And that was there on the back of their mind. Oh, I remember when my dad used to do this. He used to work in all day, and he used to come home tired, and they used to cook for us. It was so sweet and good. And that what actually you feed them, it was love. Something to remember. You just fed them with love, and that respect you had for the food and for the children, they will carry on. Believe me, they will pass it on. And happy days.