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Cagnetta "hated every minute" of accountancy school and instead followed his love of cooking.

Gabriele Cagnetta narrowly escaped a career in accounting to cook for Pavarotti and is now a key player in Wellington's Italian food scene.

He's worked behind the scenes at La Bella Italia in Petone, the iconic (and now defunct) Il Casio, and helped Roberto Giorgioni of Miramar's Bongusto develop a line of fresh frozen ravioli.   

Cagnetta's 33-year career started in his hometown of Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region, which he affectionately refers to as "the "land of the saints, the crazy people and the pig slaughter". 

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Gabriele Cagnetta of Mediterranean Foods has a passion for pasta.

"Assisi is close by, Saint Frances of Assisi is world famous. It's very famous for it's cured pork meat and, also, people go insane. I don't know why," he laughs. 

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It's also hilly, beautiful and, it's where he discovered his love of cooking at 17.

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The Italian chef from Perugia has worked at the Michelin-starred da Vittorio restaurant in Bergamo, near Milan, and London's Caravaggio restaurant.

After "failing miserably" at the accountancy school his parents sent him to, he found himself working for a small family restaurant, where he learned the importance of a good work ethic.  

"Seeing people that have come from nothing, working really hard with passion in what they do, it's pretty amazing.  

"I knew I had to be committed mentally and physically."   

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Noble Rot have opened a room for wine events and private dining.

From there, he went onto the Michelin-starred da Vittorio restaurant in Bergamo, a city to the northeast of Milan; the ski resorts of Cortina D'ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains; and London's Caravaggio restaurant - where he fed Luciano Pavarotti.

"He only ate a 12-course meal if I remember right. He wasn't very hungry that day." 

Cagnetta, now executive chef of Mediterranean Foods Trattoria and Deli, splits his time between Newtown and the newly refurbished Kapiti Coast branch.  

Despite having gained in-depth knowledge of European cuisine, he has a soft spot for the humble pasta dish. 

"I love pasta. My father's heritage is from the south, so I'm very keen on pasta. It was an easy feed for the poor people of the south. That's why the pasta industry came about.

"Also, it can be really satisfying to make fresh pasta by yourself. The whole process is really interesting.      

"I think I learn a lot through cooking, about what my heritage and my culture is ... food is what we are. It's an important part of our life. We shouldn't take it so lightly."  

TOP TIP: HOW TO COOK PASTA

"You cook your pasta with water and salt, and then you cook your sauce with extra virgin olive oil. Never put your oil into the boiling water.

"This is something that I see people do. They say 'oh, I put in the oil so the pasta doesn't stick together'. Ok, if the pasta sticks together its because it's pretty bad pasta; it's very poor quality.   

"I'm a pasta eater, but I'm skinny. Pasta doesn't make you fat, that's a myth that we have to knock down. Pasta is healthy, it's just the quantity of it. 

"Don't be afraid to cook pasta every day for lunch." 

WINE ROOM

Wellington wine bar Noble Rot has partnered with Wellington Wine Country, a body that represents the winemakers of the region, to create a tasting room. The space will host a series of events open to the public, with a wine-matched dinner taking place Tuesday May 29.

"When we decided to upgrade our courtyard space to make a multi-purpose private room, we thought a partnership was a great idea," says co-owner Maciej Zimny. 

"We are excited to be working closely with our local wineries in future." noblerot.co.nz

 - Stuff