2019-07-01_Louisiana_Cookin

17 louisianacookin.com

Tell us about Gianna’s concept.

It’s a big, beautiful Italian restaurant on a corner, where

people can come and eat big family-style meals or snack

and have antipasti and aperitivi. It’s a place that brings

people together and highlights rustic Italian cooking,

but it’s pretty heavily rooted in Louisiana tradition and

technique. I think that the concept stems from all of our

inspiration and all of our travels to Italy together.

How did your grandmother infl uence your cooking?

I grew up loving to eat, and she’s a great cook. She’s

probably the best cook I know. Th ere are a couple things

on the menu that are defi nitely dishes that she has made

my entire life. I love to eat her food, and that’s what

inspired me to start cooking. I wanted to cook like her so

I could eat it and then I realized how much I loved it and

started cooking professionally.

Which dishes of hers are on the menu?

Giannina’s Tortellini in brodo is incredible. Th ey’re little

meat-fi lled dumplings—really traditional, served in a

light chicken broth with Parmesan. Th at one’s a real

signature one. Th at’s the one that I have eaten the most

in my life. Every time I get off the plane, I go to her

house, and the fi rst thing she does is have tortellini

ready. It’s the closest to my heart and most traditional

and defi nitely is not just inspired by her but is her dish,

which is really fun and exciting for me.

Tell us more about your “feed me” option.

Th at’s how I like to eat. When we went to Italy, we had

all these lunches and dinners alfresco, and a lot of the

places... would send a bunch of food out, and it was

such a great way to eat. I’m hoping that guests really

enjoy the “feed me” option. I like the experience of it.

Gianna, the newest restaurant from Chef Donald Link’s

restaurant group, opened in April on Magazine Street

in New Orleans. Th e kitchen is helmed by Rebecca

Wilcomb, who won a 2017 James Beard Award while

she was chef de cuisine at Herbsaint. At Gianna, Rebecca

is executive chef and a partner in the restaurant, which

is named for her grandmother, Giannina, who lives in

the Veneto region of Italy. We caught up with Rebecca

to learn more about the inspiration behind Gianna and

what to expect from the menu.

CHEF CHAT