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FINE DINING<br />
Malta Business Review<br />
Looking Back on Sciacca’s Beginnings<br />
From the moment you enter into the world<br />
of Sciacca, be it the Paceville or Valletta<br />
restaurant, there’s that undeniable sense<br />
of authenticity and genuineness. Founder<br />
and owner, Noel Zammit has always had<br />
that innate passion for anything that had<br />
an affinity to the culinary world. As time<br />
passed, his interest in the catering industry<br />
grew stronger. Needless to say, he wanted<br />
to build a more solid relationship with<br />
the gastronomy. To do this he decided<br />
to invest time and money in what he had<br />
the most passion for: food. And thus, his<br />
journey into becoming a restaurateur<br />
began…<br />
Modest beginnings: the inspiration<br />
behind Sciacca<br />
Noel’s love for food began at a very tender<br />
age. He used to enjoy watching his mother<br />
cook, observing her traditional techniques<br />
and perhaps, even ‘stealing’ her recipes.<br />
But of course, it didn’t stop there. From<br />
as early as 16 years of age, Noel made it<br />
a point to be a regular restaurant goer to<br />
many local establishments. Indeed, like<br />
clockwork, he made sure to jot down<br />
his weekly restaurant bookings into his<br />
already increasingly busy schedule.<br />
Each Sunday of every week presented<br />
Noel the opportunity to enter into a new<br />
environment: a different atmosphere,<br />
with a novel menu that displayed a<br />
smorgasbord of food, some of which he<br />
devoured with gusto, others he refused<br />
with abhorrence. Of course, like every<br />
restaurant goer, there were always those<br />
couple of places that he thought deserved<br />
a repeat visit, simply because they<br />
encapsulated what he looked for when it<br />
comes to the catering sector: good service<br />
coupled with honest, hearty food.<br />
Eventually, after borrowing and adapting<br />
ideas from his family members and<br />
friends, Noel quickly became enthused<br />
with the idea of cooking and hosting for<br />
entertainment purposes. Over time he<br />
started learning more about different<br />
styles of cooking through his extensive<br />
travels, noting and absorbing different<br />
culinary techniques and practising them<br />
at home. In due course, he started<br />
sharing his emergent skills when inviting<br />
loved ones at home, sometimes hosting<br />
luncheons for up to 30 people. It was at<br />
this moment Noel began to feel like he<br />
was completely in his element.<br />
Sciacca’s recipe for success<br />
In a nutshell, the secret to Sciacca’s success<br />
is very humble in its simplicity: making use<br />
of fresh and genuine products. It’s all about<br />
letting the food speak for itself, because a<br />
great dish shouldn’t be overpowered with<br />
over the top garnishes or a cacophony<br />
of ingredients. When looking Sciacca’s<br />
dishes, you can forget about unnecessary<br />
garnishes and over-embellished plate<br />
decorations. Simplicity is key, because<br />
ultimately, it’s all about making the food<br />
the star of the dish.<br />
Apart from freshness and genuine<br />
ingredients, Sciacca prides itself in having<br />
chefs that are constantly experimenting<br />
in the kitchen, striving for innovation,<br />
because to them, there’s always room for<br />
improvement and if there’s something that<br />
could be better, it’s a safe bet that they’ll<br />
make sure it will be an augmented version of<br />
their original idea. Through their creativity<br />
and imagination Sciacca’s culinary mavens<br />
make sure each meal is served from the<br />
restaurant kitchen represents what the<br />
restaurant’s trademark.<br />
Noel was always interested in the food<br />
industry as he felt it was something that<br />
was deeply instilled in him ever since he<br />
was a child. Thus, he ultimately decided<br />
to take the plunge after years of serious<br />
contemplation. Starting a business comes<br />
with its fair share of challenges, and of<br />
course going into an already booming Food<br />
and Beverage industry is an even bigger<br />
risk, because there’s no in between: you<br />
either sink or swim. But what is life without<br />
risks? Cliché as it may sound, to fulfil one’s<br />
dreams, one must forget about remaining<br />
in their comfort zone. Noel’s only regret<br />
is not having started his business venture<br />
sooner. Basically, the main inspiration<br />
behind both of Sciacca’s restaurants is plain<br />
and simple: a passion for good quality food.<br />
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading the brief<br />
history of Sciacca as much as we’ve enjoyed<br />
reminiscing on our beginnings. If you’d like<br />
to come and have a taster of the fruits of<br />
our labour and relish the essence of our<br />
culinary creations, we encourage you to<br />
book a table at Sciacca. We work tirelessly<br />
to invent dishes that truly personify<br />
Sciacca’s brand.<br />
Remember to follow us on Facebook and<br />
Twitter. <strong>MBR</strong><br />
www.mbrpublications.net<br />
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