JOE BASTIANICH

Expo is drawing to a close: can we make a quick summing-up?From what I’ve seen and heard Expo is going really well, even better that what was originally expected and I’m really pleased about this. It’s a big credit to Italy and Milan.The job of ambassador has a mission. What does this mean to Joe Bastianich?It is primarily a privilege but also a big responsibility. We’re in Italy and here the subject of food is very relevant, so I have taken my role as ambassador very seriously, trying to convey the Expo message in the best way possible to my colleagues in America.Sustainability, environment and food production. Where do you start?Perhaps from sustainability. I hope that Expo is able to show that we professionals in the sector must accept our responsibilities and take on a mission: to make the rest of the world understand what sustainability means. Dan Barber has shifted New Yorkers’ attention from food to food waste, which every day comes out of dining rooms, bars, restaurants and food trucks, showing what the new frontier of gourmet food can become, creating a very high level menu. It would be interesting to rethink this in a real and ongoing way.What legacy will Expo leave Italy?The world, at this moment, is coming to Milan to discuss subjects that derive from food. Expo allows different kinds of people to meet, compare notes and discuss these questions. Food is a priority in the lives of all but what the world eats and will eat is one of the most important questions we have to face. Eating well and healthily is a right, not a privilege, for all.What kind of diet do you follow when you’re travelling round the world making a programme?Commitments permitting, I follow the classical Mediterranean diet so I don’t miss out on anything!A dish you couldn’t do without?Gragnano spaghetti with San Marzano tomatoes, grana Padano and Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil. A dish that in its simplicity encloses perfection.Husband of the lovely Deanna and father of Olivia, Ethan and Miles. How much of the nasty Joe that everyone sees on TV is true in real life?I’m not an actor, so I am as you see me on TV, when I work in television or in my restaurants I expect the utmost whether from my employees or the MasterChef competitors.In your life there is also time and space for presenting Top Gear Italia, judging Miss Italia, for various books and we could go on at length. What goals did you set?I have many passions and I like to keep myself involved in new projects. If I believe in a project I throw myself into it headlong. I’ve never set myself goals or limits… I’ll keep on doing what I like as long as I can!At Orsone you have realised your dream. How is it going?Orsone was set up two years ago and for me and my mother [the iconic Lidia – ed.] it was the realisation of a dream we’d had for a long time. It’s an ambitious and demanding project, not in a city like Milan or Venice but immersed in the Friuli countryside, amongst the vineyards a few steps from Cividale del Friuli. It’s giving great satisfaction.