VIVIANA VARESE
Chef Alice Ristorante
Viviana sees cuisine as a synonym of life, and just as life does, it requires passion, commitment, creativity, devotion and humility. All characteristics which the young chef – born in 1974 in Salerno – has demonstrated since an early age when she entered the kitchen of her family’s fish restaurant. Her personal and professional history led her leave her native Campania to grow, learn and train in different places (including l'Albereta, of Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi and El Celler De Can Roca, in Girona), until opening in 1999 – in Orio Litta near Lodi – Il Girasole, her first venture. After that, her meeting with Sandra Ciciriello paved the way for a rapid evolution which since hasn’t ceased. Its objective is to constantly achieve results through continuous study, experimentation and preparation of niche and high quality products. But without Sandra’s fish and the products (from meat to cheese to vegetables) of our select suppliers, none of this would be possible, as pointed out by Viviana. Strengths and excellence combined allow quality to go hand in hand with creativity.
SANDRA CICIRIELLO
Sommelier Alice Ristorante
Sandra is the proof that there is truth in the Latin saying – destiny lies in the name: Ciciarello is in fact a fish which is found in the Tyrrhenian Sea in Liguria down to the Campania coast. In Sandra’s view, fish has no secrets. Born on Christmas day in 1966 in the Apulian town of Ostuni but raised in Milan, at 18 years old started working at the city’s fish market (Europe’s most important) and learned everything there is to know about fish: how to choose it, clean it, preserve it, etc. It’s a tough trade, but through her tenacity and love for the profession she proved a success. This led her to search for the best suppliers at the most important fishing ports in Italy.
In just a few years, she opened her own small fishmonger’s in the circuit of local markets. This was up until the collaboration with Viviana Varese: together with her, Sandra could finally put her vast knowledge to use through cuisine and creativity. Not fully content, she became and A.I.S. Sommelier and now she welcomes customers to Alice, chooses and recommends the right combinations between dishes and the best Italian and foreign wines, as well as selecting produce: fruit, vegetables and of course fish!
