On parenthood, Rocco says: "My biggest goal is to leave a legacy that says you can pursue your dreams."Illustration by Photo Illustration By The Globe and Mail
Off Duty is a series of lively conversations with influential people, from CEOs to celebrities, on life, work and the art of taking time off.
The high-top seats at Bar Aperitivo, empty just half an hour ago, are now filled with the happy-hour visitors of Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighbourhood. At this small Italian restaurant, celebrity chef David Rocco takes pride in weekly visits to play host, engaging his customers (often big fans), giving dessert recommendations and inspiring laughter boosted by fruity cocktails. His wife gives him a quick peck on the cheek before dropping something off in the kitchen. “I’m also the DJ,” Rocco jokes as he changes the music, which ranges from seventies funk to AC/DC – “I’m very eclectic, almost like how I eat.”
Life and work blend together effortlessly for Rocco. Since Bar Aperitivo opened in 2021 and earned a place on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurant list, he has viewed the establishment as an extension of his own home kitchen.
“Every time I come in here I have a smile,” says Rocco. “This is an environment to be with everything I love: food, wine and people. Keeping busy, getting inspired.”
And he sure is busy. Rocco has travelled to more than 150 countries to hold his Dolce Vita series and its many spinoffs, and this fall will be bringing viewers into his home kitchen with his Dolce Homemade cooking show on TLN. He’s also started a line of Italian-made pasta and sauces, and is soon to be launching his first global restaurant in one of his favourite cities in the world – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: “With every visit, I just felt more and more at home there with like-minded, food-obsessed people,” says Rocco.
Here, Rocco shares his tips for travel and cooking, how he approaches fatherhood and finds a work-life balance.
What are your thoughts on Father’s Day?
I think these holidays put a lot of pressure on families, and especially kids. I just want to spend some quality time with my kids on Father’s Day and any other day. Last month, I was in Naples, Italy, with my father and my son, so I got to spend a whole week with them. … Every day was like Father’s Day! My son, Dante – who is only 11 years old – I let him choose a couple activities that we could include on the itinerary, so that he could be invested in the trip. He also had his own suitcase and knapsack and he was responsible for his belongings. I think giving kids responsibility and a vested interest in their trip is superimportant. What’s amazing is how much they grow on these trips!
What advice would you give people travelling Italy?
Less is more. I often have friends who are going for two weeks and want to go to Venice, Milan, Naples and more, and I’m like, No! Don’t try and do a rapid fire of two days in each city. You’re spending so much time and energy trying to navigate at train stations, changing hotels, packing and unpacking. Instead, pick two cities, and spend five days or a week in each city. Enjoy the city, get to know the culture because each one has its own uniqueness.
What is your work-life balance like now?
It’s not that I don’t know where to draw the line, I just bring so much of my family and life into my work. I watch a rough cut of the TV show with my kids to get them engaged and see what they think. My daughter Emma, who is 14 years old, directed our demo video for Dolce Homemade. They’ve been to India, Thailand, Cambodia and more when we travel for the show.
What I’m teaching my kids is that their father took risks, was entrepreneurial and did what he loves. My biggest goal is to leave a legacy that says you can pursue your dreams. Maybe it is stupid to open a bar in the middle of the pandemic, but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t do it for money. During lockdown we would get to come here and design and create together. To me, its always about the journey, the people that enter your life and the memories that you build.
How do you ground yourself?
I come here to Bar Aperitivo for a drink, like this tequila margarita. My office and my home are down the street. I come here and connect with people. Its something that allows me to break the day up a bit, and they do that very well in Italy. That’s the dolce vita.
What’s one thing that can make me a better chef?
Use the best ingredients available. Good sauce with fresh basil and tomatoes. And especially really good olive oil. There’s no brand per se, but the best comes from Italy. I always have two types of olive oil: one to sauté, and one that restaurants use to drizzle on steak or pasta as a finisher. It raises the flavour, and it’s very healthy.
Do you have a cooking routine?
There’s a ritual to it. I open up a bottle of wine, have a glass. My favourite wine over the last few years is a Falanghina from the Campania/Naples region. I don’t have the TV on, so I can put my energy and love in food. And when I’m connected emotionally, it results in a very different quality in the food. Its very interesting that food responds to the love you give it.
How did the pandemic affect your view of life and your direction?
I took it as an opportunity to spend time with the kids. We acknowledged some things were not overly important, like homework – online learning was very difficult. We decided to spend more time cooking together. My kids really inspired me to make the TV show, Dolce Homemade.
I’ve had a lot of opportunity to expand the brand, but I’ve said no more than I’ve said yes. During the pandemic, when everyone was working more, eating out, ordering Uber Eats, I thought – you know what, we have to develop a tomato sauce that makes it easy for people to cook at home with authentic Italian ingredients. It’s all about convenience.
How does it feel to know that you’ve influenced your viewers?
You don’t know the impact you’ve had on people until they come up to you on the street, and say something like ‘I want to thank you, the last few years have been tough and your recipes bring back the memories of my mother and make me feel closer to her.’ Or that it has inspired them to cook more with their family. Its always surprising.
This interview has been edited and condensed.