Pasta Chef Provides WFC a French Connection

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Posted Jul 4, 2015

Pasta Chef Provides WFC a French Connection

Chef Adrien Pedrazzi wants people to say one thing about his food – “ça a le goût du Reviens-y.” Of course, those would be the people in France where he makes his home and runs his business. When he competes in the 2015 World Food Championships in Kissimmee, Fla., this November, he hopes the judges will say it in any language – “It tastes so good, it makes you want more.”

“I want to bring some of my homeland to the judges and to take them on a taste voyage,” Adrien said, who confided that he is developing his recipes using many traditional ingredients from the south west region of France.
"We are delighted to see passionate, master chefs like Adrien entering our competition," said Mike McCloud, CEO of World Food Championships. "As we continue to build the world's largest and most dynamic food tournament, it is participation from phenomenal chefs like Adrien that will underscore our event's global reach and prominence for culinary champions and artisans.”

Chef Adrien said he’s already preparing himself psychologically for the pressure of a worldwide competition.
“I have been lucky enough to cook with renowned chefs the world throughout, from China, France, Spain, England, Germany, Italy…but never during competitions,” he said, adding, “The WFC will be a first for me. As I will be on my own I will be rolling up my sleeves and concentrating hard.”

That kind of dedication has led to Chef Adrien’s success in a career he loves. He’s currently filming a new television show, “Adrien’s Gourmand Strolls.” This year he opened the first Italo-Gascon food truck in the world, called Pronto al Gusto, meaning “ready to taste” in Italian. The enterprise has been such a hit, he’s opening a second location in later summer and expects to franchise by next year.

“I prepare marvelous pasta dishes for my customers with sauces combining the finest products from the South West of France and Italy,” he said. “Every Thursday I prepare fresh risottos which are greatly appreciated by my customers. When they come to me, they expect impeccable quality. They want healthy and tasty food, and I pride myself in never letting them down.”

The chef, who has a sentimental connection to and specializes in pasta, earned his Golden Ticket when he became president of the Association of Maitre Pastiers of France (producers of artisanal pasta).

“I remember making raviolis with my father on the kitchen table when I was four years old,” he recalled. “Sadly, he was killed in a car accident when I was only seven years old, and I was brought up by my mother who was a nurse, so I learned to cook very quickly to help my mother.”

Although cooking was Chef Adrien’s “great passion,” he went on to study business and communication. The he participated in the cooking program “Masterchef.”

“That was a wakeup call for me and gave me the push I needed to change my life and live my passion to the fullest,” he said.
In addition to cooking regional and family dishes, like his Italian grandmother’s secret-recipe lasagna, as do all ardent chefs, Adrien develops his own.

“My customers are very keen on a sauce I call Délices du Sud Ouest, or Delights from the South West, tasty and made solely from quality local ingredients,” he said, adding in self-effacing reference to his 297-pound girth, “it is generous as I am.”
Adrien said favorite foods to eat are beef (Côte à l’Os), lamb, pasta “always al dente,” pizza and all things cooked with “the finest ingredients and lots of love!” He and his wife of 20 years, Marina, who, according to the chef is an extraordinary cook herself, take turns preparing meals for their family, which includes sons, Axel, 15, and Lukas, 12. The Pedrazzis live in the village of Puymirol in the Lot-et-Garonne, France.

“I love the fine products from my area and try to defend them as best I can and to promote them outside of my area,” Chef Adrien said. “I hope to bring lots to the Championships.”

The Chef’s family and many of his friends are traveling to Kissimmee to support him, and he’s coming to win. A licensed pilot who also engages in extreme sports like parachute jumping and bungee jumping, describes himself as generous, ambitious and determined.

“I have five months left to make sure I’m on the best possible form,” he said. “I enjoy life immensely, and have boundless energy. I am very competitive, even if the important bit is to take part, I want to win and prove that I deserve a place in this competition.”

Learn more about Chef Adrien at www.facebook.com/prontoalgusto;
ww.facebook.com/adrienmasterchef4; or www.facebook.com/pages/Adrien-aux-WFC

– Claudia Johnson, World Food Championships

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Pasta Chef Provides WFC a French Connection

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