Photo courtesy of Francesco Lastrucci
David Rocco lives
in Toronto with his
wife and business
partner, Nina and
their three children:
Emma, Giorgia and
Dante. His new book
Dolce Famiglia is
available now at local
bookstores. For more
information on the
book or recipes visit
DavidRocco.com
it changed my life.” After bantering back and
forth about some common interests we got
caught up. He can still ham up a conversation
injected with a few jabs in Italian, waving his
hands around making his point all the more
dramatic. It’s not difficult to smile and laugh
in his presence while he breaks his contagious smile. All the while I noticed a thread
of maturity and soulfulness being carried
throughout our conversation. In two hours of
casual conversation, David Rocco reminisced of
his recent travels to Naples, Italy and India. The
burning question for me was, why India?
For the next half hour, we talked about India,
his spiritual growth, his expanded palette for
all things Indian, and how important it was
to share this experience with his wife Nina
and their three children. “I like that my kids
can remember the markets and the people we
met,” says Rocco. “These memories will last a
lifetime for them. India is full of colour, spices,
amazing people and I was immersed in their
culture.” There was a little more to the story
explaining how it all began. “Because Dolce
Vita airs in India, I was asked by one of the
broadcasters there to consider doing a series,”
- DAVID ROCCO
says Rocco. After much deliberation and
investment on his part, he accepted. He tells
fredi Magazine that he had to do something
different. Not that he didn’t love going to Italy,
but it was time to think outside the box. While
he was apprehensive and almost afraid of
going, when he got there, he almost came to
regret his decision. After several painful hours
doubting his decision, the Universe aligned.
He was recognized and welcomed by people
in his hotel making him feel at home. In that
moment he knew this was meant to be and all
his fears and doubt dissipated. Dolce India is
currently in its second season.
I asked David Rocco what was the most
profound lesson that he has learned while
travelling. “Geez, that’s a deep question.” He
paused. “You know; we are all the same. It’s
interesting because I went to India with an
open mind and heart and I was there almost
very raw. But I saw how similar Indians are to
Italians – on a lot of levels, from food, family
to the matriarchy of the family to a lot of their
customs; India is a magical place. Literally,
it was the easiest, smoothest, most enjoyable
experience of my life. Powerful.”
Equally as exciting is Rocco’s new book Dolce
Famiglia. His approach to this book is not
quite what it appears to be at first glance. It
transcends the traditional definition of family
and goes beyond it. He defined family to include work family, people in your community
and the many families he has met during his
travels. Aside from some traditional recipes,
there are some introductions to families in
Italy who have been sharing their passions
for generations. This part of the book really
added traditional and historical nuances that
otherwise would have made the book just
another recipe book.
fredi winter 2016 •
67