La Cucina di Crema, where tradition meets the future

In Giavera the “temple” of Valter, Sonia and her daughter Lina. “We innovate Montellian roots”

GIAVERA DEL MONTELLO. The elegance of Soniathe creativity of Walterthe resourcefulness of their daughter Lina: the restaurant La Cucina in Crema di Giavera del Montello has many and complementary souls. A family business that began as a small tavern and has become a large restaurant. Indeed: two, since the Crema family he also took his surname to Lignano Sabbiadoro, with the summer restaurant La Terrazza di Crema. Lina, fourth generation explains: «I was born here and I initially oriented my studies on this activity, attending the hotel school. Then, however, I graduated in Economics and also worked for a year in the Netherlands, until I felt the call of home and, seven years ago, I returned. At the same time, we opened the restaurant in Lignano, to which I have been very dedicated, to then concentrate on the organizational activity of the two places according to the increasingly demanding dynamics of the business ».

Also because mother Sonia and father Valter are respectively involved in the dining room and in the kitchen, as Lina herself underlines: has given a cuisine that is increasingly appreciated and which, with the guidance of my parents, has significantly expanded over the last 30 years. And they remain the main point of reference, both for the staff and for the public: I am dedicating myself to the organization, which as in all companies must always keep up to date, so I am also making numerous changes to the management “.

If Lina’s language expresses her background as an economist, that of father Valter is instead that of a passionate chef: «I grew up, humanly and professionally, alongside my mother Elia, even though I studied cooking at the Maffioli institute in Castelfranco. But in reality my training continues today, alongside all my colleagues, first of all my collaborators. I think that in our work it is essential to always grow, confront and exchange ideas: this is also why I am linked to several networks, that of the Montello restaurants or the Intavolando project, as well as the Italian Federation of Chefs. I am regional president of Veneto. And I have always welcomed invitations to international events with great enthusiasm, I strongly believe in the importance of relationships also to satisfy my curiosity and feed my creativity ». And creative, in fact, is his cuisine “But I can’t forget where I come from and where I am: Montello and its products, as well as the Venetian character of our territorial culture, are always the basis of my dishes, even if I love revisiting tradition and giving ancient recipes a more contemporary aesthetic », he likes to point out.

His wife Sonia is the first smile that guests encounter upon entering the green summer terrace, in the cozy “living room” or in the large master room with spectacular orangery and a view of the park, where “every detail is studied and also continuously varied according to my personal taste,” she says. «I like to vary the establishment, never conventional, even according to my mood “, he continues” Just as the furnishings are different in every corner to give different settings to lunches and dinners, even the setting of each table is different and refined, to offer all friends a ‘personalized welcome’. And he specifies: “Yes,” friends “because I always want everyone, both those who come to visit us for the first time and accustomed, always feel at ease. And this does not only concern the guests but also the staff, who I consider part of the family also because many collaborators have been with us for decades. There are many initiatives and days that we spend together with the team, creating a fundamental harmony of the group: they are moments that increase the “feeling good” between us, that make us work better and that transmit this harmony to our guests. Valter and I have always considered ourselves part of a team of people who, while working, share a lot of their time that we want to be satisfactory for everyone, also to best satisfy customers. This is also what we pass on to those who work with us and especially to Lina, with whom we are proud to share our passion for this profession, which is certainly demanding but also just as wonderful ».