Erika de Vecchi and Maxx Panizzari (Raw Pasta)

Raw Pasta is not a place you visit just to eat. It’s a place where you get hosted and can make friends over food. And when you return, you do it for the people just as much as for the food.

Most of our questions were answered by Maxx, as Erika was needed by the Raw Pasta team, but she still managed to give us some priceless tips about dining in Ljubljana at the end of our talk and add some thoughts on other subjects we touched, which we greatly appreciate.

Let’s start with … well, the start. How come you guys decided to come to Slovenia? Was it the initial plan to open a restaurant here?

We fell in love with the place in a very funny way. We were here for a plan B vacation, because our initial plans fell through. I remembered I passed by Slovenia on my way to Croatia when I was on my first road trip at 18. The 30 km we drove through were amazing so I said: Let’s go there, I’ve never been! We sat in the car, drove to Slovenia and spent almost a month all over the country – the caves, the mountains, the coast, the lakes … We loved it! And the funny thing was that even though a lot of bad things happened on that trip: our car broke down, I had a kidney stone and so on, everything was resolved so easily!
At that time, Milano was changing and we were at a tipping point with our business as well – if we wanted to progress, we would have to open something bigger there. Then we thought about all the bureaucracy and taxes in Italy, taking another loan at the bank … we’ve just repaid our loans, do we want to start again?

So, we wondered if our Slovenia trip was a hallucination, just dumb luck or there’s really something special. We moved here, initially to change our lives, to live at a slower pace. And we stayed, because we found that here, you can do your job without all the unnecessary bureaucracy, that here there’s still more to life than just work. We work differently here. It’s still stressful, but every job is, if you do it in the “right way”.

Ljubljana reminds me of Milano 25 years ago – good vibes, you can stop and speak to people, there’s no danger on the streets and we really love that. My parents actually moved here a couple of years ago as well, because they feel the same.

How would you compare Slovenia to Italy regarding the bureaucracy and business conditions?

Slovenia has a lot of unexpressed potential, because for some reason, they’re not able to see it. Also Italy is sometimes “stupid” in how it manages its resources, but we’re proud of what we have – for example, there’s only one Venice, Rome or Florence in the entire world. It’s the same with Slovenia and I sometimes dream I could be more involved in its development. I used to work as a consultant in this field internationally, but when I tried it here 10 years ago, it might have been too early and people weren’t ready, they didn’t trust me and didn’t recognise that, as you listen to a doctor for advice about your health, you can also get a professional to help you develop your restaurant business.

Regarding the bureaucracy, it might be that in Slovenia it’s the same or even longer, but the attitude is completely different, in my experience. Here, they will try to help you find a solution. If they don’t know, they will call around, ask a colleague, and they will solve it. When you have the permission, you can start working! In Italy, the first thing they will tell you is: “I don’t know.” They bounce you from office to office and no one is responsible for anything, because it’s easier like that. You never find a solution. Regarding opening a company it’s similar – the process is much simpler and cheaper here.

What about the food, the people and the connection between the two? Is Slovenia different from Italy in that sense?

Firstly, I want to explain my view of food. For the first part of our life, right after we’re born, we form our first memory (that we later forget). It’s breastfeeding. The first thing you do when you come into this world is crying because you want to eat. It’s also connected to attention, to deep connection, to cuddling – so food remains in our lives as a cuddle from the inside and a way to connect to loved ones. It’s also a kind of love declaration from your mother, your grandmother: eat something, eat more! It’s not about being fat but being fed, being taken care of. On the other hand, food is a sensual thing, all your senses are occupied with it and the senses are linked to memories – the smell of sunday lunch or talking about a dish your grandma used to make will spark a light in every person's eyes!

As far as comparing Italians to Slovenians in that sense: us Italians are seated at the table for lunch and we’re already talking about what we’re having for dinner. We’ll tell you about the experience of our trip through the food we ate. We’re willing to go someplace just because of the food the people make there, even if there’s nothing else to see there. Lately that’s changing and I think it’s to do with the way we live generally – we all think we know best. With the popularity of cooking reality shows and general availability of knowledge, everyone is a chef now! People like telling us restaurant owners how they would make a dish, how they usually do it, how their grandma used to cook it. We called our restaurant Raw Pasta - Pasta Fresca Bar for a reason. A bar is a relaxed space, the food is served without pretentiousness, because we want to attract people who appreciate that. That’s why we don’t have a fancy dining hall with tablecloths and silver utensils, a “proper restaurant” as some people like to call it when they comment on how our place looks and how they think it should look.

The point I’m trying to make is: when you come to MY place, you’ve come to eat MY food. If you like, you can open your place, cook your food and pay your taxes. But when you come to my place, even if you’re a pope or a president, my carbonara will have the amount of pecorino and pepper that I put in it and the terrace will look and feel the way we want it to look and feel. You don’t help me clean the toilets, so I don’t need help with cooking or other advice either.

I think people forget that when you come to a restaurant, you're a guest. Just because you pay for something, you don't own it. If I offer you a service, it doesn't mean that I am your servant. So come to a restaurant and let the staff host you as they imagine i,t and enjoy!

What bugs me in Slovenia sometimes is that even though people tend to be nostalgic about the socialist times, it seems to me they are not social; they are becoming disconnected from the community. I agree it’s healthy to be individualistic and egoistic to some degree, to protect your boundaries and wellbeing, to love yourself, but I think it’s going too far. We are sharing this world with other people.

Through your channels (digital and other – menus, talking to guests) you use humour to teach about food, culture, and hospitality. But you are very serious and passionate about what you do. What would you say is the most important lesson people still need to learn about what you do, about food and the culture around it.

Well the sarcasm and humour is also how I got my education from my family and I think it’s the best way to educate. But what I would really like people to realise more is that when you do things that make you happy – either it’s having a shower, watching a movie, playing a game, interacting with people or anything else you like doing, you can’t organise every little detail and time every move you make. You are happiest when you can release this control and let the flow take you.
That can apply to visiting restaurants as well – it’s a moment for you to enjoy, whether it’s alone, with a date or your friends and family. Mistakes can and will happen in all aspects of your life, but try to zoom out and enjoy the bonding, the experience and the hospitality given to you. Be kind and respectful to the people around you, and appreciate the humanity and the community around you.

Italian food is defined by the traditions and the emotions, but most of all the quality ingredients. Did you open the Raw Pasta shop just to make it easier to get ingredients you were missing from Italy? Can some traditional Italian ingredients be substituted with Slovenian ones?

I don’t want to be in the role of a professor, teaching people what real Parmigiano or guanciale are. I choose top-quality ingredients because I believe it makes all the difference, and I think it’s fair to the people to offer them the truly best you can get. You can buy the Parmigiano in a supermarket, but that’s not a good Parmigiano. I want to have a clear conscience and be sure I am offering the people the best in the restaurant as well as in the shop and deli. Eating good, quality ingredients is a form of self-care.
You can cook Italian, or any other food for that matter, with high-quality ingredients. Let’s take the example of carbonara - I can not tell you you can put bacon in carbonara. It should be guanciale, and this is why we sell it. But, in the end, if you want to put bacon in the carbonara, I can’t blame you, just, please buy good bacon.

Where in Ljubljana and the surrounding areas do you like to go to eat or drink? What places are a must for someone coming to Ljubljana for the first time?

Well, at this time of year we might be the worst people to ask this question, we’re not really up-to-date with the scene, because we don’t have time to go anywhere. (laugh) Nevertheless, we would suggest visiting places that are a bit out of the “tourist” city centre. In our opinion, when you exit the busiest streets, even when you remain in the centre, you will find people who genuinely care about quality and uniqueness in their restaurants; those are the ones who can offer you the most. We always appreciate the places that work for the locals first and do their job with love. Of course, tourists are more than welcome and everyone needs to make money to survive, but the personal touch and passion for the food or drinks you serve must be there and that’s what convinces us to return somewhere again and again (even if not as often as we would like). It’s ultimately about connecting with people and this is how we try to run our place as well. All the restaurants and bars we’ve had until now, even if they had different names, people came to Maxx and Erika.

We always have a place in our heart for Veganika, they were our first neighbours and to this day we consider them neighbours far away. Their offer is really nice, we are not vegan but love dining there with family and friends and would recommend it to everyone. As far as the classic type restaurants go, we love going to Pri Škofu, a little restaurant in walking distance from the city centre, but the food is genuine and amazing.

If you want to go for a beer, you simply must go to Projekt, our new neighbours. We would love more places like this in Trubarjeva! And of course, Lajbah on the other end of town, it’s one of the places we used to go the most.
For good Asian food, we choose Sato Bento, it amazes us what they have done with their location, or Dobrote Vzhoda in Šiška. It’s the place we go when we want some peace and quiet with great food and super service.
Gostilna Čad is also definitely on the list, they are professional and you know you’re going to get great food and by-the-book service. Even further out of the city, we like Gostilna Maček and Gostilna Grad.

We like to eat pizza in Piccola; they have done something different in the flood of Napoli-style pizzerias. There’s also Taco Patrón and a lot of other places we go from time to time. We appreciate the people running these places and their genuine way of doing things. I’m sure I forgot to mention many – when you ask me, a local, where to go, I could even forget to send you to my place! (laugh) Ultimately, what’s important to us is enjoying food with friends, you can seat us in a garden with a panino and nice people, and we’ll be happy.