Massimo Capra was in Doha in September for the opening of his first international restaurant, where he talked about his journey. Massimo Capra was in Doha in September for the opening of his first international restaurant, where he talked about his journey.

A fixture on the Toronto food scene and TV screens, Massimo Capra speaks to Rahul Odedra about his first international venture, Soprafino, at Hamad International Airport in Doha

What made you become a chef?
I grew up on a farm until I was about 15 years old. Then I was faced with a choice: what career was I going to embark on? We happened to have some neighbours with a few chefs in the family, and they worked on cruise ships, hotels and hospitals. I couldn’t afford to continue my education and needed to make money and I decided to take a trade school course. It was purely a choice of profession to become a chef. The passion came later.

So how did your passion for food develop?
I landed in Canada in 1982 and I worked for my relatives for about six or seven years and when I decided to get married, it was challenging. I was working but not making any money. I happened to be fortunate to meet a gentleman who basically was a maverick in Toronto on the restaurant scene. He offered me a position as a sous chef in his restaurant. For some reason the spark started. Just by getting into work at 10am every morning, the boss was there and we’d have an espresso, talk about food, read books and magazines and talk about what to do, the season, the market, what is coming in. For some reason the penny dropped; there was an awakening about quality, variety, seasonality, local produce, understanding wines and food and the relationship between them.

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What brought you to Doha?
The Boccone restaurant at Toronto Pearson Airport was so successful that SSP [Qatar Duty Free’s partner on F&B at the airport] took notice of that. I didn’t go in pounding my chest. I said: “You run the restaurant, let me do the food how I want to do it.”

Was there any hesitation about expanding internationally and coming to Doha?
Absolutely none. I love people, no matter which part of the world they are from. It’s a new experience for me. I am bringing something that I can do, but I am also learning.

Would you like to do more in the Middle East?
Absolutely. We need an entrepreneur who has the will to see the food scene in Toronto and maybe look to duplicate that here. We need an area where there are lots of young people and lots of activity.
What do you want diners to leave

Soprafino thinking?
I want the customer to leave thinking that they were in a really great place. That the food exceeded expectation. I want them to leave feeling light, satisfied and completely happy.

What keeps you busy?
I have two downtown restaurants in Toronto, two at Toronto Pearson Airport, and I licensed my name to Rainbow Room at Niagara Falls. I’m also on three TV shows, I have two cookbooks and I contribute to two magazines.