Chefs Corner La Boca
Chef Luigi Afelba of La Boca Italian Restaurant
Chef Biography
Chef Luigi Afelba, a married father of 1, was born in Naples. He believes his love for cooking was in “his blood” from a very early age; his Italian mother was always creating inspiring dishes and at 9 years old he began making pizzas himself, for which his hometown, Naples, is famous for.
He later attended the Otaviano culinary school. Upon leaving the school he worked in several of the most famous restaurants in Naples, including Rossopomodoro and the Trattoria Medina, located in front of the historical Teatro San Carlo. Here he cooked for actors and V.I.P.’s alike, including Sophia Loren, Rocco Barocco, Valeria Marini, Marcel Desailly, Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli.
Deciding to travel within Europe, Chef Luigi moved to Germany and worked at the Pizzeria Roma restaurant, then to Spain, working at the renowned Topo Gigio restaurant, and lastly in London at the award winning Strada restaurant. Upon returning to Italy he worked as a chef for the Italian Military Forces, where he had previously served; before deciding to permanently move to Cyprus. Here he worked in several of the best known Italian restaurants island wide, joining the Columbia La Boca team to establish the menu in readiness for the opening of the Columbia Plaza and La Boca in November 2008.
Chef Luigi is very proud of the Time Out award nomination for “Best Value for Money”, and says the quality of the food; along with the very reasonable prices are the reasons for La Boca’s immense success.
Information about La Boca Pasta
History of Pasta
The origin of pasta can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization. Etruscan is the English word for the people of Corsica and Italy. It is also said that pasta was brought to Italy by explorer and trader Marco Polo. However, the origins of pasta are said to be found in history before his time.
In the 16th century, tomatoes were brought to the Old World from the New World. Initially, they were considered to be poisonous as part of the nightshade family; but later on, they changed the history of pasta. Pasta was, then, served with the ubiquitous tomato sauce. The first recipe of tomato and pasta was written in 1839.
Ingredients:
"Pasta" is the Italian word for "dough." Our pasta is made from semolina mixed with water. Some choose to use eggs in their pasta, however, Chef Luigi explains that in Cyprus this is not very sensible due to the extremely warm weather conditions and the risk of salmonella poisoning.
Shapes:
There are many different shapes and sizes of pasta. The shape of the noodles determines the name of the pasta:
Spaghetti - "little twines"
Linguini - "little tongues"
Vermicelli - "little worms"
Conchiglie - "shells"
Tagliatelle – “Little cut ones”
Campanelle – “Little bells”
Farfalle – “Butterflies”
Gnocchi- "a knot in wood"
Rigatoni – “large, lined ones”
Lasagna – “Cooking pot”
Fettucine - "small ribbons"
Ravioli - "little turnips"
Rotini - "spirals" or "twists"
Capellini - "fine hairs"
Fusilli - "little spindles"
Penne - "quills" (old pens)
Tortellini - "little cakes"
Cannelloni – “Big little canes”
Casarecce - From casereccio meaning “homemade”
La Boca serves a choice of the above.
Chef Luigi's Menu of the Month...