Interview: Ylenia Motta from Rotterdam

My courage, my istinct and my kitchen

From marine biology to naturopathy studies, traveling between Milan and Ancona and then wherever her heart led her. She trusts her intuition, and finds a passion for oriental culture and Ayurveda, always keeping an eye on cuisine. Currently we find her in Rotterdam, let’s allow her to tell us about her life and cooking.

1. After graduating, you become a researcher for the marine geology department of the University of Ancona but at the same time you start working as a cook in a macrobiotic restaurant: what did you like about being able to access a kitchen and prepare food?

 

 I have always loved cooking, for me it is a gesture of love and seeing people satisfied with the food prepared for them fills me with gratitude! Obviously there was also the more technical aspect: it was my first experience in a professional kitchen, where I learned to cook for large numbers, to manage different preparations at the same time, to create the menu every day based on the vegetables local producers supplied and, of course, also to resolve any unpredictable events… something which always happens in the kitchen!

 

2. You listened to your inner voice when, after your graduation, you enter the Riza naturopathy school in Milan and then you specialize in Ayurvedic medicine: what is the trait that unites all your passions?

 

My scientific training was fundamental and still is, but it was not my goal, I wanted to go further. The mistake that is often made in the West is to separate: "alternative" science / disciplines, right / wrong, demonstrable / not demonstrable ... I believe that one should not blindly believe in everything, but also not have a closed mind that does not allow you to see beyond what you know. Therefore, I do not take into consideration all those miraculous solutions of so-called "alternative therapies" which prey on the weakness and suffering of people, but traditional medicines are something different, such as, but to name a few, Chinese medicine, unani and Ayurveda for example. In these curative systems we have both the most strictly scientific vision (anatomical, biochemical, physiological ...), and also a deeper vision, which analyzes the emotional and experiential sphere of the individual, and correlates them because one influences the other. However, there is a branch of physics, quantum physics, which in strictly mathematical language "explains" this very concept. So the trait that unites the phases of my path is research and union.

 

3. Once again you follow your intuition and discover the East, especially India: tell us the first image that comes to mind when you think back to India. And which dish, during this trip, surprised you

 

This question arouses strong emotions in me, because the second year I went to India, in 2009, I booked intensive Ayurveda courses with a Master, in a small town in Kerala. There I remember that I felt an unforgettable sensation when I went for the first time to one of the beaches, it seemed to me that I had already been there, that I had always been there. Then I discovered that this is a sacred beach, where Hindu rites are celebrated every morning. Here, the first image I see is this beach. The dish that surprised me most of all is Masala Dosa, a kind of piada stuffed with spiced potatoes… I'm really crazy about it !!!

 

You have been a vegetarian since you were a girl and when you discover that you are pregnant you feel a new vision arise within you: tell us about it

Yes, as a vegetarian I missed that leap to go definitively to a vegetable diet, this push I got with my pregnancy, because I thought that I could feed, care for, play and see my daughter grow up, while many mothers, not humans, cannot. This left me heartbroken and without any doubts as to the decision to take.

 

5. You have always worked in restaurants where you can use your creativity and your experience of vegetable cooking and you have also organized courses: what do you want to leave with the people who eat your dishes or take part in your course?

 

Joy. The joy of eating a good dish, and of preparing it in the case of cooking classes, the joy that the colors and shapes of the dish give and that of conviviality.

 

6. You currently work in Rotterdam, on a train that has been converted into a restaurant (gare du nord): how would you define your Dutch experience?

R. I am very happy to be here, I have always loved the countries of northern Europe, for their lifestyle, which respects the environment and the quality of life. The Gare du Nord is a confirmation of this, it helps me grow working with my colleagues and with my manager, a wonderful person. Professional growth, but also human growth, unfortunately in Italy it does not often happen to work in a relaxed environment of reciprocal respect.

 

7. I am very struck by the fact that it is a train-restaurant, and I often imagine cooking as a journey: towards flavors, towards a search, towards a desire…. what is your wish for the future? Where will this train take you?

 

R. I am grateful and proud to work for this restaurant, so my desire is one day to be less in the kitchen and more in management, both of the Gare du Nord itself, and perhaps of my own business, in any case together with people I feel in synch with.

 

8. In Rotterdam you organize cooking classes, face to face and online: leave us your contacts in case we want to search and connect with you

 

No problem!  I love teaching and now there are two people in particular with whom I collaborate promoting my courses through their activities. They are two Yoga teachers, with their own center, but who are obviously only working online now, so I am pleased to promote them as well!

- Swami Gyanavilas Teresa Auddino, www.taracenter.it

- Karin Montali, www.yogaconkarin.it

On their sites you will find emails and numbers to contact them.

There will be other collaborations shortly, which I will communicate to you as soon as possible! Finally you can contact me directly.

via my Instagram page: mottaylenia

Fb: Ylenia Motta

Mail: yleniamotta76@gmail.com

 

9. Looking towards your past, what do you appreciate about the younger Ylenia?

 

The courage to always follow my instincts, even when those close to me did not understand.

 

10. Looking towards the future… what will Ylenia be like in 20 years?

Good question! I always think full of energy and ideas and I hope often with a suitcase in my hand! I love to travel and I miss it a lot, so I would like to travel both for work (courses and consultancy around the world ... why not?), and also for pleasure!

Thanks Ylenia for giving us your recipe ravioli with lentils