From family kitchens in Italy to fine dining in Doha, Michele Petrara, who heads up Il Galante at Banyan Tree Doha at La Cigale Mushaireb, shares his take on modern Italian cooking, simplicity and life beyond the pass.
For Michele Petrara, cooking started long before professional kitchens, Michelin stars or hotel restaurants entered the picture. Growing up in Italy, food was simply part of everyday life, shaped by time spent with his mother and grandmothers in the kitchen. For him, it was always “something emotional, connected to family”.
Turning that connection into an actual profession came later, once he stepped into the reality of restaurant kitchens and realised how different the environment was from cooking at home. “I understood that what I loved could also become my profession and my purpose,” he says. Like many chefs starting out, Chef Michele quickly discovered that professional kitchens leave little room for romantic ideas about food.
What stayed with him most from those early years was the intensity of the environment and the constant pressure to improve. “It was a completely different world from cooking at home. The pace was fast, expectations were high, and there was constant pressure to improve.”
The experience was demanding, but it also shaped the way he still works today. Those years also prepared him for Michelin-starred kitchens, where the pressure only became more intense. While many young chefs dream about working in that world, Michele describes the reality as less about glamour and more about consistency, precision and discipline, where maintaining standards becomes part of daily life.
A Philosophy Of Simplicity
Over time, that experience also changed the way he approaches food. In his 20s, he admits he was more focussed on technique and complexity, wanting to show everything he could do on a plate. Today, the philosophy is very different, focussed more on simplicity and balance.
“I’ve learned to respect the ingredients more and not overcomplicate dishes. Now, I focus on letting each element speak for itself,” he says. That balance between simplicity and refinement naturally runs through his cooking style today. Italian cuisine is famously protective of tradition, but Michele prefers reinterpretation over reinvention. “I respect the original recipes, but I like to refine them in a more modern way, whether through presentation or technique, while keeping the authentic flavours intact.”
That approach is especially visible in one of his signature dishes at Il Galante: La mia Parmigiana di Melanzane, his own interpretation of the Italian classic. Rather than changing the identity of the dish completely, he focussed on making it lighter and more refined while preserving its original character. That evolution towards simplicity also shows up in the food he feels most attached to personally.
Despite years spent in fine-dining kitchens, the dish that instantly brings him back to childhood is still one of the simplest Italian staples imaginable. “Definitely a simple pasta with tomato sauce. It’s something very traditional, but the flavours and aroma immediately bring me back to the time I spent cooking with my family.”
Beyond The Kitchen
After years spent learning in demanding kitchens himself, teaching eventually became another important part of his career. Chef Michele spent time in a professional culinary school, something he sees as a way of passing on not only technical skills, but also “discipline, respect and passion for the profession”.
Outside work, he keeps things relatively simple. After long hours in professional kitchens, switching off matters just as much as service itself, whether that means spending time with friends, relaxing or exploring new places before returning to the kitchen with fresh energy. And although cooking feels like the obvious path now, he admits that if he hadn’t made a career in the kitchen, he probably would have still ended up doing something creative either way, “maybe working with my hands or in a design-related field”.
