Grand Hyatt Celini's chef Fabio Mariella leaves for China making room for pal Alessandro Persico also from his hometown Genova. Both chefs spill the secrets of a good Italian meal

CHEESE and pasta are bad, bad words, if you open a weight-watcher's diet book, never mind that the world's most celebrated swimmer Michael Phelps practically lives on it. And when chef Fabio Mariella is asked about 'healthy food', he pats his stomach, shakes his head and proclaims his ardent love for bread.

Fabio may not believe much in diets, but his creations have become culinary talking points in Mumbai, a city where choices sometimes can be strangely limited. As the 'chef de cuisine' of Celini at the Grand Hyatt in Santacruz, considered by many as the best Italian restaurant in town, Fabio made sure his menu had the healthy stuff the salads, whole wheat penne, the baked trout etc. But given a choice, he would rather tuck into simple pasta and not worry about a bulging belly.

1 Chef Fabio tossing up one of his last dishes at Celini 2 Chef Fabio with his replacement and friend Chef Alessandro Persico with whom he shares a hometownu00a0 pics/SHADAB KHAN How do you like the new new mid-day.com experience? Share your feedback and help us improve. Read Next Story Ganesha's measuring scale› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT