In Conversation: Mario Mozzetti and Filippo La Gattuta

We’re here at Gloria to help raise funds for The Felix Project - please can you tell us a bit more about the charity and what compelled you to take part in this one-off charity dinner? 

Filippo: The Felix Project for us, it’s now a partner, because it’s not the first time that we’ve worked with them. The Felix Project is an incredible organisation that rescues surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants and bakeries and then redistributes it. We’re really, really proud to support it. As I said, it’s not the first time that we’ve worked with them, and it’s always a pleasure. 

Mario, you’re the owner of the wonderful Alfredo alla Scrofa in Rome - how long have you been at the helm of the restaurant and what was your mission when you joined? 

Mario: It feels like I’ve been there for millions of years, but it’s actually been 40 years. I was very young, and I fell in love with the story first of all, because the story is huge. I saw all these actors inside the restaurant, and I started to think, why don’t we try to take all of these photographs and try to discover the story of this restaurant, because it’s a beautiful story - a love story. 

Alfredo alla Scrofa has been doing business since 1914 - how do you honour the restaurant’s legacy whilst also adapting for a modern audience? 

Mario: It’s a heritage [restaurant], that can be traced back to my grandfather who was a waiter at Alfredo who then bought the restaurant in 1943… We work on [preserving] this tradition. That’s the secret to modernity… We have to maintain that tradition and respect it. 

Please can you tell us about the origins of your restaurant’s signature dish, the Fettuccine Alfredo? How did it come into existence? 

Mario: The story is about passion, Alfredo’s passion for his wife. She got pregnant, and she became inappetent, so he (a Roman restaurateur) created this dish to help [restore her health]. He got some butter and parmesan cheese, and the combination of butter and parmesan cheese, along with fettuccine pasta strands which were very thin. It only took 20 seconds to cook instead of 5 minutes. Mantecatura is the name given to the way that you mix the fettuccine with one fork and one spoon. That’s the backstory, and from then, the mantecatura work was passed down from my grandfather to my father, myself and my son. 

Filippo: Fettuccine Alfredo is an authentic dish, and since 1914, [the team] have wanted to maintain the same recipe and the same execution… Tradition for me always comes back to authenticity. 

If you were to pair the Fettuccine Alfredo with one wine, which would you choose?

Filippo: For me, Fettuccine Alfredo is a very rich dish thanks to the butter, parmesan, and protein, so in my opinion, you can pair it with almost any type of wine. A white wine might refresh the [palate], a sparkling wine does the same, while a red wine [complements] the richness. 

Mario: Franciacorta! It’s a sparkling Italian wine that we use in the restaurant. For me, it’s the right combination. But of course, white wine and some red wines also work perfectly with this rich dish. 

Fettuccine aside, what would your ultimate Italian feast look like? 

Filippo: Well, this evening we designed a Roman-style menu. We have an aperitivo to start featuring focaccia, charcuterie, olives, and parmesan. Then we have the supplì - a typical Italian starter - followed by Fettuccine Alfredo, then saltimbocca alla Romana, and then finally Tiramisu which is a very typical Italian dish. It’s a celebration.