By Leigh O’Connor.
With a passion for animal conservation, welfare and wildlife rehabilitation, Enrico Paulii is not your average Italian Chef!
Born in Torino, Enrico, like so many others, began his kitchen life as a dishwasher before leaving Italy for the Canary Islands at age 18 where he met an Italian Chef who taught him everything he knew.
These days, he heads the culinary offerings at Juliana’s Cucina & Bar on Hall Street in Moonee Ponds, where a contemporary Italian menu and amazing cocktails make the venue the place to be seen in this trendy and eclectic Melbourne suburb. On Friday and Saturday nights, the lights go down, the music goes up and Rat Pack-style vocalists mingle around the room to get the party started.
"When you dine at Juliana’s, you can expect a fine dining experience with charm and personality along with a high level of food quality and selection of Italian wine,” Enrico tells AGFG. "You can interact with the Chefs through our open kitchen and the refined interior will transport guests to a vibrant Italian atmosphere.”
After working as a Chef and Head Chef in France, Italy and Spain, Enrico headed Down Under where he has worked as Head Chef at D.O.C. Pizzeria and a 48-hour pizza and gnocchi bar before becoming Executive Chef and co-owner of Juliana’s.
With two graphic design degrees, finding his kitchen passion didn’t come until a mentor taught him all his cooking secrets:
"I love how the hospitality industry gives me the liberty to use creativity to make amazing dishes and flavour combinations, taking risks sometimes.”
Defining his style as high-quality, modern Mediterranean, Enrico’s dishes feature spicy flavours and fresh organic herbs as seen in his recipe for lamb rolata with mustard leaves, mint jelly and red wine jus.
"This is a traditional Italian recipe, executed in a modern way to create a dish to impress - juicy and soft rolled lamb shoulder with a fresh herb aroma, contrasted by the spicy mustard leaves and complemented with fresh and zesty mint jelly and intense rich red wine jus.”
After creating delicious meals at Juliana’s, you may ask what this busy Chef’s go-to meal is when he doesn’t feel like cooking…bring on the steamed dumplings and Thai green curry!
