Michelin-trained chef from Italy on how to cook pasta, why ‘happiness comes first’ in the kitchen and the country’s north-south culinary divide

“I was born in Varese, in Lombardy, 40km (25 miles) north of Milan. My hometown is a 20-minute drive to the Swiss border. My parents divorced when I was six years old, and I lived with my maternal grandmother during the week and saw my mum on the weekends.“My grandmother was not a good cook, but a few dishes she did well, like gnocchi. On Sundays, I made cakes and pies with my mum.”So how did you learn to love food?“My mother remarried and my stepfather was very passionate about cooking. He was…