The former "prop" from Catania, a member of the national rugby team, has turned his passions into a job. Farmer, donkey breeder, aromatic herb expert, and TV personality behind the stove.
Some, after a top-level sports career, switch to the other side of the ball (oval, in this case) and become coaches, managers, or sports commentators. Others, however, enroll in Philosophy at university, study the land closely, cultivate it, understand its potential, and then invest. Time, resources, ideas, to reinvent a territory and innovate through agriculture.
He is Andrea Lo Cicero Vaina, a very Catana-native former prop for the national Rugby team who traveled the world chasing the oval ball but kept his roots firmly in Sicily. In Catania, in that treehouse where he took refuge as a boy, along with his lifelong friends (whom he still sees), looking at the boundless orange groves that surrounded the housing complex where he lived.
The "baron" Lo Cicero (a nickname derived from his noble descent) has been a protagonist in several television programs, first and foremost Celebrity Masterchef, where he played a role not at all distant from his interests. In Giardini da incubo (Nightmare Gardens), for example, he was a plant expert and helped couples transform their home gardens into green jewels; on Rai Uno, he hosted a season of La Prova del Cuoco (The Cook's Test) alongside Elisa Isoardi, and Sky tailored the series "L’erba del Barone" (The Baron's Herb) for him, in which Lo Cicero explains how to best use aromatic herbs, suggesting two recipes in each episode.
« During one of the episodes of L’erba del Barone, I made a recipe based on avocado paired with chicken. A kind of Caesar salad with avocado mayonnaise, a recipe I developed myself. For me, avocado is an extremely versatile fruit in the kitchen; I love it. You can interpret it in both sweet and savory ways. And it's perfect as a snack when you're on a diet. It makes me proud to know that at the foot of my beloved Etna - because in Catania, Etna is fimmina, a muntagna (feminine, the mountain) – the best avocados in Italy grow. »
In short, the baron is truly an #avocadolover.
« Yes, because you can pair avocado with any dish. It's not present in traditional cuisine, but the new Italian gastronomy has discovered this exotic ingredient (which is no longer exotic, given that it's absolutely #madeinsicily). In "new" cuisine, avocado is used a lot because there's more culture and research, and more attention is paid to using light and varied elements. »
And at home, as on TV, are you the one behind the stove?
« Yes, it's something I enjoy, and it's a family tradition. In my house, there was always cooking. It was also a way to keep me 'in check'. In general, it's curiosity that drives me: in life, in sports, in cooking, in agriculture. This curiosity led me to enroll in university, in the Faculty of Philosophy. Philosophy is the love of knowledge, which comes through study, research, and all those elements that help you formulate your own personal thought. Knowledge allows you to have an idea and not to 'suffer' the ideas of others. »
So, give us an avocado-based recipe!
« Vegan mayonnaise based on avocado: avocado, lemon, salt and pepper, unsweetened soy milk, a pinch of saffron (of course, the saffron grows on Etna and is produced by me). But you can make it however you want. Avocado is so versatile that it can be used with both fish and white meats. As for fish, you could make a tuna or cuttlefish or octopus tartare, or even salmon, and pair it with an avocado tartare flavored with smoked salt. For a crunchy touch, you can add typical Sicilian sesame breadsticks. A totally #madeinsicily and almost zero-kilometer dish. »
Speaking of zero kilometers, how important is "km 0" in cooking to you? Can we talk about an environmental ethics of the table?
« Of course, that's what I do too. I cook simple dishes, accessible to everyone, with the possibility of using very simple herbs that you can grow in your garden or on your balcony. I know that your avocado arrives at your customers' homes within 48 hours, and this is an exceptional fact. No more journeys of over 40 days in a ship's refrigerated cells, but a product that, in less than 48 hours from harvest, can reach markets across Europe and Italian homes.
It's a great opportunity for all of us because we are sure to find typically exotic products in our territory, with the added security of origin and traceability. For this, my applause goes to Sicilia Avocado: they believed in the territory, they innovated, and they received a positive response from the market. That's what I'm doing too.
And for people like us, I coined a motto: "The Sicily you don't expect." To go beyond the stereotype of mafia, pizza, mandolin. »
And you, on Etna, what are you producing?
« I started a small saffron production. Part of it I grow near Randazzo and part in Milìa, near Ragalna, at an altitude of two thousand meters. To produce saffron, the soil is important (as for all agricultural products), but while for fruits, exposure matters, for spices, the climate and soil matter a lot. Sicily (the one, precisely, you don't expect) is a small paradise; it enjoys various altitudes, going from zero to three thousand meters, various exposures, various microclimates, direct exposure to the sea, but also to Etna, a condition that creates a constantly renewed circulation of fresh air. »
The passion with which you speak of Sicily is palpable. Are you an ambassador of Sicilian agri-food culture?
« Thank you for the title of ambassador (he laughs, editor's note), no one had given it to me yet. Let's say I got to where I am today because I thoroughly studied our territory and asked myself why. Young people are re-evaluating our land and also undertaking international projects. Young people are not afraid to innovate. »
But when did your calling for the countryside begin?
« Always, because my grandparents owned orange groves. Then I lived in the "le terrazze" residence which was surrounded by orange groves all around; I would look out and see the oranges. We even made treehouses on those trees.
I never thought of becoming a farmer or a rugby player; I just do what I like. If I succeed in my work, I believe, it's because I go to the source of knowledge. I don't like to improvise. »
Among your many activities, you also breed donkeys. In fact, you were recently involved in an unpleasant incident.
« Yes, I have Ragusan donkeys, bought in Sicily and brought to Lazio, to Nepi, for onotherapy at my farm, which I named "I scecchi." One of them was recently killed. As an instinctive reaction, I posted a video (I was in tears) which then went viral and even aired in prime time on Canale 5. Those donkeys are a great help for children. »
Can we simply say goodbye by saying: Long live Sant'Agata?
"Cettu, cettu" (Certainly, certainly)!