In the course my visit to the restaurant, I came across the lady who was willing to give Herald interview on issues pertaining to Castelli Restaurant. She is a lady of quick ears to hear and duly respond to every request and suggestion made, and open eyes that focus to keep every movement of the visitors and the workers in sight to make sure things are all under surveillance and control.
In all her doings, there is nothing left to recklessness. She possesses all the managerial qualities; no wonder why the restaurant is held in such high repute. Soon we embarked on the interview that exhausted everything about the restaurant as follows:
Herald: We highly appreciate your willingness to give interview to Herald. Could you kindly tell me your name and your position in the restaurant?
Tiziana: My name is Tiziana Castelli. I am the manager of Castelli Restaurant next to my uncle, the general manager.
Herald: When was Castelli Restaurant established?
Tiziania: As a matter of fact, it was established sixty three years ago, in 1957 Gregorian calendar. The restaurant pioneers most other restaurants in the country. We feel very privileged to be placed in such position when the country was in dire need of our services for both local and international customers.
Herald: What does restaurant mean to you?
Tiziania: To put it in a nut shell, it is a place where meal is eaten and sold. This being the case, the meals we cater for our customers have a unique touch in which excellence is testified by all who have ever set foot in our restaurant.
Herald: Is the restaurant a share company or privately owned?
Tiziana: Well, it is not a privately owned organization, it is a share company.
Herald: What are the primary services of your restaurant?
Tiziana: Basically, we provide meals, lunch and dinner with an emphasis on earth to table dining by offering food with a purpose.
Herald: How important do you think are your services?
Tiziana: The importance lies in our efforts to introduce our own and original catering style. Our service has diversity in its nature; we blend the different Italian regional cousins to make the meals quite enjoyable by the customers. Our primary purpose is their satisfaction, and at the same time to introduce them to new variety of food preparations.
We have been in the business for a long time that we have come to the conclusion that our primary concern is to duly respond to the orders of our faithful customers unreservedly. Such business commitment has aligned a lot of customers behind us which has made them part of Castelli family undoubtedly.
Herald: How do you describe the building of your restaurant and all that is required to make it presentable to its local and international guests?
Tiziana: Castelli furnished the building with healthy, energy-efficient furnishings, equipment, methods and materials to align with our goals of sustainability; we keep up our excellence to continue without faltering. We are regular in our activities and search of development directions. As to its location we chose Piasa neighborhood for its walkability for employees and guests alike to further our purpose. That is why we have chosen the down town Piasa, which was then the bustling part of Addis Ababa.
Herald: Are your services just casual? How do you explain them?
Tiziana: We do not serve by chance or carelessly. We have committed to the ideals of local sustainability and mindful of consumption, and deliver this consistently in our establishment.
Herald: What does the historical background of Castelli Restaurant look like?
Tiziana: It is a family business that had been initiated by my forefathers even before being established in Ethiopia. I am the second or third generation and have partly, owing to my age, been through its years-long development.
Herald: Was Castelli Restaurant established only for the residents of Addis Ababa?
Tiziana: Of course, one thing we cannot deny is that by virtue of the location of the restaurant, our best customers are the residents of Addis Ababa. Nowadays, we also have lots of tourists, business people, diplomats, and the like from many countries around the world. Our history would not be as rich as it has grown to be without the support and love of our guests.
Herald: As of late, quite a number of new hotels are mushrooming. Is your restaurant competitive enough to thrive in the market?
Tiziana: Actually competition is good and we welcome it and try our best to remain buoyant. Sincerely speaking, our services are blended with family atmosphere, humane and tender touch in an effort to make our customers feel well taken care of while they are under the roof of our restaurant. In fact, challenges, more than discouraging us, they catapult us to new higher level. No matter how the number of hotels increases, guests do not enjoy eating repeatedly at the same hotel, thus, they come to us and having tasted our delicious cousins and services, they become our regular customers.
Herald: Why do you think your customers remain attached to you?
Tiziana: At Castelli, guests experience genuinely unique cuisine that is frequently updated and guaranteed to feature seasonal ingredients. They believe that the quality and the amount of meals we cater are worth the money they are charged.
Herald: What is the daily number of
visitors, on which days is it at its highest and on which at its lowest?
Tiziana: For your information, restaurant business is not as you think it is; it is utterly unpredictable and it is very difficult to keep track of the number customers related to days of the week.
Herald: Among the many choices of your menu which food attracts your customers most?
Tiziana: Now you ask me an interesting question; they are many for that matter. Yet, the routine orders of our customers mainly revolve around our home-made pasta, tagliatelli with truffle sauce, lasagna alforno and ravioli with meat sauce.
Herald: If I am not lingering with my questions about food, what are your specialties?
Tiziana: Here you are again; apart from the pasta dishes I mentioned earlier, we have exquisite elaborate vegetable buffet and cold cuts such as roasted beef and a lot more. Regarding this, too, the feedback we often receive from our customers is very encouraging.
Herald:
Is the restaurant successful in all its business activities?
Tiziana: Even though it is up to the customers to evaluate, we believe that we are doing all in our capacity to be successful and remain in the business unquestionably. The sixty-three year of the existence of the restaurant bear witness to Castelli Restaurant’s relentless efforts to achieve success.
Herald: What is the number of Castelli Restaurant’s staff?
Tiziana: The Restaurant is well staffed. We have about twenty permanent employees actively engaged in their daily activities in a spirit of emulation.
Herald: Have you ever hosted prominent international figures as your guests?
Tiziana: We host them rather daily. During our long history in the business we have catered for politicians, athletes, famous artists such as the former presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Tony Blaire, former Secretary of Great Britain, the Queen of Spain, Tabo Imbeki, former President of South Africa, Mr. Bob Geldof, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebre Selassie, etc.
Herald: Do you get feedback from your customers concerning the quality of your food and the standard of your services?
Tiziana: Yes, we do; they express most of them are very pleased with every bit of what we do as we cater for them. In fact, nowadays, we also cater for vegans, vegetarians, celiacs (those who are allergic to gluten) since people are lately becoming more and more health conscious.
Herald: How do you rate your restaurant compared to other prominent restaurants in Ethiopia?
Tiziana: We believe that we are doing to our utmost endeavors to be equal, if not better, compared to others in the challenging restaurant business. As aforementioned, the feedbacks we receive from customers are the sheer indicators.
Herald: What do you do for your chefs to upgrade their craft?
Tiziana: Since it is our policy to see our chefs fully equipped with the necessary skills in their career, we periodically conduct our in-house training. This will help them specialize in different food preparation sectors relevant to their skills and inclination.
Herald: Has Castelli Restaurant ever been awarded in international restaurant tournament?
Tiziana: We have not taken part in international restaurant tournament; however, we have received recognition awards from Ethiopian and Italian institutions.
Herald: I thank you very much for your co-operation in giving Herald interview unreservedly amidst you tight work schedule.
Tiziana: You’re welcome.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition February 23/2020
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
