[Chef's Table] 20 Years in Shanghai, Da Man Behind Da Marco

He may not have been the first guy to do Italian food in Shanghai, but Marco Barbieri has probably been doing it the longest. Over the span of two and a half decades, Barbieri created a small empire that, at its height, stretched from Dongzhu'anbang Rd to the Shenzhen airport and all the way to the freezer aisle in Carrefour. He probably could have sold his business, his name and his likeness to become a disembodied brand identity like Colonel Sanders. But no, he's still at his namesake restaurant in the same place it was when he opened it last century. And given the astronomical rent rises that restaurateurs contend with here, that's an impressive feat in itself. Here he is in his own words, da man behind Da Marco.

CNS: Let's begin at the beginning. Where are you from, and when did you move here?

Marco: I'm from a small village near Varese in Lombardy, near Milano. I've been in Shanghai since 1995. Da Marco has been open since 1999.

CNS: What got you into cooking? Why did you pursue this as a career?

Marco: Originally, I wanted to be a computer programmer. So, I went to school for that for a while, but it was too hard. I used to cook at home a lot when I was young, anyway, because my parents used to work. So, I went to a trade school for two years and learned the fundamentals.

CNS: What was the first dish you ever cooked?

Marco: Risotto alla Milanese. Where I come from, we eat that a lot more than pasta.

CNS: What brought you to Shanghai in 1995?

Marco: I've always loved to travel. I started my career in Europe – mainly in Italy, but I didn't work there much because I wanted to see more of the world. Early on, I spent a lot of time working in Switzerland since it was close to where I grew up. After that, I moved to Germany, then spent about two and a half years in New York. I ended up in Singapore for about six months. I didn't really enjoy it – too straight, too fake. So, I came to Shanghai.

CNS: Did you just come here to travel originally?

Marco: No. I had to work. I used to work for Pasta Fresca. It was one of the first Italian restaurants in Shanghai. After that, I went to work for Hotel Equatorial on Yan'an Rd. That is closed now. Then I spent about a year working in Venezuela. So, one time I was back in Shanghai on holiday, and the marketing manager from Equatorial... she'd gotten a new job, working as the sales manager in the building we're sitting in right now. She asked me if I wanted this restaurant space.

CNS: What was Shanghai like in 1995?

Marco: It was totally different! A lot of bicycles, not so many cars. Far fewer Westerners, but it was a much more tightly knit community. There weren't that many bars either. There was Judy's, Malone's, and Manhattan. Manhattan was where all the chefs went after work.

CNS: What was the first Chinese dish you ate that really wowed you?

Marco: It would have to be Dongpo rou, braised pork belly. For me, it's one of the best things to eat here.

CNS: What was the hardest part of opening a restaurant at the time?

Marco: Nothing! I did it for fun. I loved what I did, and the Italian community used to come because they didn't have so many options back then. But I suppose one thing is the Italian community's loyalty over the years. I haven't changed the menu. Well, one time I did, and there was a revolt among customers. So, I brought the old menu back, and it's been the same ever since.

CNS: Back in 1995, how receptive were Chinese people to the food you were making? Did they like it?

Marco: Yeah, but at the beginning it was very difficult. Back then, it was hard to find a lot of important ingredients. Actually, it's still hard. You still can't import things like Parma ham or salami from Italy. That's all made here. Over the years, we have developed a really strong following. Somehow, we became really popular for birthdays and corporate events.

CNS: I imagine that back then, most locals weren't interested in eating cheese.

Marco: No, but when I first moved here, Pizza Hut was becoming popular. So, they were growing accustomed to it.

CNS: So, in a very perverse way, you might owe a debt of gratitude to Pizza Hut?

Marco: I never thought of that, but yeah. Maybe you're right!

CNS: And then you expanded…

Marco: Yes. We opened a store on Yandang Rd, and one in Grand Gateway. We had some pasta bars on the outskirts of the city. I had a branch in Suzhou, one in the airport in Shenzhen.

CNS: At one point, you even had a line of frozen Italian foods. Your face was on the box and everything.

Marco: Yeah, we were doing so much catering. We were catering events for the Italian consulate, Zegna, Ferrari, Lamborghini, all these Italian firms, and we had franchisees, too, so we had to open a central kitchen in Minhang. And we discovered all these people living outside of Shanghai, in places where there were no Italian restaurants. They needed their pasta! They asked me, "Marco, can you think of a solution?" So, we used the central kitchen to make frozen lasagna and things like that. You could even get it in Carrefour and City Shop. It sold well, but it was crazy – too much work. So, eventually, we stopped.

CNS: What do you like most about living here?

Marco: Years ago, it was partying. I used to go out and drink a lot. Now, not so much. I'm settled down. I travel a lot more. I bought a camper here. So, my wife and I drive around and see the country in our camper. We've been up to the border with North Korea and with Russia. We've also been to Mongolia, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan…

CNS: Are you surprised that you're still here?

Marco: Sometimes, yes. But I really like it here.

If you go...

Da Marco

Opening hours: 11:30am-10:30pm

Address: 1/F, East side, 103 Dongzhu Anbang Rd 东诸安浜路103号一楼东侧