The Sweet life

We catch up with David Rocco, prior to the launch of his first global restaurant, set to open in Kuala Lumpur this year

- Aaron Pereira

“As with most things, there’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes— especially if you want to achieve a certain success,” says David Rocco. But while many may be envious of the celebrity

chef, cookbook author and television host living what appears to be la dolce vita, it’s not all sweetness and light. “What most people don’t realise is that being in front of the camera is tough, and shooting can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining,” he says.

Rocco was in Kuala Lumpur to open a new restaurant. He spoke to Tatler about his upcoming ventures, and the truth behind the seeming glamour of his career.

Take the process of making his Dolce TV series, which sees him travelling the globe to discover culinary and cultural secrets, but life behind the scenes isn’t easy; it can take three days of intensive shooting to complete a 30-minute episode. “Sometimes I get off a 12- or 18-hour flight, and we immediately start shooting, due to time constraints. The end product looks amazing—I mean, take this [Tatler] shoot, for instance, it looks glamorous, but that’s because you guys made it easy. But I’ve had friends and family come on set, and after five hours, of sitting and watching, end up wanting to leave, while we’re there working for 12 hours or more sometimes.”