Dr & Mrs gonzi - MaltaRightNow.com

| PROMOTION |a LUNCHfor all sensesIt was a motley crew of usthat descended upon the VillaBrasserie at Le Meridien StJulian’s a week ago to sampletheir recently launchedBusiness Lunches.Head Chef Andy Gaskin and sous chef Steve Mallia.With me to whet our appetites was singer andsongwriter Kristina Casolani; who has recentlyperformed at the Malta Music Awards and is alsonominated for the Bay Music Awards, Sue Rossi; oneof the pioneers behind the local modelling sector - andstill in the business after many years - and also thepresenter of the programme ‘The search’ on Net, andChris Gatt; Sales Director at BSL Furniture, who lovesto eat and chat - especially when seated between twoladies who were out to talk about beautiful women,music, and anything which brings these worlds together.Dining at The Villa Brasserie is a special experience,especially if you manage to reserve the private area,which is bathed with light from the huge windows. Itdid help that it was cloudless; and the vista of the baycompliments its surroundings, like a perfect picture.We were welcomed with an aperitif and then settledto our pre-starter which was a smothered carrot andorange water champagne. It was difficult to decidewhether to reach for our spoons or to drink the souplikemixture out of the goblets it was served in!After the initial introductions, we quickly madecommon connections through friends of friendsand acquaintances. We then started to chat aboutmodelling; a subject we all felt we had an opinionabout seeing as it garners so much media attention.Sue enlightened us greatly on the fashion scene. It isencouraging to note that nowadays there are moreand more gals and guys attending modelling courses,many of whom do so to boost their confidence or tomaster the catwalk. And, yes, you do get people of allsorts of shapes and sizes!Sue adds that it’s equally sad when you are facedwith a would-be model with a very large frame asit is when dealing with an underweight one, who isconvinced of looking ‘fat’ in a bikini. Sue always givesher best advice about nutrition and encourages ahealthy lifestyle to all prospective models. She’s alsohappy to see the end results of the hard work put in bythe students, but it’s realistic to say that out of every10, only one makes it to the top as a model.We went on to discuss the reliability of women in theworkforce when our starter - a white tomato risottowith parmesan foam - turned up. Most of us liked thisdish, finding it a tad unusual, with a tangy taste andcooked to perfection.Kristina SueDining at TheVilla Brasserieis a specialexperience,especially ifyou manage toreserve theprivate area,which is bathedwith lightfrom the hugewindows.ChrisL&s | DECEMBER ’07 27