Gianni Mariano talks people, brand & risotto

We love food; we love people; we love brands. And when these elements combine in the right way, something magical happens!

On Monday 5 October 2015, Mastrantonio’s Gianni Mariano (who is also part of Artist Proof Studio) joined us and a group of friends at the CN&CO headquarters for an intimate event where he took us on a journey of art, food, passion & people, sharing recipes to life, brand & risotto.

Apart from being an incredible restaurateur, Gianni is also an experienced marketer with an eye for doing business well. During his talk he drew parallels between what it takes to make a good risotto, and what it takes to make a good business and brand, with the golden thread of marketing and people underlying throughout. But why risotto? The answer: there are so many different dimensions to making a great risotto, which beautifully link to brand identity.

Here are a few key points we took from the chat.

1. It’s not always about the recipe, but what you put in and how you do it

What you put in, you get out. As simple as that. In life, in brands and in business, we have a road map with key points and pitstops along the way. These are often referred to as the nodes and the links. Gianni pointed out that the links are often more important than the nodes.“You don’t remember the pitstops as much as you remember the experiences you have along the road,” he said.

2. Any journey (in business, in a restaurant, and in risotto) starts with vision

3. Find your essence

There must always be an essence (and a clear one at that) around what we do, in cooking and in business. The essence is what the product or business represents. If essence changes, all things associated around the essence will change. In business, you should begin at the essence and look outward – building a strategy from there.”Your essence will be a product of who you are, who you will serve and who your competitors are,” said Gianni.

4. Fractals and quantum theory

A fractal is a small pattern that repeats itself over and over to create a bigger picture. Applying fractals to business means you have to focus on the small things. These things combine to create your essence.

“Everything you do should be a representation of all that you do,” said Gianni. “In business, we too often don’t have our fractals right. It’s the same when you’re making a risotto. You are not boiling the rice. You are teasing the rice, adding a little broth to release a little starch at a time, ensuring that each granule of rice receives as much attention as the next. Focusing on the small stuff helps to create the big picture.”

Quantum theory tells us that we can exist in more than one place at a time.

“In life (and in business) you can be in two different places at the same time,” explained Gianni. “You can be living today, and doing something that will affect the future. In business, you need to be conscious that what you are doing physically is impacted by your past and impacts your future.”

5. Know what to get involved in and what to leave alone

Some things you HAVE to do (and proactively take action) while others you must just allow  to happen. The trick is to know which is which.

6. Develop your mantra

Gianni has three words that have become his mantra, which are useful for any business and brand:

Tradition – which something that has been done repeatedly over time in a certain way
Culture – which is whether that tradition is something others want to acquire and spread
Innovation – the want and need to keep up with the times

7. What’s your image and what’s your identity?

Brand image and band identity are two things you live with, always. Image is what people see. Identity is what you see. This is a disparity that happens in marketing. Having your identity and image aligned (in business and in life) is key.

Gianni rounded off by affirming that magic can happen at any time. Sometimes, without doing anything physical, you can make people feel better, be it related to business, a product or a restaurant – and then you’re doing great.

Listen to an extract of Gianni’s talk below: