Who hasn't happened to breathe a perfume and suddenly find yourself reliving a moment of the past? The emotional power of food is so strong that it takes little, an image, a gesture, a flavor, to awaken in the memory those sweet moments that each of us has always carried with us and that perhaps, as in the case of cooks and cooks that we interviewed, they left a mark for the future.

So ad Antonia Klugmann it is enough to smell the scent of tomatoes, the one that is perceived stronger if the leaves of the plant or the stalk are rubbed, to remember when her grandfather Antonio took her to the market to do the shopping. He loves them above all else and therefore he kept adding: "If you asked me what I would take to a deserted island, I would have no doubts: spaghetti with tomato".

Valentino Cassanelli is Ugo Alciati they are united more than by a perfume by a gesture. The one from Emilia and the other from Piedmont, remember when they stole the stuffed tortellini (the first) or agnolotti (the second) from the kitchen table, the kingdom of grandmothers and mothers. Neighbors Mazzucchelli they heard Mama Maria alternately saying "just eat" to the eldest son Massimo (a great gourmet since he was a child) and "eat" to Aurora, who preferred rice in white with a drizzle of oil and a generous grated parmesan cheese, more than tortellini (which today are one of his masterpieces on paper).

For many chefs, the link with the dishes they ate as children is so strong that they have brought them back to their menus. Discover these and other stories of chefs, children, food and love in the June issue of the report and then try to close your eyes and search your memory. What is your special ingredient or dish, what will remain in your heart forever?