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Farewell Walter, historical italian chef of Malindi

The former Rosada and Osteria cook died at 72

29-09-2020 by Freddie del Curatolo

Walterino.
Or Caravaggio.
Or Mr. Cigni, for his friends from Livorno.
The one with a sharp line like his face, poisonous instead of the excellent gravies that only he knew how to prepare in Malindi.
Just like a wriggle, a gesture, an arm twirling in the air to then stop and indicate an unspecified point in the cosmos, Walter Cigni suddenly left at the age of 72, more than half of whom spent in Kenya.
He was betrayed by that mistreated heart, often closed like a chest that you had to go and look for him like he did with the right fish to prepare the cacciucco.
Those who are accustomed to Malindi and the surrounding area or have spent something more than a simple vacation there cannot but remember him and have loved him even though he certainly did not strive, as a good Tuscan, to be loved.
But the real characters are like that, in the end you always forgive them everything and go looking for them, because that cursed life was built with a will of their own and in order to defend their uniqueness, their idea of freedom, they often reached the threshold of self-destruction.
I remember this particularly to Baby Marrow, his true creature.
Everyone in Malindi had given him a hand in that adventure as a soloist, starting with his fellow countrymen and friends Armando Tanzini (I work with him at the White Elephant, so many stories...) and Beppe Passaglia, the Captain, almost a brother.
And at Baby Marrow he has created a cooking school where many people have been trained, running after his misfortunes or swirling pans and watching him snicker and lift an extra beer with the 10 o'clock at night.
Because beyond that it was difficult to sit down and have dinner, and you would even take an insult if you tried!
Valterino had to "go around", see people and live Malindi, because he is one of those who saw the Italian Malindi grow and flourish, in the glorious years, unforgettable and bastards at the turn of the eighties and nineties.
His temperament but also his job (one of the few professionals in the stove to never give up Malindi) had taken him a bit 'everywhere: Bar Bar, Mwembe, Olimpia Club, Osteria and finally Rosada.
We met and joked at the birthday of another friend of his, Gianfranco Vitali who the night before reminded me anecdotes of the seventies, when the Swan was an arrow thrown towards the sky of Africa.
That Africa that took him in an instant, zac!
Just as he disappeared from the Stardust or materialized at six in the evening at the Baobab for the usual tusker with Beppe, Dino, Giulio and some other romantic cynic who could not help but enjoy the beautiful hour of the Indian Ocean in front of Vasco Da Gama's bay.
Hello Walter, not even time to sing your favorite song, of the cursed Leghorn like you Piero Ciampi.
"Not you"

TAGS: Walter Cignilutto malindiricordo malindiitaliani kenya

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