Roberto Martella, the owner of Toronto’s Grano restaurant seen in Baycrest Hospital’s winter garden on Thursday, co-pioneered the idea of hosting political commentary at his establishment.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Roberto Martella made his name in Toronto with his thriving North Toronto restaurant Grano, a welcoming place where people break bread together and exchange ideas. Now that he is recovering from a severe stroke, food will again bring people together when his friends toast his recovery at a special feast. Some of the top chefs in the city are participating in the event, on Monday at the Columbus Centre, an Italian cultural centre in North York.
Last November, Mr. Martella was in Italy to speak at a wine conference and was staying in Venice at the home of a friend, who runs cooking schools. His friend was travelling, so he was alone in the house when he had his stroke.
"I was lying on her floor for three days when she came back from Russia and discovered me," Mr. Martella said. "She contacted my family, who were great. They rallied together – my wife and children and some of my siblings. They went to Italy together to rescue me."
Mr. Martella was in a coma for a month. In February, he finally flew back to Toronto, where he was treated at Sunnybrook Hospital then transferred to Baycrest Hospital.
His recovery has been slow but steady. His speech is quiet and hesitant but strengthening, and the vision in his left eye is compromised, which, he fears, might prevent him from getting back on his signature Vespa. He is still unable to walk, so he uses a wheelchair.
His mind, however, is sharp.
On a recent morning in his room at Baycrest, a copy of The New York Times lay on his bedside table as he watched the television news. When a visitor arrived, he was eager to discuss the recent visit of Bernie Sanders, and Michael Ignatieff's views on Catalan separatism.
"For him to be where he is today is – we all feel – a miracle," his sister Carla Martella says. "His mind is as vibrant today as it was any time before that."
The sentiment is echoed by his friend Rudyard Griffiths, the organizer and moderator of the Munk Debates.
"Roberto's curiosity and his passion for ideas are quite undiminished by the current circumstances, which is terrific," Mr. Griffiths says.
Mr. Martella and Mr. Griffiths have a long history together. Together with their friend Patrick Luciani, a former director of the Donner Canadian Foundation, they came up with the idea of holding a special dinner series at Grano not long after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
They were eager to discuss the ramifications of American military action at the time, so they brought in esteemed experts, including Washington commentator William Kristol and political scientist Samuel Huntington, to speak informally to a select group. Over the years, these popular by-invitation-only evenings, dubbed the Grano Speakers Series, became a modern-day version of the salons of the 18th and 19th centuries. The guest lists have included Conrad Black, Nobel laureate John Polanyi and international-relations expert Janice Gross Stein.
"Roberto has always been someone with a keen interest in ideas and debate and discussion and the restaurant is unique in that it is a perfect venue for that type of exchange of ideas," Mr. Griffiths says.
The talks continued at Grano for more than a decade, until Mr. Martella's illness prompted a temporary change of venue.
Mr. Griffiths attributes the success of the venture in part to a "certain kind of magic" his friend has as a host. "He has an ability to make people feel welcome and included in the conversation."
When he had his stroke in Italy, the news spread to his wide circle of friends and acquaintances. Consequently, when Toronto restaurateurs Franco Prevedello and Joey Bersani started talking about planning a tribute to Mr. Martella, the idea "went viral," says Jimmy Molloy, one of the event's organizers. "Everyone wanted to pitch in and help."
More than a dozen chefs, including Gabriele Paganelli, Marc Thuet and Arpi Magyar, will contribute to the evening's elaborate menu. Tickets, at $275 apiece, sold out quickly. The money raised will be used to cover Mr. Martella's continuing care.
"I'm very moved by it," he said. "I think it is a very mature thing on the part of some of these friends who realize that I'll have certain expenses once I get out of [the hospital]. And they thought it was appropriate that they stage an evening to raise some funds."
Pianist Gene DiNovi and the Italian tenor Francesco Pellegrino are among the musicians who offered to perform for the event, which will take place two days after Mr. Martella's 64th birthday.
"It is a heartwarming response from the whole community," Mr. Molloy says, "and a true reflection of how one person can affect the whole city in a nice way."