CAVARZERE – From the small town of Cavarzere to the realization of the ‘American dream’. It’s the incredible story of Giulio Caccamo, 41 year old originally from Motta di Livenza but raised in Cavarzere who, in recent days, was received at the White House, a Washington by President Joe Biden, to celebrate the very important milestone achieved together with the basketball team he ‘works’ for: i Boston Celtics.
Let’s start from the beginning. How did it get to the United States? Did you follow a specific path?
“I began my studies at the hotel school in Adria and, as soon as I finished, at the age of 18, I decided that I wanted to gain experience abroad. So I left and moved to England. From here I continued to move, working in many countries, the Middle East, then the Caribbean, and then Central America and South America. Then came the chance to work in the world of sport. I started collaborating with the United States national football team, which I followed in several World Cups. Finally I moved to Australia and New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup. There I met a performance coach who advised me that the Celtics were looking for a chef to join the team.”
And so he decided to try to apply..
“I actually knew nothing about basketball, I had never seen a basketball game in my life. But I told myself I had to try. Once I returned home to Saint Martin, the first emails arrived with the proposal to do an initial interview to get to know each other. I was absolutely convinced they would never catch me.”
And instead…
“And instead they wrote to me asking if I wanted to go to Boston for a couple of days to do an audition. I said yes and asked how many candidates we were, they replied: two! There were only two of us left! I went and did that audition, in the end they chose me.”
In your opinion, what influenced the decision to choose you over the other candidate?
Here the human factor has a huge impact and therefore my immediate integration into the group led them to choose me. Of course my CV has help, but the human component has influenced a lot.
What exactly does your job consist of?
With the support of a nutritionist, I take care of the team’s nutrition. I always travel with them in order to always take care of their menu.
Obvious question: do you also cook Italian?
In America they love Italian food very much, also because here they often eat, qualitatively speaking, really badly. There have been some improvements but there are states where ‘junk food’ is still very popular, junk food, that of the famous hamburger chains so to speak.
A curiosity. What do kids eat before a match?
“A nice plate of pasta! Obviously light, but pasta is an excellent fuel. Then once the match is over we can be more flexible. But nutrition before a match is fundamental and must be very light.”
How are you finding it?
“I started this journey a year ago and during this year I had the opportunity to travel a lot and visit the whole United States, Minneapolis, Houston, Dallas… it’s a truly very stimulating and decidedly positive environment. Here meritocracy counts a lot, the better you work the more satisfaction you have. If we then consider that in one year we also won the 2024 NBA title and now I wear one of the Boston Celtics rings…”
And among other things, in recent days he was also invited to the White House, directly by outgoing president Joe Biden…
“An incredible emotion to be received by the President of the United States of America. We were able to tour the White House. I felt like I was in a movie scene, the kind I’ve always watched on television.”
A great satisfaction! And now? Do you intend to continue? Any dream in the drawer like a television program, for example?
“With the team I have a three-year contract with three renewables. I obviously hope to be able to continue along this path. After this, of course, I would also like to be able to do some programs, but for now I’m focused on what I’m doing.”
One last question. This is a beautiful job that leads to traveling a lot and living far from his country and his family. How did your parents take it?
“Initially, when at 18 I decided to leave home to work abroad they weren’t very happy, and I can understand them. But now, seeing what I’m doing, they’re very proud. When I can I go back to visit them, or they come to me. It’s not easy but they are very happy with what I’m doing and this fills me with joy.”
