ITA - Gherardini hungry for success

TORONTO (NBA) - When he arrived in Toronto this summer from Benetton Treviso, Raptors assistant general manager Maurizio Gherardini was hungry to prove himself in the NBA.

But working around the clock has left Gherardini with a different type of appetite, and one that his new home city has more than satisfied.

"The quality of the food is surprisingly very good," he told the Toronto Star.

"You can hit all the different parts of town, different styles, different cuisines, but generally speaking the quality is good. What I don't like is when you try to get too complicated with too many sauces, too much of that heavy stuff. ...

"Eating is a great hobby to have in Toronto. I am in trouble every night."

But even though he can find his favourite food in town, there are still some things Gherardini misses from home.

"One of the things I missed most is following the (motorcycling) season live," he said. "It was very good that all the Formula One races were on TV ... but being a motorcycle fan and not being able to watch ... I kind of missed that."

Gherardini hails from Romagna, which, he explained, is "famous for food, women and motorcycles".

It is just 25 kilometres from the Imola circuit, and Gherardini’s passion for motorsports has led him to travel that short distance numerous times since he was a child.

He has also been much further afield.

"I've gone to Monza, Nurburgring, Monte Carlo, all the major tracks. That was my hobby. ... Next summer, I wish I could go to the Montreal Grand Prix."

European motorsport is not the only thing Gherardini searches the sports channels for, and the keen football fan spent last summer enjoying Italy’s march to football’s World Cup glory.

"I watched all the games in my hotel room in Vegas (at the Raptor summer league) with (number one draft pick and Italy international) Andrea Bargnani and Frank Vitucci, the assistant coach from Treviso," he said.

"It was the three of us jumping in a small room in Vegas. So I did not celebrate in a parade ... we celebrated in a hotel room."

PA Sport