LUX* South Ari Atoll Appoints New Executive Chef
Thursday 4th of March 2021
Chef Antonello Manca has 20 remarkable years of experience in the Middle East under his belt to show for a love for food he has held on to deary since childhood. Closely observing his mother around the kitchen, Antonello absorbed technical knowledge about working with ingredients and utensils. He polished this knowledge after landing an internship in the kitchen and realized that this is where his passion lies.
After years of leading culinary teams at Kempinski in Amman, Dusit Thani and Paramount Hotel, both in Dubai, Chef Antonello has joined the culinary team at LUX* South Ari Atoll as Executive Chef. Antonello enjoys infusing flavors from around the world that he discovered through many travels around the world in his young ages onto healthy, mindfully cooked dishes plated with love. He brings a clear vision of sourcing locally available ingredients and innovate with them.
“Growing up on a large island like Sardinia, with its provinces and towns, it was always easy to find plenty of clean products. Overall, the main source of products was strictly seasonal, which created a certain level of anticipation. I remember waiting for summer to come, so that we could eat melon gelato at the ice cream parlour, or the ripe grapes we picked every August,” Antonello says.
Antonio’s playfulness in the art of cooking with a variety of ingredients from scratch was shaped throughout his teens, using homegrown vegetables in their cooking. He wishes to further develop on the philosophy of working with nature in a mindful and responsible manner at LUX* South Ari Atoll. Antonello strongly believes that, “Being a good chef requires a passion not only for food but also encouraging your team to develop by trying new things without being afraid of criticism.”
Incorporating the flair of Antonello’s fundamental work ethics into building closely bonded kitchen team will help further enhance guests’ culinary journey offered at LUX* South Ari Atoll. The resort has a team of 110 international members spread across 12 nationalities making up the professionals behind culinary masterpieces entertaining dining tables and floating trays with world-class dishes. They stay true to keeping ‘Eating’ an adventure above the rest at LUX*.
Chef Antonello’s biggest challenge will be to keep up with the high demands of more conscious travellers of modern times. This new trend of travellers are more observant of the origin of products and lean towards a mindful and responsible way of travelling and consuming experiences.
Photos: LUX* South Ari Atoll