Chefs and Winemakers are masters at capturing the essence of the land through their art and carry on fascinating traditions.
Helene Markart
Helene serves local delicacies with a strong focus on tradition. She loves old, local recipes and is always creating something innovative, exciting and new based on them. Born and raised in the woods, Helene has based her culinary philosophy on the respect for nature and the seasons, making sure to preserve the authentic flavours of the region. Discover her restaurant Discover her journey
Dennis Cesco
At only 16, Dennis Cesco’s passion for cooking took him to follow a professional path starting from the most humble roles in the kitchen brigade to working alongside the most famous international chefs. He worked with Michelin star‘s chef Alain Solivérès, Yannick Alléno and Christoph Pelé. In 2013, he became the favourite pupil of Chef Damiano Nigro who, in 2021, handed over to him the kitchen of the DaMà, the Relais Villa D’amelia restaurant
A lover of simple and genuine flavours (in his fridge you will always find tomatoes, salad and cheese and adores orecchiette pasta with turnip greens), Chef Gianfranco Pugliese likes to define his culinary style as “innovative but traditional”, where every dish is the result of a skillful blend of local culinary heritage and personal creativity.
Sicilian born and bred, Angelo Pumilia travelled the world until 2009, when he became resident chef at La Foresteria Planeta. He serves delicious gastronomic creations strongly rooted in tradition, prepared to combine all the flavours and colours of the wonderful surroundings of La Foresteria Planeta.
Pasquale Torrente was born in Cetara, a quaint village on the Amalfi Coast. Il Convento - the family trattoria opened in 1969 by the parents in a seventeenth-century cloister - is considered one of the best trattorias in Italy and serves unforgettable spaghetti with "Colatura di Alici", Cetara's symbolic product. Pasquale didn't stop there and brought his cuisine all over Italy and around the world: from Rome to Istanbul to Dubai. Extremist and visionary, he defines himself as "homeless", but in his wanderings around the world, he always carries a bottle of "Colatura di Alici", the precious anchovies sauce.
Simplicity and premium raw materials are the pillars of Chef Di Lello’s cuisine. He has extensive experience working in kitchens of cruise lines, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and various five-star hotels. His professional career also includes an exciting experience in the Vatican City.
Salvatore Minneci was born in 1968 in Castellana Sicula, a small town in the Madonie. His working career began at the age of 16 in Germany. After he worked his way up, he decided to open a restaurant in Nuremberg. Although the years in Nuremberg gave him great satisfaction, in 2006, he decided to return to Italy. In 2017, he accepted the offer from Susafa where Salvatore, fully embracing the company philosophy, that is, blending tradition with innovation, now plays the role of chef.
Apulian Chef Antonio Russo developed a passion for cooking as a child thanks to his family. He’s a man of few words and prefers to let his dishes speak for themselves. They are based on a traditional Mediterranean cuisine revisited to enhance the exceptional quality of local raw materials and offer a surprising culinary experience where land and sea come together in unpredictable ways.
Roberto Lechiancole, an entrepreneur in the aerospace industry, is the patron and soul of the ambitious project Prime Alture Winery & Resort. The idea of combining wine and hospitality led to the creation of a "Winery" and "Resort", where every detail is important to offer the best possible expression of quality. "Quality comes from a dream linked to a passion, from daily commitment and attention to detail."
Chef Patron of the Signum Restaurant, Martina Caruso is the youngest chef to receive the Michelin Star in Italy. Deeply supportive of small local producers, with her dishes she always aims to enhance the island's agricultural heritage, incorporating contaminations with other territories that result in new ideas and interpretations.
Roberto is a professional oenologist with extensive experience working in prestigious wineries. He has always believed in the production of wines with an identity, which is possible by leveraging what makes each blend a unique product: the character of its terroir, the unique characteristics of the grape and vineyard management practices defined by soil and climate.
Born in Brazil and raised in Italy, Bruno De Moura Cossio is a talented chef who started his culinary journey at the young age of 16 and worked with many illustrious Italian chefs before joining the team at L’Andana. His cooking philosophy is inspired by the territory, blending childhood memories and the region’s classic products, and is best summarized in a quote by Chef Jean-Pierre Troisgros: “Cooking should be a carefully balanced reflection of all the good things of the earth”.
