Luca De Astis
Quote: “The key for chefs is communicating to the kitchen what you love. Molecular versus traditional cooking methods don’t matter – if the food is created in a good kitchen, people will love it.”
Four Seasons Tenure: Since 2011
First Four Seasons Assignment: Current
Employment History: Inedit Catering, Barcelona; Restaurants Enoteca and Bites, Hotel Arts Ritz Carlton, Barcelona; Restaurant L’Indret de Semon, Barcelona; Restaurant Caelis, Hotel Palace, Barcelona; Restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Hotel Plaza Athénée, Paris; Restaurant Lasserre, Paris; Restaurant Villa Fiordaliso, Bardone Riviera, Italy
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Education: Hotel Management Diploma and Kitchen Management Diploma, Institute Amerigo Vespucci, Milan
Languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish, Catalan
“I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect in Istanbul,” says Luca De Astis, looking back on his first few months as Executive Sous Chef of Aqua at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus. “But I’ve been pleasantly surprised.” Beyond the extraordinary culture, architecture and history waiting to be discovered, De Astis has been particularly impressed by the attitude of his staff. “There’s a reputation that people in this part of Europe don’t have the same get up and go. As a matter of fact, they do.”
While Aqua’s kitchen brigade proved an unexpected pleasure, there have been challenges. Chief among them was finding Four Seasons-quality product with consistency. “Initially, it took a bit more effort than I’d experienced back in France and Spain,” he says, counting himself pleased to have secured reliable suppliers who not only offer superb product but really enjoy their job. “That’s the most important thing.”
Then there is the dilemma of De Astis’s creativity. His last four restaurant gigs were in Barcelona, where avant-garde gastronomy is the rage. In Istanbul, he has noticed that local diners tend to stick to familiar dishes rather than try things they might deem daring innovative. No problem: “The trick for me has been to do something new with the product I have.” For instance, De Astis has been using sous vide – the slow, low-temperature, vacuum-bag cooking method – to draw brilliant flavors out of otherwise traditional Mediterranean fare. “I’m bringing a little bit of my experience try to create new habits.”
