Just two tables of four per night will be available for one week for guests wanting to experience Nino Di Costanzo’s sensational Italian cuisine
Italian chef, Nino Di Costanzo, is bringing the flavours of his Mediterranean island to a very different type of island next month. Chef Nino hails from the picturesque island of Ischia, near Naples. His two Michelin-star restaurant, Danì Maison, was rated by Forbes as one of the world’s top ten coolest restaurants. But from February 13th-19th, Chef Nino will bring his Italian cuisine to Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru.
The stunning Maldivian island in Baa Atoll is a private retreat, blending high-end villas with breathtaking natural landscape. Chef Nino will be based at the resort’s legendary Blu Beach Club. Blu boasts some of the most awe-inspiring restaurant views in the Maldives. Perched on the edge of a sandbank, the semi-open-air pavilion echoes the gleaming white, turquoise and vermillion shades of the beach surrounding it.
Chef Nino is poised to serve regional Italian cuisine at Blu, inspired by the traditions of his home island. These Ischian recipes will be complemented by the Landaa Garden‘s fresh, homegrown produce.
Speaking about the collaboration, Chef Nino Di Costanzo says: “It’s two beautiful nature-led islands coming together via a meeting of diverse culinary traditions grounded in soil, sea and surroundings”.
Chef Nino has already shared his skills and expertise with the Blu Beach Club culinary team as part of the collaboration. Four members of Landaa Giraavaru’s Blu team spent time training at Danì Maison restaurant in Ischia.
The chef admits delivering high-end Italian cuisine in the Maldives is not without its challenges, yet it is one of “the best parts of the partnership”. That is because with such small islands in the Maldives and a shortage of groundwater, sourcing fresh produce is not always straightforward. “The only way to move forward with anything that is different or out of the box is for the learning to come from both sides, and for it to be collaborative,” he says. Chef Nico adds he is inspired by the passion and creativity of the Landaa Giraavaru team.
They grow herbs, including basil, mint, lemongrass, butterfly pea flower, cofi leaves, chilli and breadfruit, in the Landaa Garden. Cage-free eggs are also sourced from the island’s chickens, ducks and quails. And the mushroom house yields white, grey and pink oyster and abalone mushrooms. In addition, 90% of fish and seafood come from sustainable and local Maldivian sources.
Beginning by imagining the emotion he would like to evoke with each dish, Chef Nino works backwards to develop every detail, right down to the choice of plate. Chef Nino also applies the same consideration to sourcing his products. This creative process can take up to six months.
Any guests wanting to seize the opportunity to taste cuisine served by a Michelin-approved chef in the Maldives will need to reserve one of just two tables of four that will be made available each evening during his residency.
To be in with a chance to try Chef Nino’s gastronomy at Blu Beach Club, visit the Resort’s website, or email: [email protected].
