Executive Chef at the award winning Da Maurizio in Phuket.

Executive Chef at the award winning  Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante in Phuket.

Life has been an extraordinary culinary adventure for Italian chef, Paolo Fadda. A series of colourful events and experiences led him from one kitchen to another until he found himself in southern Sun, where he is now working as Executive Chef at the award winning  Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante in Phuket.

“And all wanted to do after finishing school was to travel the world!” says Paolo. Soon after graduating, he approached his mother to ask for money, as is customary, so he could travel the world. His mother told him since he was now of age, he could start working for his own money. He was asked to contact a family friend who worked as a chef in Rome.

And so the spirited young man went off and worked. As it turned out his chef mentor was impressed, as he gave Paolo a small piece of paper with the name and contact of another chef. And true to his adventurous spirit, Paolo went. Little did he realise that the person he was going to meet was the renowned 3-star Michelin chef, Heinz Beck.

Paolo arrived in Chef Heinz’s kitchen in street clocthes. The unassuming young Italian was immediately questioned by the award-winning chef, “Why aren’t you in your uniform?” Although he was undoubtedly talented, Chef Paolo realised he was never going to rise up in the kitchen hierarchy if he didn’t have the proper training. So he went ahead and trained to obtain the necessary qualifications. But this didn’t stop him from continuing his globe-trotting ways. “I just wanted to travel in the beginning and true enough I was able to do it, but I did it hopping from one kitchen to another”.

Most recently he was in Dubai at the Qamardeen Hotel where he was responsible for the kitchen operations of Esca, an Italian restaurant whose menu he recently revamped to make more genuinely Italian. “People do notice the difference, so we decided to change the menu and offer authentic Italian cuisine.”

With a dozen other Italian restaurants in Dubai and many more in the broader hotel circuit, Chef Paolo admits he was in for some stiff competition. “We made our menu as genuinely Italian as possible, but what spelt the difference was the customer’s overall experience. At Esca, our customers feel they are walking into an Italian family’s dining room and eating with them in the same passionate atmosphere that celebrates good food with your family and friends!”.

He recently received the “Dubai Culinary award 2010, Chef of the Year”.

Paulo accepted Maurizio Laureri’s offer to join Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante as he believed he had the Italian passion, experience and enthusiasm for food which would continue to improve and grow this award winning restaurant.

http://www.baanrimpa.com/italian-restaurant/