Giovanni
De Ambrosis

I’m excited to announce the opening of Bawe Island, the newest addition to the Cocoon Collection, which I am proud to be a part of. An exclusive unique luxury resort where elegance, comfort and signature cuisine meet to create an unforgettable experience. Located in Zanzibar “one island one resort”, 15 minutes by boat from Stone Town, the resort is a haven for true lovers of beauty and goodness. Every detail of the resort has been designed to offer the ultimate in relaxation and refinement, and the real jewel of the resort is the cuisine, a celebration of authentic flavors and local excellence. Was my goal to create a culinary project to emphasize products & flavors from the island, that’s why our gastronomic proposal combines creativity and tradition, with dishes that tell stories of local ingredients, innovative techniques and passion for the culinary art. In our restaurants, every meal becomes a journey, enriched by oenological combinations designed to enhance every flavor. Bawe Island has some wonderful natural caves and I love the idea of using them to create romantic situations like picnics or candlelight dinners to offer our guests a unique experience. Another pearl that the Cocoon Collection gave me the opportunity to pamper from the beginning. To make you understand how lucky I am, you just have to come and visit us.

It is my great pleasure to present the latest creation of the Cocoon Collection - Joy Island!!! This extraordinary project was born in the North Male Atoll and I was privileged to participate in its formation from the beginning..it is a magical place , where catering reigns supreme….with unforgettable “Market”-a colorful adventure overflowing with novelties , food joys and delights that differ every day! We also produce mozzarella, burrata, scamorza, teccie morsels etc..., (let's not forget our pizzeria by the pool.. absolutely fantastic!) Finally our a la carte restaurant Palm Beach with breathtaking location and extraordinary gourmet cuisine.

Being lucky enough to actively participate in building a restaurant that comes to life below sea level doesn’t happen every day! H20 is the submerged pearl of You & Me, a restaurant with only 21 seats, where the guest has an authentic and explosive sensory experience. I wanted to study gourmet cuisines and at the same time, for our guests, a dynamic and interactive cuisine, in which our tradition influences the raw material offered by the Maldivian sea. I wanted to imagine and give life to a range of courses which are each accompanied by a distinct piece of music aimed at stimulating and amplifying every single sense: from taste to smell, from hearing to sight. My primary objective was a result of excellence in customer satisfaction under the vault of crystal clear waters illuminated by the sun's rays.

You & Me represents the second important new chapter of my work experience in the Maldives. I studied and designed a new concept, in which the gastronomic experience occupies an increasingly relevant space during the guests' stay. I wanted to create a resort that would give the clients the opportunity to immerse themselves in an authentic culinary experience: ‘all day dining’, where show cooking is the absolute protagonist in the 5 different ocean front outlets on the isle. My mission was to offer an experience that accompanies the guest along a journey ranging from flavors that echo their homeland to the farthest East tastes. You & Me is the first resort that offers a 100% à la carte service, from breakfast to dinner, serving top quality dishes and gourmet cuisine

I started working at Cocoon Resort in December 2016. It has been a real challenge faced with enthusiasm for the opening that was to take place soon after. I instantly came to an understanding with Alessandro Azzola, the owner: we saw eye-to-eye about a design hotel which offered a high quality catering service, to create constant communication with the guests through the kitchen.
So I planned a Gourmet Weeks program and cooking classes led by star chefs. I wanted a kitchen which could amaze its guests with innovative and engaging ideas.
The Manta restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Cocoon resort, a refined restaurant where I wanted to work alongside brilliant emerging professionals. A few months after the opening, the resort won a South Asian Travel Award, in a competition that rewards Asian excellence in the tourism sector. However, Cocoon is not just fine dining, it is a small island where you can also discover the taste of home and the best pizza in the Maldives, cooked in a Neapolitan wood-burning oven.

Tribeca is a new project in Dubai.It is in the style of the trendy New York neighborhoods, the cuisine is American with strong Italian influences. My collaboration began in 2013 while the venues was growing, together and character of Tribeca and what it has to offer. At Tribeca my multicultural experience allowed me to complete the project by marrying Italian tradition with both the charm of the big apple and the energy of Dubai , an obviously complicated but satisfying three-way wedding. My TowerCheesecake is the dish which has had particular success, meeting the favors of critics and an important media echo. It reflects the verticality of Dubai but, breaking it down, it is a classic American dessert revisited in the Italian style.

On the occasion of my appointment as a Taste Ambassador, I got to know the gastronomic excellence of my territory: Legù, the non-pasta based on vegetable proteins. Legù replaces a second dish, 100% Italian, produced in Albizzate, 100% natural, bronze drawn and without any additives. Monica Neri, the producer of Legù, managed to combine 3 legumes: chickpeas, beans and peas, into a formula capable of ensuring the best nutritional intake of proteins, fibre, mineral salts and vitamins. With Monica I developed combinations of sauces that go well with Legù, especially based on vegetables, fish and cheeses. Since then I have promoted Legù in Italy and in the world, collaborating with the company to export the product with the support of the contacts made during my experiences abroad and immediately gaining great customer interest.

A special thanks to Fadi, owner of the new and revolutionary brand in Dubai, who has looked for me and found me. I immediately realized that it would be interesting to help him define this new concept: UNDER500! Healthy food below 500 calories. For Under500 I created a simple and tasty menu with a careful selection of products that could give shape to this great idea. I immediately thought of adding to the menu Legù, the 'non pasta' based on vegetable proteins, an Italian artisan product that perfectly embodies the spirit of UNDER500. Whenever possible I used organic products, fruits and vegetables that I had the chance to collect in Dubai. The wealth of these desert-born products is surprising.

I met the Purobeach brand during a meeting in Palma de Mallorca. I thought it was perfect for Dubai beaches. My experience in the Arab world has allowed me to create the right balance between the brand needs and their tradition considering also the Dubai international customers. The menu was prepared at 3M: Melbourne, Miami, Marrakech. With 3M the Spanish brand discovers its international vocation covering the whole globe, sushi and Asian cuisine, steak & lobster, burger & fries. The brand’s offer focuses on lounge cafe music at any time, accompanied by personalized menus and cocktails by the pool. The menu I’ve created respects the guidelines of the brand, projecting it on an international dimension essential to Dubai.