We had a chat with Emanuele Giorgione, one of the most famous Chef of Cuisine when it comes to wellness cuisine, with twenty years of experience in the field of spas and Medical Spa, both within our borders and internationally.
Tell us in brief about your experience…
I was born in Merano in 1984. In 1998 I started at the Cesar Ritz hotel school where I graduated in 2003. Since I am 14 years old I have been alternating school and work. I have been lucky enough to be born and grow up in a region that makes hospitality and Wellness its flagship and I have tried to benefit as much as possible.
Another great fortune was having my origins in a province where bilingualism and multiculturalism are daily business. This allowed me to open my mental horizons from the very beginning but also to understand better how much Wellness is really an increasingly sought-after product.
Hence my natural choice to take this path that I have been following for 22 years now.
In 22 years I have covered all possible tasks, from assistant chef who also washes dishes and pots to kitchen chef, from Executive Chef to Corporate Chef.
My job has asked and given me a lot.
I have had the honour of meeting real Masters and incredible personalities.
I have been able to travel a lot and have a lot of international experience, both human and professional, so much so that since 2019 I have decided to set up my own business and concentrate on those projects that I feel are closest to my values.
What is the relationship between the Spa and the kitchen?
The Wellness cuisine and the Spa are elements that go hand in hand, traveling in tuning and can be an ideal complement to each other.
I support this thank to over 22 years of experience in the sector. I have been wearing the white uniform since before I turned 14 and I have spent the last 18 years in the kitchens of the best Italian and international Spas and Med Spas.
And how do you see this trend in the future?
The Wellness sector is the one that has seen the greatest growth in recent years in the field of hospitality. Personally, I am certain that this trend will continue to increase. More and more people, not just a small elite, are looking after their own health and taking advantage of their own free time to take care of it.
Do you have concrete examples for our readers?
Day Spa has become a widespread and sought-after ritual and being able to eat in harmony with our own philosophy is fundamental. Nutrition, whether it is dedicated to a meal or to an entire stay, helps in an important way to feel centred and in a state of well-being, in full harmony with the Spa that we “live” and that you have sought.
So, according to what you say, should the F&B offer for the Spa be thought of fom the beginning?
Food becomes and remains a fundamental link in the chain of the “Spa experience” in order to live it at 360 degrees. In my opinion, the F&B offer must be thought out already at the planning stage, otherwise your spa shall improvise to satisfy a request that cannot be ignored. I would have preferred not to face such situations as it as, alas, happened several times.
Do you find it necessary to involve people with a specific background when designing F&B outlets in a SPA context?
The design of spaces and resources should be shared among experts from the various sectors so as to create a product that moves in a single symphony, for an easier, more fluid and optimised management.
These are the key elements that will then save time and costs in daily operations, always guaranteeing the best results. Cooking in an area adjacent to a Spa and serving in a dedicated space means having to take into account risk factors other than the canonical ones.
The temperature, humidity, the serving material that can and cannot be used, etc. are just some of the elements that a chef must consider when thinking about what dishes to propose and how to serve them. The same is true for those in charge of bar service, which is becoming more and more an essential outlet and very often able to generate more revenues in the Spa than the restaurant.
In conclusion, to say goodbye to our readers…
This superficial analysis shows how many facets there are behind the creation of a restaurant area that works in total synergy with the Spa. From design to construction, the Spa Experience should be a 360 degree experience for those who rely on us for a day of relaxation or a stay of well-being. F&B is no longer a complement to the Spa Experience but an integral part of it. As Studio Apostoli’s motto teaches us, when managing great works we must also take care of details like these. These details, tomorrow, will be able to bring great operational and revenue satisfaction.
born in 1984, in Merano (north of Italy) and graduated from the Cesar Ritz Hotel School in 2003; Chef and Wellness cuisine consultant.
From a personal point of view I think I am a private person with most people and an open book with few. I started to be a chef also because, in 1998, it was a job “behind the scenes”. Not like today.
I have made it my desire to communicate and spread to as many people as possible what I have learned and done because I am firmly convinced that food is not only one of the joys of life but, above all, a fundamental key to our health and, consequently, to the quality of our lives.
Through food and work I try to communicate my positive energy to others as much as possible. My Michelin Star is to know about people who enjoy dishes that help them achieve their well-being.
Another thing I love about my profession is training. Seeing people become richer in knowledge and feel more secure thanks to my contribution is one of the things that makes me most professionally proud.
Since 1998, the year I wore my first white jacket, the world of catering and, in particular, the world of cooking, has changed radically. I am happy that, apart from a natural evolution, I remain basically what I was then. Curiosity, the desire to know and experiment, always trying to raise the bar, that’s what drives me.
Initially the passion for pastry exceeded the passion for cooking but, in 2002, an enlightenment: dietetic cooking. I had a clear enough mind to tell myself that the world was full of formidable pastry chefs but that dietetic cooking could represent a new and very important future outlet.
I started my longest collaboration at a renowned luxury hotel – Med Spa in Merano, starting as an intern and arriving at Sous Chef in 2010. In that year I received an unmissable proposal: Chef of cuisine at a very important structure in Val Gardena.
In 2013 I started a new adventure in the field of dietary cuisine; supported by a new medical team with a completely new nutritional approach for me, in a newly opened Medical Spa on Lake Maggiore which involved me from the pre-opening until the end of 2015.
In 2016 I become Corporate Chef. Openings, travels, international experiences: exponential growth both on a human and professional level.
From April 2019 I decide to become a consultant for the Wellness cuisine, both for companies and individuals. After so many years in the kitchen serving a very small elite I would be very happy to extend my skills and make them available to a wider circle.