SANYA, China, June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chef Luca Nania has built an impressive career of over 15 years professional culinary experience at various locations around the world including Savona, New York, Barcelona, Xiamen, Wenzhou and Beijing. He originates from Sicily, the Southern island of Italy and speaks several languages such as Italian, English and he is fluent in Chinese as well as in Spanish. He joined Marriott International in 2014 as Chef de Cuisine at the "Casalingo" Italian Fine Dining Restaurant of the JW Marriott Beijing, specializing in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
Luca has won several awards during his time as a professional chef including the award for "Best Pizza in Beijing" from TimeOut Magazine (a well-recognized social magazine for locals and expats) when he was working as a Head Chef for an Italian stand-alone restaurants in both Xiamen and Beijing.
Furthermore, Luca is selected by well-known Global Gourmet Magazine as one of the 50 best chefs in Asia Pacific. Currently he is one of the six finalists out of 42 chef candidates in the Marriott International South China Chef's Battle in 2017 where he competed with several Michelin star chefs for the main prize. He will compete on July 6th for the final stage to become Marriott International South China's Chef of the Year.
As an Executive Chef, Luca is responsible for all culinary activities, including kitchen management and training of his apprentices. He believes that effective team cooperation is one of the key factors in creating food quality and enhancing a culinary experience.
"The philosophy of cooking is a science but cooking itself is an art," according to Luca, which can be reflected into the many creative dishes he has brought to the table over his time in the kitchen. Stimulating all senses, he likes to play not only with smell, taste and sight but also with touch and sound. Focusing on not only a presentation of a dish but also the texture of the dish and the ambiance it is being presented in. For example: try a wine and music pairing with his latest menu. Luca is also known for his skill of "Table painting" while he was the JW Marriott representative for, mastering the skill which is now being used over all of China and Asia Pacific.
Last but not least Luca is a family man, being a proud father of his son Eduardo and loving husband to his Russian wife Anna. In the early stages of meeting Anna, Luca faced some cultural challenges, where in Russian tradition a husband builds something long lasting for his wife to show his commitment to her. Luca, being a chef after all, build a brick oven with the intention to use it for cooking for the family when he decides to retire and look after the family back in Russia.
Influenced by the resources of the Pacific Ocean which dictate the cuisine on Hainan Island, Luca gains inspiration from the sea and builds his menu around fresh catch concepts, creating dishes that truly represent the Autograph Collection and are "Exactly like nothing else".
