Giovanni De Candido, chef at the Dubbesi Restaurant at the Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Constanza focuses on fresh ingredients. © Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Costanza
The aromas of sicily
Giovanni De Candido, chef at the Dubbesi Restaurant at the Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Constanza presents healthy dishes.
The Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Constanza, in mazara del vallo presents high class cooking. Giovanni De Candido, a young 34-year-old from Palermo, follows some very clear principles in his cooking: high quality in the raw materials, use of local products, not too much fat (and only strictly local extra virgin olive oil), and short cooking times. But some intriguing sides emerge to his culinary style: for example, his passion for smoking food, a process which the restaurant carries out itself, of course; his interest in preparing and serving raw fish – and the fish in Mazara, one of Italy’s principal fishing ports, is truly exceptional. Many of the suppliers are local, and the daily menu often features the exquisite Mazara red prawns and the excellent red tuna, as well as the sea bass, amberjack, and shellfish that the fishermen and producers bring in fresh each morning. The local prawns also figure in one of his dishes that experiments with variations in consistency: a trio of prawn mousse, prawn tartare and sesame seed confit with sweet ginger jelly. Giovanni De Candido describes himself as attentive, curious, and extrovert. Indeed he often goes into the dining-room to hear guests’ opinions and if they have asked for something particular, he does his best to accommodate their requests. He draws his inspiration from nature, as he strolls through the orange and lemon groves or along the sea front. Aromatic herbs are one of his passions: he is continually searching for unusual types of seed, and if they arouse his curiosity, he plants and cultivates them, creating his own personal garden.
