Alessandro Pizza has been appointed as Corporate Executive Chef at Nikki Beach Hospitality Group
Nikki Beach Global, the international luxury lifestyle and hospitality brand, is pleased to announce that Alessandro (Alex) Pizza has taken on a new position as Corporate Executive Chef. In his new role, Chef Alex - who has been with Nikki Beach since 2002 - will work closely with the executive chefs across all Nikki Beach properties to provide training and develop new menu items, signature dishes, and special programming.
Chef Alex joined the Nikki Beach Global team over 20 years ago when he assisted with the opening of Nikki Beach Saint Tropez and Nikki Beach Saint Barth. In his time with the brand, he has also managed the kitchens at the Nikki Beach pop-up during the Cannes International Film Festival and at Nikki Beach Monte Carlo.
Chef Alex has been principal in crafting the brand's internationally-inspired menus over the past two decades. Each Nikki Beach destination offers a selection of dishes driven by the regional gastronomy of the property's location. When creating locally-influenced dishes, Chef Alex encourages each location team to source the best seasonal products on offer. To set Nikki Beach apart, he has worked to create menus that offer not only local cuisine, but a wide range of sun-kissed dishes that resonate with the brand's international clientele. He believes it's pertinent to respect cultural culinary traditions and to source only the best ingredients from the countries where they originate. Through his 20 years of experience in beachfront dining, Chef Alex has helped continuously update the Nikki Beach menus to reflect current culinary trends and to develop gourmet finger food, convivial sharing plates, light and fresh raw bar offerings, freshly caught fish, and quality grilled meat cuts.
Chef Alex was born in Cambridge (UK) to Italian parents from Avellino, Italy who inspired his initial passion for food. He started his culinary career at just 17 making traditional Italian food at a local restaurant, Don Pasquale, in Cambridge City Center. After attending a private pastry school in Florence, Alex began working as a pastry chef at a hotel in Courmayeur in the Italian Alps and then moved back to London where he continued his pastry career at the Café de Paris in Piccadilly Circus. In this role, Alex was able to gain experience in savory cooking and worked his way up to the role of Junior Sous Chef. He then began as a Sous Chef at the Italian restaurant Teca in London, which gained 1 Michelin star while he was a part of the team.
Chef Alex' impressive background, refined skill set, and ability to speak many languages - including English, Spanish, French, and Italian - make him the perfect fit for this new global role.