Giovanni Papi has been appointed as Executive Chef at Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah
Dubai's only dedicated caviar restaurant, Beluga Bar and Restaurant, has announced the appointment of a new executive chef.
Chef Giovanni Papi, who brings with him nearly 20 years of international culinary experience has taken up the position, with an aim to redefine modern Italian cuisine through caviar in what he says is a fresh chapter in his career journey.
The restaurant, part of UAE-based Gourmet House Caviar and based at Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah, uses the luxury food as a signature with quiet confidence, along with other premium ingredients. Pepi says he aims to position Beluga among Dubai's "most coveted dining destinations".
Pepi spent close to seven years working his way from sous chef to speciality head chef in charge at Dubai's Armani Hotel. In this time, he received numerous accolades, including three toques from Gault&Millau.
A husband and father to a two-year-old son, the Sardinia-born chef grew up surrounded by Italian ingredients and traditions. He honed his craft in kitchens rather than classrooms in a passion that began in earnest at 16, where he entered the kitchen as a commis chef.
Since then, he has travelled across France, Luxembourg, Australia, China and now the UAE.
For Pepi, food is more than craft, representing identity, evolution and "the pursuit of timeless distinction".