Italian native, Nello Cassese, who is a Michelin Star Chef at the Belmond Copacabana Palace in Brazil, was attached to Belmond Cap Juluca over the period Thursday, 21st to Saturday, 23rd July as part of its Culinary Shores programme.
During this time, Nello worked on creating tasty dishes to the delight of Cap Juluca’s guests. For this assignment, he was accompanied by Brazilian Chef, Julia Coutinho.
Nello Spoke to The Anguillian on Thursday evening, prior to beginning his work, and described his mission at Cap Juluca: “I was invited by Belmond Cap Juluca to conduct a three-day culinary expedition for today, Friday and Saturday,” he said.
“Tonight, Thursday night, I will be treating the guests on the beach with some delightful dishes created by me and my team. We will be serving ‘surf and turf’ with an Italian flavour. We will feature a lobster salad with a Mediterranean texture, smoked pork loin seasoned with tasty spices, and a touch of traditional caprese salad.
“Tomorrow, Friday, we will conduct cooking classes demonstrating to the guests how we prepare our delectable dishes. Among other items of cuisine, we will feature great traditional Italian dishes.
Then on Saturday, we will present dishes for a gala dinner with ten different courses. This will constitute a tasting menu. For each presentation, we will start with snacks, two starters, two pasta courses, one main course and two desserts. All dishes will be served with Italian wine.”
Speaking to The Anguillian on Mr. Cassese’s assignment, Cap Juluca’s General Manager, Sash Tyas, said: “Looking at the thriving culinary scene of Anguilla inspired us to launch our Culinary Shores programme where we invite Michelin Starred chefs to create unforgettable epicurean experiences.”
“I have great admiration for chefs that strive for excellence and seek to produce emotions to those that savour their dishes. Chef Nello is the epitome of this. Having achieved one Michelin Star at Cipriani, he is the Culinary Director of the amazing Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro. I was therefore elated to welcome him to Anguilla – the beautiful setting of Cap Juluca – and have him share his passion with the team and his art with our discerning guests.”
According to Ms. Tyas, Nello Cassese’s visit proved to be a great success – a delight for Cap Juluca’s guests and an inspiration for its culinary team.