A New Chapter: A conversation with Executive Chef Andrea Ciuccio, W Algarve
- James Massoud
- 7 hours ago
- 6 min read
From Naples to Sydney, Barcelona, the Cayman Islands and now Portugal's Algarve, Executive Chef Andrea Ciuccio has spent more than a decade cooking across some of the world's most exciting culinary destinations. Today, he's leading the next chapter at W Algarve, where his international experience is shaping a fresh Mediterranean vision rooted in exceptional local produce, seasonality and a deep respect for ingredients.
In this exclusive interview with The Knife, Andrea reflects on the places that have shaped him, why he describes his cooking as "a cuisine of memory", the challenge of elevating hotel dining, and the Algarve ingredients he believes deserve to be celebrated on every plate.
You’ve cooked in Naples, Sydney, Barcelona, the Cayman Islands and now the Algarve. Looking back, which place changed you the most as a chef and what lesson from that chapter still finds its way onto your plates today?
I don't think there is a single place that changed me more than any other as a chef. Rather, I believe that the experience across all these wonderful places where I've lived contributed to the chef I am today. From Naples, I hold onto the flavors of my homeland. From Australia, the incredible variety of top-quality fish and meat. From Spain, an extremely simple yet extraordinarily delicious gastronomy. And here in Portugal, I'm constantly surprised by how similar its cuisine is to that of my roots. I believe my cooking is a cuisine of memory. So, the chef I am now is a 'craftsman' who combines flavours, traditions, and customs from countries that are so far apart, yet gastronomically so close.
You trained in Michelin starred restaurants but now oversee an entire luxury resort with multiple restaurants, bars and dining concepts. How do you balance the pursuit of culinary excellence with creating experiences that feel welcoming rather than intimidating?
The way of working is clearly different when you transition from a destination dining spot (which might be a Michelin starred restaurant), to a resort where the culinary offering is often seen as a hotel amenity. Generally speaking, the most important thing – especially when managing multiple outlets – is to convey a clear message to our guests. Every restaurant must clearly define its identity: from the decor and uniforms to the menu and wine list. On top of that, there's a more complex logistical side, as walk-in fridges, dry stores, and sometimes even the kitchen staff are shared. So, while the message to the guest must remain crystal clear, you also have to find a way to make the entire department function efficiently. To achieve this, there are simple practices that streamline operations without compromising the guest experience.
As someone born on one Mediterranean coast and now cooking on another, what similarities do you see between southern Italy and the Algarve that perhaps outsiders often overlook?
The two cuisines are so similar. This year, we hosted a four-hands dinner with a chef from Lisbon called 'Naples Meets the Algarve', and we were both amazed to discover just how alike these two culinary cultures really are. Whenever I talk about the similarities between them, I always use one specific example. Here in Portugal, a meal always starts with what they call a couvert – essentially bread served with dips like sardine pâté, olive oil, butter, and so on. When I arrived here in the Algarve a year and a half ago, this tradition fascinated me and brought me right back to my childhood, when my mother would give me bread with whatever she had in the fridge to keep me busy while waiting for lunch or dinner to be ready. This very culture – the prominence and importance we place on good food – is something I believe both cultures deeply share.
Seafood has been a recurring thread throughout your career. Is there a particular ingredient from the ocean that you think people still don’t fully understand or appreciate?
I don't think there are ingredients that people don't understand; rather, I believe people are generally hesitant to try things they aren't familiar with. One ingredient I absolutely love – and that many people don't even know about – is the sea cucumber. It is, without a doubt, one of my favourite delicacies that the ocean has to offer.
The Algarve has access to extraordinary produce. What is your favourite local produce and why?
There are just too many to choose from: oranges, almonds, sardines. Right now, on the menu at MK [Market Kitchen], we have a dish that is a tribute to some of the finest ingredients of the Algarve: jack mackerel, almond, melon, and smoked sardines. It's such a complete dish; sweet, savoury, with that umami punch from the smoked sardines, and the delicate sweetness of the almonds.
As Executive Chef, how do you create menus with a strong point of view without losing the broad appeal that international guests expect?
This is definitely the hardest part. You must leave your ego at the door and focus on understanding the guests visiting our venues and their preferences. Having an avant-garde menu makes no sense if you end up with an empty dining room. As I said before, it's about clear communication. Guests should immediately know what kind of experience they’re in for at every single venue. Our goal is for guests to try all our restaurants throughout their stay, which means we cannot duplicate concepts or menus. Instead, we have to find ways to tailor those concepts to our specific guest demographic.
You’ve inherited an already successful culinary programme at W Algarve. When you arrive in a kitchen like this, how do you decide what deserves protecting and what needs changing?
It always starts with the mindset that everything can be improved. Of course, certain areas required immediate, high-priority attention (such as our breakfast service), while others just needed slight refinement. So you manage by priorities, which are usually driven by guest satisfaction metrics. Upon my arrival, I noticed that both the breakfast buffet and the à la carte offering fell short of luxury hotel standards. That was the very first project the culinary team and I worked on. The results speak for themselves: a year later, our F&B satisfaction scores were up by nine points.
Working in Barcelona’s restaurant scene and at Michelin starred Alkimia must have exposed you to constant creativity. Was there a dish, technique or life lesson from that period that completely altered the way you think about cooking?
As I mentioned earlier, there isn't one specific restaurant or experience that shaped me as a chef. I truly believe that each one helped me refine different qualities that a leader needs to have. As for creativity, to be completely honest, I think that’s a side of my personality I developed as a child. But if I had to pinpoint where I truly fine-tuned it more than anywhere else, it would be a farmhouse near Barcelona where I worked for nearly two years. Every morning, I would receive fish, vegetables, fruit, and legumes from local smallholders and fishermen, and I’d design daily menus. They were simple menus where the raw ingredient was always the main star, but always delivered with a creative twist.
Many chefs talk about seasonality, but for guests it’s often an abstract concept. Can you describe a moment during the Algarve’s calendar when the landscape genuinely dictates what’s happening in your kitchens?
At our restaurant Market Kitchen, 90% of the fish comes directly from the Portuguese coast, and we make a point of working exclusively with local suppliers. You will never find salmon on our menu, nor will you ever see a tomato salad on our winter menu. We are crystal clear about this: respecting product seasonality is key. Right now on our menu, you'll find tomatoes, figs (their season only lasts a few weeks), melon, almonds, and oranges. Plus, on our weekly special menu, we'll feature sardines through the end of summer, along with Dover sole and tuna.
You’re planning chef collaborations and immersive dining experiences at W Algarve. When you’re choosing another chef to cook alongside, what qualities excite you most beyond their reputation or accolades?
I like to surround myself with chefs who share my vision of food; a cuisine that respects the product and doesn't over-manipulate the raw ingredients. A cuisine built on memory, made of repeated gestures. I love sharing my passion for food with people who see things the same way, and it's always a beautiful thing to talk about gastronomy in such a romantic light.
Having experienced both independent restaurants and global hospitality brands, what do you think each side of the industry could learn from the other when it comes to creating memorable dining experiences?
Restaurateurs should learn to see this as a business and treat it as such, with numbers, studies, and proper analysis. Very often, restaurateurs are driven purely by passion and end up overlooking or undervaluing the strategic side. On the flip side, I believe the quality of independent dining is on a much higher level compared to hotel dining, which is also the general public perception. Very few people go to a hotel just to eat; the vast majority go to sleep. So I think the culinary world within hospitality needs to step up its game and raise the bar.
Finally, if there was just one dish you wanted guests to enjoy at W Algarve, what would it be and why?
The carapau crudo with pickled onion, smoked sardine, and an orange dashi from the Vino menu is one of my current favourite dishes. It’s a fresh, well-balanced dish with a touch of umami that truly evokes the local flavours of the region.