YAPA
Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
My lifelong passion for cooking was kindled at my grandmother’s stove in Tuscany, rolling polpette and stuffing tortelli. I started working in a local trattoria at 15, helped to open a restaurant at 23, and then travelled the globe, cooking alongside Sergi Arola in some of the world’s best restaurants.
A blend of Mediterranean passion, Asian precision, and South American spirit, my cuisine reflects the lands, peoples, and cultures that have inspired me on my life journey. Instinctively absorbing aromas, creating connections, and expressing myself through the sensory language of food.
Naturally, I have always remained true to the culinary philosophy of Italy, where taking pleasure in sharing food is a sacred ritual. Simplicity, quality, and seasonality are the principles that Italian chefs live by. But even the classics sometimes need to be revisited.
Once I have perfected different techniques, I like to shake things up — bending the rules with a Mediterranean tiradito, made with tuna, Sorrento koshu and Taggiasca olives, or my ‘tamagoyapa’, a Japanese-style folded omelette made with organic Italian eggs, katsuobushi and Chinese sriracha. Delicious proof that tradition and innovation can be complementary flavours.
“In our culture, the moment we sit at the table is a sacred, almost magical moment. This is what I want our guests to relive. Being in Yapa is like being at home — but also at home in the world.”
From harvesting olives as a young boy in Tuscany to cooking with indigenous people in the Andes, my approach to food is rooted in a deep and meaningful relationship with land and sea. With the farmers and fishermen who work with nature for our pleasure.
Beyond the seasonal and local,
it’s about understanding and appreciating where your ingredients come from. My suppliers have become life-long collaborators. What they reap and sow, fish and forage, dictates our ever-changing menu.
Friends of Yapa always get a little extra. Make sure you don’t miss out.
