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Chef Gianluca Re Fraschini
The historical InterContinental Genève appoints Italian Chef Gianluca Re Fraschini as Culinary Manager where he will lead the innovative, culinary excellence of the hotel.
“We are so pleased to have Gianluca on board as our new Culinary Manager. I had the great pleasure of hiring Gianluca 16 years ago as a young chef to launch the Aubergine Restaurant at a then newly opened InterContinental Hotel in the Middle East, taking the restaurant to its peak of success. He comes back to the InterContinental Hotel Group with more than a decade of added culinary knowledge and I am excited as he takes InterContinental Genève to even greater culinary dimensions,” commented Jurgen Baumhoff, General Manager of InterContinental Genève.
With a bountiful and diverse curriculum, this seasoned, culinary mastermind joins the InterContinental Genève this August where he hopes to introduce some of his famous Signature dishes with the next Autumn Collection at the hotel’s The Woods restaurant and continue to take the culinary experience of each diner through a memorable journey.
“I am truly delighted to return to the InterContinental Hotel Group to the beautiful and iconic hotel that has catered to some of the most illustrious names of our time. It is also exciting to be a part of this competitive culinary world of Geneva with its variety of food and beverage outlets. I hope to learn and draw inspiration from all that this city has to offer as well as developing InterContinental Genève’s own unique flavour to be recognised in this elite dining scene,” commented Re Fraschini.
The young Gianluca Re Fraschini was raised in the outskirts of the Province of Milan in the northern town of Cuggiono in Italy. Only half an hour away from Milan’s city centre, Re Fraschini was exposed to different styles of cooking and cuisine at an early age. From the simpler methods used in his hometown to the cultured techniques of the bustling city of Milan, the enchantment of the culinary world had an early impact on Re Fraschini, who later went on to develop a lifelong passion for gastronomy.
His first step into the domain of the culinary arts came as a commis de cuisine in Michelin starred ‘Castello Malvezzi’ where he started his introduction to the tricks of the trade. As a young chef, his humble nature coupled with his eagerness to learn led him to swiftly climb up the career ladder and at 20 years old, he became Chef Manager for the opening of the boutique hotel “La Reserva Rotana” in Manacor, Spain. The quest for culinary knowledge eventually led Re Fraschini around the world to established and budding epicurean cities in Europe, United Kingdom, United States, Middle East and Asia. This eventually created opportunities for him to grow alongside some of the most revolutionary chefs of recent years including fellow countrymen Gualtiero Marchesi and Angelo Paracucchi, fusion cuisine innovator Pierre Gagnaire, and Michelin Starred legends such as Pierre Orsi and Albert Roux.
Prior to joining the InterContinental Genève, Chef Re Fraschini’s impressive repertoire of culinary experience includes authoring his own book ‘Dietro Le Quinte’ (Behind the Scenes) and generously sharing some secrets of the industry through video productions such as ‘The Season at the Table’ and ‘Italian Cuisine from A to Z’ for the American Chamber of Commerce in New York. He even participated in the prestigious Bocus D’Or competition in Lyon, France as part of the Italian Ambassador’s Delegation. The vast hospitality experience under Chef Re Fraschini’s belt has also included prominent hospitality groups such as the Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Lotte Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group as well as standalone concepts such as ‘Eco Garden’ in Italy for intimate parties and ‘Andrea’ in Pelican Hill Resort, U.S.A. With a much sought after reputation for creativity, the Ferragamo family – owners of the Italian luxury goods company personally invited Gianluca to be their private chef over several summers in their villa in Chianti, Tuscany. However, with a heart thriving on the adrenaline rushes of a bustling kitchen, Chef Gianluca Re Fraschini eventually made his way back to hotels with his most recent culinary accomplishment at the Relais & Chateuaux Eden Roc at Cap Cana where he led the opening of the five dining outlets as Executive Chef.
Even after 20 years, Chef Re Fraschini still enjoys the fresh excitement of creating each new menu and lights up during the experimenting phase of crafting innovative new dishes. No matter how developed and refined his dishes may be, Chef Re Fraschini religiously sticks to his culinary philosophy of ‘simple’ cooking combined with the finest ingredients and products to produce exquisite tastes.
