From the hotel kitchen to its Danì Maison in Ischia, in the name of seeking the best
Gentleman even before being a chef. He is Nino Di Costanzo, two Michelin stars, Grand Chef Ambassador Relais & Chateaux. With his Danì Maison he was included, less than a year ago, in the international Forbes ranking among the ten coolest restaurants in the world to visit at least once in 2021.
A chef strongly linked to his native land, Ischia, which is the source of inspiration for his cuisine and the menus he creates for his jewel, as well as for the restaurants he is a consultant for.
Yes, because Nino Di Costanzo, in addition to being the patron of the Danì Maison restaurant that he opened in 2016, an incredible place for the fusion of art and cuisine, was and still is a consultant and restaurant manager of important hotel groups.
An experience that, as he himself states, “gave me a strong managerial imprint. When you work with structures such as RELAIS & CHATEAUX TERME MANZI HOTEL & SPA, where for 10 years I managed the catering of all three souls of the structure, you must learn to embrace the many branches that compose it: from the breakfast offer, to the restaurant alla càrte, banketing.
Each soul of the structure welcomes a different clientele, with different needs and timing of consumption, which you must learn to know, organize and satisfy.
It is thanks to the experience at the Terme Manzi Hotel that I was able to increase and develop my skills as a manager alongside those of a chef “.
And it was at the Il Mosaico restaurant in Ischia that the chef received his two Michelin stars, a short distance from each other, confirming the chef’s great work of passion, inspiration and inventiveness.
Since 2018 Nino Di Costanzo has also been a consultant for the Hotel Villa Franca in Ischia, where in the kitchen he experiments, researches and offers dishes that start from local raw materials, re-proposing the tradition to be relived in a contemporary way thanks to technique and inventiveness.
“The managerial skills and organizational skills acquired over many years as a consultant are still very valuable both in my work at Danì Maison and in my new position with the IT Group”, continues the chef. In fact, since the beginning of 2021, chef Di Costanzo has become a consultant for the IT Group, a restaurant chain founded in Ibiza in 2015 and now present in Milan, London, Porto Cervo, Tulum and Mykonos.
“This work improves and strengthens me every day” continues Di Costanzo. The philosophy behind the IT Group is to expertly combine the best Italian cuisine with experience in environments characterized by contemporary and cosmopolitan interior design.
“With the IT Group I am working on building a recognizable identity in all restaurants.
In all the places where the Group is present, in fact, I try to connect with the characteristics of the place and its land, and to combine the philosophy of Italian cuisine with the typical elements of the local area ”.
The starting point and inspiration is therefore always Italian cuisine, made up of great products, of excellence recognized all over the world, but also of great simplicity.
A cuisine that becomes a point of reference for customers, but also a fil rouge that unites and spreads Italian culture all over the world.
“To all the customers who frequent the restaurants of the IT Group, I try to propose the dishes of the past those learned from my grandmother, starting from my origins, from Ischia, Campania, respecting the tradition and seasonality of the ingredients.
To these dishes I combine elements of the territory where the restaurant is located. For example, in Greece I use feta and olives, which I include in my proposals, or lamb to create dishes that combine taste and simplicity.
I always prefer to propose a simple dish, because it is this simplicity that directly transmits the culture it represents. A simplicity that conquers by itself and does not need to convince anyone “.
A simplicity that is increasingly requested and sought after by people who enter restaurants and ask for simple, good and increasingly healthy dishes. “With Covid, the clientele has certainly changed.
In my restaurant, for example, we have a more varied clientele than in the past, which changes even more according to the periods of the year, during which Italians alternate with foreigners.
But beyond all the real change that Covid has brought is in the habits and customs of the people. Today the formality has been set aside, as well as all that is cast aside, to give priority and importance to feeling good at the table.
In my Danì Maison, we have 6 tables available. And for this, even more today, we do everything to make guests experience a relaxed atmosphere.
The guest is the person who matters most in the world, and our goal, when he decides to come to us, is to let him switch off for a few hours, offering him dishes of the highest quality in a quiet environment “.
There are many things that start cooking in chef Di Costanzo’s pot. “We need to understand the evolution of the situation, but we have many interesting projects both in Ischia and in the United States.
We are full of energy and there are many things we still want to do ”.
