Andrea Ferrero, new Italian culinary maestro at Sheraton Dubai Creek's Vivaldi Italian restaurant

The new Italian Chef of the fabulous Vivaldi Italian Restaurant is a shy and unassuming man who prefers to let his deft culinary skills do all the talking.

First time in the Middle East, Chef Andrea has been involved in the world of food preparation for almost 13 years. He comes from a family of chefs, working at his parent's restaurant from a very young age. Deciding to follow in his parent's footsteps, Chef Andrea then went on to secure a formal education and graduated from the Escuela Hostelera Instituto Profesional "Eleonora Ruffini" (a chef's school) in Italy.

He started his first stint as a kitchen apprentice, learning trade secrets from many well-known and skilled chefs. He worked his way through the different kitchens of several restaurants and international chain hotels. His culinary career has taken him to mostly around the Mediterranean regions, thus learning from Italian, French and Spanish influences.

Due to this, diners to the Vivaldi Italian Restaurant will soon see a fresh burst of varied tastes and aromas. Chef Andrea will design a new menu, incorporating new Italian dishes with a Mediterranean twist as well as maintaining some of the restaurant's old favourites. His passion for fish dishes will definitely ensure you have more fish creations on the menu, especially the tuna and seabass.

Creative and innovative, Chef Andrea enjoys cooking as he feels it gives him the freedom to create and experiment. His greatest challenge is to keep up with the latest culinary trends and yet not lose the traditional taste and identity of his cuisine.

When he is not busy cooking up a storm, Chef Andrea relaxes by watching movies, playing football, travelling, checking out other restaurants and exchanging ideas with fellow chefs.