Nicole Hurip

Jovial, passionate and down-to-earth. That’s chef Alfonso Iaccarino. The head honcho at Don Alfonso 1890, Macau’s sister restaurant to the highest Michelin-rated eatery in Southern Italy, clearly adores food – particularly the healthy Mediterranean diet. In fact, when we meet him, his palpable love of cooking becomes as infectious as his positive outlook on life. Born into the hospitality industry, chef Iaccarino, who describes his food as ‘new-style Mediterranean’, was meant to become a hotel manager like his father and grandfather before him – but his love of food led him into the kitchens instead. Growing up in the countryside, he gained an early healthy respect for nature something reflected in his passion for organic food and farming. In fact, he talks a lot about healthy food. And with more than 40 years in the business and two Michelin stars to his name, he’s something of an authority. Don Alfonso 1890 at Macau’s Grand Lisboa opened three decades after chef Iaccarino’s first in Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi on Italy’s Sorrento Peninsula. It creates dishes which use the best ingredients, cooked skillfully and simply by the chefs. It’s an authentic taste of Southern Italy, thanks to the passion of chef Iaccarino…Ciao, chef Iaccarino! Great to meet you. So, tell us about yourself...I was born in Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi in Naples, Italy. My family is in the hospitality industry and my mother gave birth to me in a hotel. My father and grandfather started teaching me the art of