Photo by Carole al-Farah

Having been influenced into cooking by his mother, Claudio Rossi, the new executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus, speaks of the path that led him from Italy, all around East Asia, and finally to Damascus.

Starting, could you please share with us your background?

Cooking is something that I learnt from my mother; she is a very good cook and I believe that the passion for cooking and some of the skills I acquired are from her; my father designed Alfa Romeo car engines, so I couldn’t have learnt balancing spices from him!

Later when I grew up, I decided to attend a culinary institute, and then after this I started to practice my apprenticeship for seven years in different restaurants across various regions of Italy; true Italian cuisine is regional as each city has its own cuisine.

At the age of 21 I ended up in the North Eastern province of Friuli, where I became involved with promoting Italian food abroad, which led me to travel all over the world, mainly in South East Asia, until one day I arrived in Kuala Lumpur.

I was fascinated by everything there, from the heat of the tropics to the smells of the market food, the flowers, the humidity; everything for me was a completely new experience. So I asked the managing chef if he could keep me there, and he agreed so I stayed there for about six months, until I accepted another offer in Osaka.

South East Asia seems to be really dear to you

Of course, I spent 16 years in many different Asian countries and I was lucky enough to meet my lovely wife there, who is from Taiwan.

So how did your transition to the Four Seasons come around?

In 2001 I joined the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai; it was the first Four Seasons Hotel opening in China. I stayed with them for three years until I transferred to Thailand and got promoted to Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Resort in Chiang Mai, North Thailand; the transition from the booming city life of Shanghai to the peace of northern Thailand was amazing.

…And your transition to the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus?

In 2004 I transferred to the Four Seasons Singapore from Thailand, and from there to Four Seasons Toronto in 2008; and two months ago I left Canada and here I am.

What was your first impression of Damascus?

It is fascinating, I love history, culture, and arts, and this country and city definitely incorporate all of that and a lot more.

This is the first time for me to be in this exciting region, and it is so nice to see many Syrian habits and traditions that are close to Italian equivalents; everyday I discover something new and I say to myself, "Syrians are doing this as well!” For example the abundant use of olive oil and sauce. I know Mediterranean people in general love using olive oil but I didn’t expect this much, as well as citrus and fresh herbs such as parsley.

Gastronomy aside, what else attracts you to Syria?

I see the young generation and the old enjoying their lives – and the quality of life: La Dolce Vita. It is very important to enjoy life with the people we love. Family sharing is very important; the meal is a family experience.

Also, the warm hospitability and the natural approach people have. I did not know that like Italians, you kiss and hug friends that you know when you meet each other, it is not only a part of a protocol, it is a part of the culture.

Have you been influenced by the Syrian cuisine or any habits of eating?

I found myself very much at home, as if I haven’t left Milan at all; there are a lot of similarities. The appetizers you can compare easily with the antipasto, it is an abundance of small dishes where you get to taste different flavours. As well as the colour of food; Syrian food is very colourful and beautiful.

Another important thing I’ve noticed is the respect for food, for bread, the things that are not thrown away because of their importance to everyday life.

How do you find working for the Four Seasons Hotel, culture wise?

A key reason why I joined Four Seasons many years ago was to be able to work for the best of the best in hotels and yet also be treated in the way that I would treat anyone else – this is the principle of the golden rule within Four Seasons and it is very similar to what my father taught me when I was young.

Having arrived here, what future plans do you have for the restaurants here?

We will continue to focus on further elevating the food experience at the hotel by incorporating fresh, unique ingredients.

Al Halabi and Il Circo are strong successful concepts and our main focus will be to further strengthen and polish those concepts.

On a longer term vision, we would like to further embrace and bring true authentic Asian cuisine to our portfolio of offerings here at the hotel.

Anything exclusive for the residents of the Hotel?

As the hotel’s guests we really want to make you feel like you are at home. This goes from a special soup made to order, to calorie sensitive menus and serving you your favourite dish before you even ask for it.

It seems that the kitchen has been busy in the two months you have spent here

Fortunately we have been very busy and I am thoroughly enjoying working with my team to provide world-class food.

Wishing you the best of luck and a long, pleasant stay in Damascus, I think it would fit concluding with a question on the major current happening; who do you think will win the World Cup?

With Italy’s unfortunate early elimination, I will be supporting Argentina!.

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• Sam Dalla: Was the Chinese model that good?

• Assad appoints a 29-member Constitutional Committee, for a new constitution by next February
• Sam Dalla: Was the Chinese model that good?