Beyond the beaches and its iconic party scene, Ibiza is a gastronomic magnet. An island in the centre of the bounteous Mediterranean, the white isle has been inspired by its Spanish heritage and wider European culinary culture that is built upon simplistic dishes that celebrate fresh ingredients.
Leading a collection of Ibiza’s most popular restaurants under the umbrella of Island Hospitality is Gennaro Vitto: the director of food and beverage who oversees the menus of Finca La Plaza, Beachouse and Mikasa. Carving a career in the glittering world of Michelin-starred dining before finding himself in Ibiza, from a young age Gennaro (who grew up in the ‘foot of Italy’ aka Puglia) ignited his love for homemade flavours, such as his father’s artisanal Gelateria.
Working in the demanding kitchens of France’s culinary royalty where he perfected his craft, he ascended to the first head chef role at the prestigious Villa del Quar, a Relais Chateaux in Verona. From here Gennaro’s gastronomic passport took him to London and other global destinations, where his role as a pioneering consultant and visionary executive chef polished his prowess.
Joining Island Hospitality in 2012, Gennaro practised his artistry as an executive chef before stepping into the limelight as director of food and beverage in 2021. Having visited a number of his Ibizan restaurants earlier this year, I spoke with Gennaro to learn more about his passionate philosophy for authentic food that he amplifies using gastronomic techniques such as Ibizan wood chargrilling, marinating and fermenting.
Your culinary heritage intersects Michelin-starred dining with the cutting-edge cuisine of Ibiza. How is this reflected across the menus?
My heritage plays an important role. My Michelin-starred life is reflected in our menus across all groups. Two very essential points are shared today with all our chefs: the obsession with the quality of our products, and the attention to detail at all times.. even in the most difficult logistical conditions.
Can you share an example of how you’re pushing the boundaries of modern-day dining in Ibiza?
In reality, we try to push ourselves daily to make sure we always give our customers the best experience. In terms of Ibiza’s modern-day dining. I believe this modernity is, and always will be, the combination between a high level of technique, expertise and execution.
You grew up in Puglia. How do these early days continue to inspire you, before your career took an international turn?
A love of my roots is powerful and has continued to inspire me since I first left Puglia at the age of 16… and today (and for the last three years) I have been living and working in an environment that is very similar to where I was born. This is the beauty of the Mediterranean, you have this spiritual and inviting feeling that surrounds you. You are reminded of this in each moment, from the smell of the fruit trees, the warm temperature, the colour of the sea, the quality of local ingredients and the sound of the long summers. All of these things contribute to this very unique lifestyle that is so evidently reflected in what we do here.
Your philosophy is focused on provenance and authentic ingredients, how do you achieve this?
It is all about passion. This can sometimes be very difficult given that we live on such a small island, it is not always easy to get access to the best ingredients but if you are driven by the “feu de la passion”, quality is always possible at any price.
What is the most inspiring element of local Ibizan cuisine?
Of course fish plays a very important role in Ibiza … but when I first came to the island I was very impressed by the simplicity of the cuisine, almost the same as where I grew up. So to me, this is very inspiring because it is very challenging to produce a simple cuisine that is tasty at the same time. Like I said before, ingredients and technique are super important but if you miss soul, passion and integrity all of this is near impossible to reach. This is the reason why am proud of our teams across our venues in Ibiza.
At Finca La Plaza, the menu includes a personal touch that blends your Puglian roots. Can you tell us more about how you’ve achieved this?
Actually, this wasn’t so difficult as we pretty much have the same ingredients as in Puglia. After all, and as mentioned before, we are all children of the Mediterranean Sea.
Beachouse has celebrated a decade on the island. Have you got any plans to ensure its menu continues to keep up with the growing competition?
There aren’t any plans per se… to maintain what you have done you only have to do one thing. And that is to continue being enthusiastic and passionate about what we do. Competition also plays an essential role in reminding us that we never want to “just follow the status quo”.
How do you elevate the flavours of the plant-based menu at Mikasa?
We have our amazing team to thank for that! We continuously try, test and evolve to find the best way to elevate or optimise each product and/or dish.
And finally, where is your favourite spot in Ibiza, and why?
I have a couple of places that I try to go to when I can. The first one is a beach restaurant not too far from ours. The care and attention they give to the quality and small details of the restaurant are outstanding. The second one is in the countryside, actually in the heart of the island. I love to go here for the seclusion and serenity of their space, the beauty of their “casa payesa”, the view of the rolling hills and that sense of peace and care that always helps me to rest and recharge during the stress of the summer. When I visit different places on the island I always seek to find new inspirations and both these venues have often given me just that.
Beyond the kitchen, Gennaro has combined his love of science and food in his book, ‘Arte e Virtù del Mangiare’. The connection between his two lifelong passions shines through every page and it is no surprise that Vitto leads the way in shaping the gastronomic experiences across Island Hospitality’s venues, creating mouth-watering moments every guest will treasure.
Factbox
Website: island-hospitality.com
Phone: +34 971 933 777
