Sani Gourmet

Akira Back

Back to the roots

Born in Korea and raised in Aspen, Colorado, chef Akira Back was destined for a great trajectory. After graduating from the International Culinary School of the Art Institute of Colorado, Akira travelled endlessly in Japan and Europe, carefully studying cultures and flavours, also collaborating with leading chefs such as Mahasaru Morimoto and Brian Nagao. In 2003, he returned where it all started, his own personal empire in Aspen, starting in the kitchen of Nobu Matsuhisa as executive chef. Yes! The road to his accolades had already been paved. 

Akira Back has been recognised as a Rising Star by Restaurant Hospitality, has hosted the highly sought-after James Beard House dinners for at least six years, while Las Vegas Weekly has given him the title of Best Chef in Las Vegas. His participation in the most famous events of the culinary calendar such as Aspen Food & Wine Festival, Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival and Vegas Uncork’d prepared him well for his first Michelin Star in 2018 for the innovative DOSA concept restaurant in Seoul, where he serves creative modern dishes that pay tribute to his Korean roots, using impeccable ingredients from the leading suppliers in the world. His latest project is ABar, a bar in Singapore and Bangkok which serves creative cocktails accompanied by inventive snacks and shared platters. Akira Back’s source of ideas seems inexhaustible.   

Location Sani Marina

Bjorn Swanson

Fresh, local ingredients 

Bjorn Swanson was born and raised in Berlin. After working in Munich, Dresden and more recently at the Gutshaus Stolpe of Relais & Châteaux, he decided to return to his base to create a restaurant of his own, Golvet, in the summer of 2017. His remarkable trajectory so far is evident in every dish he creates. Bjorn Swanson has worked in some of Berlin’s leading restaurants, including the excellent Facil (2 Michelin Stars) and Frischers Fritz (2 Michelin Stars), he’s practised his skills in famous venues such as the luxurious Altes Zollhaus restaurant at Kreuzberg, Berlin, and he has also received a Michelin Star himself. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients from local producers is important to him, as are the contemporary culinary trends which inform his Asian-influenced Scandinavian dishes.

Location Porto Sani

Remco Kuijpers

The less, the better 

His experience in the kitchens of famous restaurant such as Da Vinci, Seinpost, Vermeer and Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam led Remco Kuijpers to his first Michelin Star. His motto is “the less, the better”, indicative of the way he creates his dishes using the least possible amount of ingredients, in order to allow the flavours to shine through. And they do, beautifully. After all, his love for gastronomy, which was evident from a very young age, has helped him create dishes with spontaneity and creative instinct. What makes Remco stand out is how he gives fruit and vegetables the starring roles on the plate – they do not just accompany the dishes but are often the main ingredients in his creations. After all, his international style of cooking based on classic cuisine with a contemporary attitude has deservingly won the attention of all – and that is no accident.  

Location Sani Asterias

Saverio Sbaragli

The Mediterranean on our plate 

What’s next when, just at 21, you’re already part of Alain Ducasse’s team at Juan-les-Pins and then go on to with Alain Passard? In Saverio Sbaragli’s case, the answer is “two Michelin Stars and dishes deeply rooted in Italian tradition”. Born in Florence, if Sbaragli had to be described in just a few words, they would be: openly ambitious, incredibly talented and devilishly innovative. Sbaragli received his first Michelin Star in the kitchen of Il Lago, the only Italian restaurant in the French-speaking part of Switzerland that has won the attention of the Michelin Guide. His second came in 2018 for Geneva’s Tosca, a gourmet establishment where he still works. Saverio Sbaragli’s creations have been influenced by northern Italy’s cuisine as well as the Mediterranean as a whole. He cites his grandmother, who taught him to love food, as his greatest influence.

Location Sani Dunes

Alan Geaam

A love for people

Self-taught and Michelin-starred, Alan Geaam is living proof that when you want something, the universe conspires in helping you achieve it – even when things don’t start out smoothly.

Alan Geaam started cooking while serving in Lebanon’s military, when his colonel, impressed by Alan’s dishes, decided to make him his personal chef, although he had no culinary trainin. Young Alan had picked up recipes he’d seen in cooking shows, which he would always catch after school. A few years later, Geaam found himself in Paris, not able to speak the language and sleeping on the streets at first. But he never stopped chasing after his dreams, even when he had to work two jobs – construction worker in the morning, delivery person and dishwasher in the evening. Then, one evening, the chef in charge of the kitchen in which Alan was washing dishes cut himself and has to be rushed to hospital. Alan stepped up to the challenge, taking it upon himself to serve the restaurant’s 14 diners all on his own. In fact, that is exactly what drives him: seeing people happy and satisfied.

Today, self-taught and self-made Alan Geaam manages four Parisian restaurants: L'Auberge Nicolas Flamel – the oldest restaurant in the city, AG Saint-Germain, AG Les Halles and Alan Geaam Restaurant. His inventive recipes fuse the rich gastronomic tradition of France with his native Lebanon, where he was first inspired to cook.

Location Sani Asterias

Paulo Airaudo

Dishes full of memories

Chef Paulo Airaudo was born in Argentina to a family of Italian immigrants. Since the age of 18 he has worked around the world, including in Mexico, Peru and in a number of European countries. In Europe he gained experience in legendary restaurants such as Arzak (3*Michelin) in San Sebastián, The Fat Duck (3*Michelin) near London and Magnolia (1*Michelin) in Italy.
In May 2015 he opened La Bottega, a forward-thinking modern trattoria in the historic part of Geneva. Just four months later, in October 2015, the restaurant received its first Michelin star, an extraordinary achievement. Now Airaudo has created his first solo restaurant in the global culinary centre of excellence of San Sebastián, taking him back to where his European adventure originally began.
As he explains: My family loves San Sebastián. I love San Sebastián. We’re happy here which is the best possible reason to build this restaurant. At the same time, this magical town has the eyes of global chefs and foodies upon it, which in a way makes it possible for me to offer my food to the world.
After 14 years of cooking and seeking out culinary excellence all over the world, the nomad chef has finally found his home – even naming the ambitious endeavour after his 2-year-old daughter, Amelie, which means this time he’s here to stay. This time, it’s personal.

Location Porto Sani

Ryohei Kawasaki

Minimalism and authentic flavour 

Beautifully marrying Japanese and French cuisine, Michelin-starred Ryohei Kawasaki opened his first restaurant, Noborimachi Saryo, in Hiroshima, initiating locals to the secrets of French food. His venture was soon embraced by the public, leaving guests’ palates with the very best impressions. A few years later, he decides to test himself with a restaurant in Montmartre, ready to face the demanding diners of Paris. Ken Kawasaki’s dishes are highly minimal but don’t compromise flavour. After all, how could they, when his main concern is choosing seasonal and local quality ingredients which add to the dishes the authenticity they deserve?

Location Sani Marina