Q&A With Executive Chef Ugo

We sat down with our Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverages, Ugo Simonelli, to find out more about his career journey and what led him to Lifehouse.

Did you always know you wanted to be a chef?

From when I was 10 years old. My parents don’t want me to be a chef, so they gave up when they saw my determination.

How do you think your Italian upbringing has influenced your culinary skills?

All my family always loved food, and in Italy we have so many varieties of food that differ from town to town.

Describe some of the highlights of your career so far.

I cooked for many VIPs and had many beautiful weddings when I was in Tuscany.

How long have you been working at Lifehouse?

Since March 2015.

What made you decide to work at the Restaurant at Lifehouse?

Lifehouse is an amazing resort and I have worked in beautiful places all my life. Lifehouse, for me, is where I can deliver everything I learned in 30 years of my professional life.

What are your favourite dishes on the menu? (To eat and to prepare.)

They all are. Every dish is created by me, with help of my team. I love every single product we use in our kitchen. I can say one of my signature dishes is my seafood stew.

What has been your most memorable experience at Lifehouse so far?

We have held many big parties in our beautiful gardens. I love them.

Describe your usual working day.

Say hello to all the members of my teams, check my email, try new dishes, cooking, talk with suppliers, search for new local products, and various consultations with my second in charge. I can say you never have the same or boring day in our industry.

What’s the best thing about working at Lifehouse?

The majority of my team worked with me for years and they are my family. We always try to improve everything we do at Lifehouse to deliver the best guest journey. We always challenge ourselves.

What’s the most important piece of advice you want to pass on to future chefs?

Be ready to learn all your career, be modest and make sure you travel a lot. That is one of the great things in this world. Every country has different food to explore. Get ready to work hard in one of the most amazing professions.

Check our vacancies page to see if there are any positions currently available in the Restaurant at Lifehouse!