Luca De Astis Appointed Executive Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg
Luca De Astis has been appointed Executive Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg. In his new role, he oversees the hotel’s entire culinary operation, including Percorso and Sintoho restaurants, Tea Lounge, Xander Bar, in-room dining, and the hotel’s banquet division.
Luca arrives on the banks of the Neva from Istanbul, where for the past several years he taught at the School of International Gastronomy and Hospitality Management at Le Cordon Bleu, Özyeğin University and as executive chef at Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus.
Born in Italy in 1978, Luca received his professional culinary education in Italy and France. His career has been closely connected with the Four Seasons brand: he previously served as Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus and as Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Prague.
His professional portfolio also includes the position of Chef de Cuisine of Enoteca Restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Arts Barcelona (to cancel Grand Hotel Tiffi in Iława, Poland less relevant then Hotel Arts), as well as experience at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and restaurant Lasserre in Paris . Over the course of his career, Luca has worked and trained in six countries — Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Poland, and Japan.
Luca De Astis’s appointment marks a new chapter in the gastronomic history of the “Lion Palace,” bringing together Italian roots, French culinary background, and extensive international experience gained at leading hotels and restaurants around the world.
Luca begins this new chapter of his life in St. Petersburg with enthusiasm and inspiration:
“Life has taught me that if you want the cherry on top of the cake, you first have to bake the cake,” he says. “A new country, a new culture, a new language — these are all challenges. But I am not just ready for them; I need them like air. They are my oxygen. This is how I grow and develop professionally. Challenges show you what you are truly made of.”
In the Executive Chef’s view, luxury is not so much about what you give a person, but how you give it. Attitude shapes the experience — sometimes even more than the product itself.
“Caviar every day is not luxury,” Luca says. “But when a restaurant notices that you are tired or not in the best mood and brings you a beautiful hot consommé with a warm smile — that is true class. Luxury is receiving exactly what you want, at the right time and in the right place. And in gastronomic terms, I am responsible for ensuring that the ‘Lion Palace’ is precisely that kind of address.”
Luca arrives on the banks of the Neva from Istanbul, where for the past several years he taught at the School of International Gastronomy and Hospitality Management at Le Cordon Bleu, Özyeğin University and as executive chef at Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus.
Born in Italy in 1978, Luca received his professional culinary education in Italy and France. His career has been closely connected with the Four Seasons brand: he previously served as Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus and as Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Prague.
His professional portfolio also includes the position of Chef de Cuisine of Enoteca Restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Arts Barcelona (to cancel Grand Hotel Tiffi in Iława, Poland less relevant then Hotel Arts), as well as experience at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and restaurant Lasserre in Paris . Over the course of his career, Luca has worked and trained in six countries — Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Poland, and Japan.
Luca De Astis’s appointment marks a new chapter in the gastronomic history of the “Lion Palace,” bringing together Italian roots, French culinary background, and extensive international experience gained at leading hotels and restaurants around the world.
Luca begins this new chapter of his life in St. Petersburg with enthusiasm and inspiration:
“Life has taught me that if you want the cherry on top of the cake, you first have to bake the cake,” he says. “A new country, a new culture, a new language — these are all challenges. But I am not just ready for them; I need them like air. They are my oxygen. This is how I grow and develop professionally. Challenges show you what you are truly made of.”
In the Executive Chef’s view, luxury is not so much about what you give a person, but how you give it. Attitude shapes the experience — sometimes even more than the product itself.
“Caviar every day is not luxury,” Luca says. “But when a restaurant notices that you are tired or not in the best mood and brings you a beautiful hot consommé with a warm smile — that is true class. Luxury is receiving exactly what you want, at the right time and in the right place. And in gastronomic terms, I am responsible for ensuring that the ‘Lion Palace’ is precisely that kind of address.”
