Meet the chef – Beachouse Ibiza

At the helm of the kitchen of hot new Playa d’en Bossa beach restaurant BEACHOUSE Ibiza is head chef Sebastian Altimari, serving up an extensive selection of rustic, honest and authentic Italian cuisine, made with the highest quality ingredients.

The focus on fresh flavours is prevalent throughout the sophisticated menu, and the day-to-night dining destination has quickly become a must-visit for every Ibiza foodie worth their Salinas salt since it’s official opening in July 2014! Still, we managed to steal the busy chef away from the kitchen for a few minutes one bright and early summer morning to get a little more insight into what makes him tick!

Tell us a little bit about your background – how did you become a chef? I was born in Italy – so I have that connection to the BEACHOUSE Ibiza style of cooking – although my family moved to Argentina when I was very, very young, so I feel as though I am more Argentinean by nature. I’ve always been cooking – for more than 20 years – and I love food, so it wasn’t really a decision to become a chef, it just happened naturally. I started from zero… just helping out, cooking, working in different restaurants… and over the years, I worked my way up!

What brought you to Ibiza? I have always travelled a lot and worked all over the world – being a chef, you can work anywhere in the world while you travel, and Ibiza always appealed to me because I love nature – it’s my way of getting grounded. When the opportunity came to come here, I took it.

What led you to work at BEACHOUSE Ibiza? I’d been living in Ibiza for four years, and previously I was working at El Chiringuito with [head chef] Jerome, which is owned by the same people as BEACHOUSE. Then the opportunity to take over the kitchen in the new restaurant opened up, and here I am!

Tell us about your style of cooking, you signature cuisine? For me, it’s all about using high quality ingredients to enhance the natural flavours in the dish. I use the freshest produce possible and love incorporating classic Mediterranean ingredients sourced here on the island – we have a really great network of suppliers who deliver to us daily – in combination with some specialist ingredients imported from Italy. I enjoy creating simple yet delicious dishes that are enhanced it with authentic, homemade accoutrements.

What is the atmosphere like in the BEACHOUSE kitchen? It’s busy, but it’s calm, despite the fact we have 18 team members in the kitchen. Our team is really great – there’s a lot of passion for what we do and we love seeing all the elements come together to create something special every day.

What are your personal favourite restaurants in Ibiza (aside from BEACHOUSE of course!)? [Laughs] I don’t have much time to enjoy them in the summer, since the restaurant is open from 10am until 1am every day and I am usually here, but I still love El Chiringuito on Es Cavallet and I also love Pastis in Ibiza town.

What’s your favourite thing about working in Ibiza? [Laughs again, motions to the sweeping view of Playa d’en Bossa from the BEACHOUSE terrace] This! I love the unspoiled beaches, places like Cala Salada, Cala Saladeta – the ones that are untouched by human hands. Being able to find places like this on such a touristic island is amazing – I love it here. It’s also great to be able to travel in the off-season, visit the family and then go to new places for inspiration.

Meet the chef – La Oliva

He may be young, but La Oliva Ibiza head chef Marc-Antoine Colonna knows his way around the kitchen like a seasoned professional, having grown up around chefs and cooking, studying in one of Paris’ most prestigious cooking schools and working in Michelin starred restaurants in France. After arriving in Ibiza just three years ago, he began work as a waiter in the iconic Dalt Vila restaurant but step-by-step made his way into the kitchen, where he clearly excels. Today, he serves up an array of exceptionally tasty meals every night and has created a menu brimming with flavour and flair – we went inside the kitchen to find out a little more!

Tell us about your background – what inspired you to become a chef?
I’ve always loved food, ever since I was young. My grandfather was a chef, and it inspired me to attend the famous French cooing school Ferrandi. The more I did it, the more I realised I really love this job… Before I was a chef I worked as a production assistant on a fashion magazine, but it was always the same… I much prefer being in the kitchen.

How do you describe your style in the kitchen?
We have a very good ambience here at La Oliva. I am very young, our team are all from France and I think it makes for a very good ambience, it’s cool. We all know what is required of us – if you have to work 15 hours, then you are prepared for it… we are always very busy but because we love the job it’s OK.

What is the style of cuisine at La Oliva?
We have a lot of different things – it is so varied! The main inspiration for the menu is Provençal, with Mediterranean influences and an international touch, but the main thing is that we always use the very highest quality produce. Rene (Salle, La Oliva founder and owner) is passionate about this. From freshly caught fish from Spain, high-quality Italian and French products, the very best meat and cheese, plus seasonal vegetables from the island’s best farms – it is so good and very easy to work with food that is this good!

What is your signature dish?
There are so many popular dishes at La Oliva, it’s hard to select just one as the most famous – but I find the most popular dishes are the ones that are also the most simple. For example, beef entrecote, the grilled scallop and prawns, the grilled cod with asparagus risotto… But my favourite to make is definitely the lamb shank.

And what is your own favourite food?
I really like Italian food and Asiatic food, especially sushi. This winter I would like to go to Tuscany to try and learn more about Italian food.

What are your favourite restaurants in Ibiza (aside from La Oliva of course!)?
Because I don’t have a lot of time in the summer to try new restaurants, I tend to always go to the same places, usually with French owners! I like El Soleado, Sa Punta and El Clodenis… all French! I do eat and cook a lot at home too, but less in the summer.

What do you like most about living in Ibiza?
The quality of life and the sun! I do a lot of sports, about an hour and a half a day – when you work 15 hours a day, you really need to do something else for balance, or you’d go crazy – and here in Ibiza I can run, swim, bicycle or play golf every day because the sun is always shining! And when it’s not… I can go to the gym!