Natalino Ambra

Some people cultivate a love of cooking through curiosity, and arrive in the kitchen after wandering for a long time. Some people, on the other hand, by force of things and pure and beautiful magnetism, have practically never left a kitchen.

This is the case of Natalino Ambra, from Prato, who, at the age of seven, enjoyed experimenting with what he found at home so he could eat what he liked best. A perfectly natural preamble that led him to attend catering school in Montecatini, in his native Tuscany. Here Ambra took his first steps, joining the brigade of the restaurant at the Golf Club Resort in Castiglion del Bosco. After two “local” years, he dived into the “global” world of restaurants, always bringing with him a good slice of Italy.

We start in Dubai, in the Arab Emirates, with the opening of the Armani Hotel; then the journey continues further, to Shanghai where Natalino, his skill and his roaring unstoppability don’t go unnoticed. In fact, he is spotted by chef Corrado Michelazzo from restaurant Va Bene, one of the city's most acclaimed Italian restaurants. He is immediately put to the test, bringing to the table the tasty classicism of Italy wrapped in light influences, blissfully-assimilated Asian whispers, demonstrating how the elegance and sophisticated aura of fine dining can coexist with the pleasantness and lightness of the experience.

All this takes place in just a few years, not decades of experience, yet the future still holds a surprise for Natalino Ambra - and, we are sure, the road is still long and promising for him: he’s become Chef de Cuisine at Osteria BRR by Alain Ducasse at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore: from Monte Carlo to the Ligurian Coast, the Italian Riviera enters the heart and memory of Monsieur Ducasse and becomes the creative base of the Singaporean establishment. A perfect container of contemporaneity mixed with pure Italian tradition, Ambra's personal touch and, last but not least, the sublime supervision of Alain Ducasse. No matter where you go, you find Italy. And it shines.