Gabriele Montevecchio is an Italian executive chef who has worked in several countries. He came to work at the Crowne Plaza Shenzhen hotel in China after being recommended by a former guest. He enjoys China and has made many friends there. In his career, he has worked to develop his cooking skills and pass knowledge on to his subordinates. His greatest achievement so far has been his appointment as executive chef at the Crowne Plaza Shenzhen hotel.

1. deliveringservice 人才汇聚 完全为你 introductionofthemanagement 管理有道
Introduction to the Management
Delivering Service – Gabriele Montevecchio
管理有道—访行政总厨Gabriele Montevecchio先生
July/August 2006 23 七月/八月July/August 2006 22 七月/八月
1.Where do you come from? And what brings you to Shenzhen?
My hometown is Ancona in the Region of Marches of Italy, which is known as
the Hidden Tuscany. Ancona is a beautiful town that stretches along the rocky
Adriatic Sea coastline. During the summer period, the community spent their time
swimming in the sea or fishing. The water is so clear
and clean that you can see fishes swimming in the sea.
My elder brother and I enjoyed fishing so much that
our family gets tired of eating seafood almost every
meal!
What brings me to Shenzhen? Definitely luck! I
was recommended by a guest of my ex-hotel who
happened to know the General Manager of Crowne
Plaza Shenzhen and the Hotel is looking for an Italian
Executive Chef. I contacted Mr. David Markham
directly, and was delighted to know that the position
is still vacant. And here I am the first Italian Chef in this
Venetian themed Hotel!
2.How many countries have you worked in?
Which one does you like most? Why?
Beside my own country, I have worked in France for
pastry courses; in London, as a Kitchen Helper at the
Le Gavroche with Michel Roux and at The Canteen
Restaurant with Marco Pierre White; both are a 3-star
Michelin Chef. I was always fascinated to come to the Far
East and one day I decided to pack my bag and moved
to Melbourne, Australia for a one-month assignment on
Italian promotion. An opportunity comes along at the ex-
Westin Tai Ping Yang in Shanghai and I stayed for 2 years
before moving to Grand Hyatt, Taipei, Hyatt Regency,
New Delhi and then back to Italy to operate my own
restaurant. After a year period, I was offered the position
as Executive Sous Chef at the Great Wall Sheraton. I
was there for 3 ½ years before moving to Crowne Plaza
Shenzhen as an Executive Chef.
For sure I love China, I don't feel homesick, because I
have many friends and I am comfortable in making new
friends and getting to know more people.
How many languages do you speak?
Italian of course, but I still need to improve! English,
French, a little Chinese and Spanish.
How did you ended up working in the
kitchen? Describe your career journey.
One needs to be born with it to work in the Kitchen,
especially if you want to achieve good results and attain
a higher level in the food & beverage industry. It reminds
me of my younger days at the age of 2 years old, and
one day my mum is baking lasagna, the key ingredient
is tomato sauce; but this time she tried a new recipe and
it was baked without tomato sauce. And surprisingly it
still tastes good! I loved to spend time with her when she
bakes in the Kitchen and each time she had to warn me not to touch the oven, but
being a rebellious little boy, I ended up in the hospital with burning hands!
To me, working in a kitchen is more than just a career. My dad once told me that it
is a mission because the element of the job is far more delicate. Not only skillful, but
requires patience, patience and patience…. But I still love my job, as long as I can freely
express my aspiration, improve my cooking skill and impart my knowledge to my
subordinates. Of course, being at the right place at the right
time is important to do what you want.
What is the most unforgettable experience
during your career?
I am only 34 years old; unfortunately, I can't recall any
particular moment that stayed vividly in my mind. All of
my previous experiences are filled with mixed feelings;
but one of the best moment is I have been appointed
as an Executive Chef in a 5 star hotel for the first time,
and I would like to thank to Mr. David Markham (General
Manager) and Mr. Arthur Liang (Deputy General
Manager) who gave me this opportunity.
What is your greatest achievement so far in
your career?
To be appointed as an Executive Chef in a great hotel like
Crowne Plaza Shenzhen is the great achievement, but
hopetoprogressfurtherinmycareeradvancement.What
gives me pleasure is to work with a great management
team and excellent colleagues and subordinates. It is
difficult for an opportunity to come by where everything
fits in so well. My mission and objective in this position is
to focus on developing, coaching and training my staff.
What professional advice would you like to
share with your colleagues?
Keep calm! Think! Research! Organize! Action! Just do it!
Even if is wrong, it is a lesson to learn from the mistake.
What do you like to do during your day off or
leisure time?
If I am not so tired, I will go for a swim and sauna. I want
to stay fit and healthy for old age sake! If I am lazy, I simply
stay at home, laze around and watch news channel,
financial and investment news, Bloomberg and national
geographic.
My hobby is picture taking. I travel everywhere with
my 3 cameras, a map and a Chinese – Italian dictionary.
Nothing can stop 'us' traveling together! Sometimes it is
so exciting that it feels like I am leaving for an expedition!
Have you ever got that feeling? Try, it is great! But
you may need to cope with unexpected situations or
circumstances for example sleeping in the car, eat maybe
not, and hop into a truck and Goooooooooooooooooo!
Actually, I am not like that all the time; sometimes I like to
attend to romantic dinners!
你来自什么地方？是什么原因使你来到深圳？
我来自意大利马凯省安科纳市，那里以“隐藏的托斯卡纳”而著称于世。
亚得里亚海斑斓的岩石海岸线从我的家乡绵延开来，每年夏天人们都会去
游泳、钓鱼，那里的海水清澈透明，你甚至可以看到鱼儿在海水中游动。
我和我的哥哥实在是精于此道，以至于我们的家人向我们抱怨说他们已经
吃够了我们带回来的海鲜。
说起来到深圳工作，我想应该归功于我的运气，我在不经意间得到了我之
前工作的酒店一位客人的推荐，他说他认识深圳威尼斯皇冠假日酒店的总
经理，而且这家酒店也正在寻找一位意大利籍的行政总厨。之后我直接和
酒店总经理马可汉先生通了电话，很幸运这个职位仍然空缺。很快我就来
到了深圳，成为这家威尼斯主题酒店的第一位意大利籍厨师。
你曾在多少个国家工作过？你最喜爱哪个国家？为什么？
除了意大利，我曾在法国进修糕点课程，在英国伦敦Michel Roux经营的Le
Gavroche餐厅工作，那时我只是一个普通的厨工。一直以来，远东地区都
让我深深着迷，于是有一天我打点行囊远赴澳大利亚墨尔本，作为意大利
美食节的客座厨师工作了一个月。在原上海威斯汀太平洋大饭店工作过两
年之后我转到台北君悦大饭店和新德里凯悦丽晶酒店工作，之后我回到意
大利经营自己的餐厅有大概一年的时间。在加入深圳威尼斯皇冠假日酒店
之前的三年半时间里，我作为行政厨师长任职于北京长城喜来登饭店。
我非常喜爱中国，在这里我一点都感觉不到乡愁，我在这里有很多好朋
友，而且我乐于结交新的朋友和认识更多的人。
你可以讲几种语言？
首先当然是意大利语了，其实我还需要再提高的，除此之外还有英语、法
语、基本的汉语和西班牙语。
你是如何最终选择做厨师这份职业的，描述一下你的职业历程。
如果你想成为一个厨师，特别希望在餐饮行业成就一番事业是需要有一定
天赋的。这让我想起我两岁时的一个小片断，当时我妈妈正在烤宽面条，
这道菜的主料是肉末番茄酱汁，但那一天她正在尝试一种不加番茄汁的新
做法，奇妙的是那居然也很美味。我特别喜欢在厨房里看她变着花样地为
我们准备不同的新式美食。每次她都警告我不要碰烤箱，但是作为一个略
带叛逆的小男孩，我最终还是因为双手烫伤被送进了医院。
做一个厨师的意义远远超出一种职业。我父亲曾说过，对于我来说，厨师
的职业更像是一个使命，因为它包含了许多精妙的元素。不仅仅是技巧，
更多的是需要耐心、耐心、再耐心……但我钟情于此，因为我觉得它可以
让我表达自己的渴望，提高我的烹饪技术并且丰富我的阅历。当然在一个
合适的时间出现在合适的地点也相当重要，这会使你大受裨益。
在你的职业生涯中最令你难以忘怀的经历是什么？
我今年才只有34岁，在我的记忆中还不曾有如此特别的时刻让我终身难
忘，过去的经历掺杂了复杂的感觉。但我想最美好的一刻应该是我第一次
被任命为五星级酒店的行政总厨，感谢酒店总经理马可汉先生和副总经理
梁昊先生为我提供这次机会。
迄今为止你的职业生涯中最大的收获是什么？
就像我刚才讲过的，被任命为一个出色的酒店的行政总厨对我来说是一个
很大的收获，更棒的是我还同时拥有一个杰出的管理团队和非常好的同事
及下属，要知道同时拥有这一切可不是一件简单的事情。而现在，现在我
的使命就是要发展和培训我的员工。
对你的同事有何专业的建议？
保持冷静！思考！研究！计划！行动！即使可能犯错，但至少你已经从中
吸取了教训。
你在闲暇时喜欢做些什么？
如果不太疲倦，我喜欢去游泳和做桑
拿，我想照顾好自己的健康是非常重
要的，因为我们还有很长的人生道路
要走。有些懒洋洋的时候，我会在房
间看一整天的新闻频道、财经新闻、
基金投资、Bloomberg频道还有国家地
理都是我钟爱的栏目。
我也很喜欢摄影，戴上我的三台相
机、地图和汉-意词典，我可以去任何
地方，就像踏上一次探险征程，没有
什么可以阻挡“我们”的去路，你是
否有过这样的感觉？有机会也尝试一
下吧，真的是很激动人心的感觉。但
是你要对可能发生的各种状况做好充
分的心理准备哦，比如说可能会睡在
车上，或许没东西吃，跳上一辆卡车
就踏上征程！
其实我也不总是这样，有时我也会很期望可以有机会与人共进浪漫晚餐。