PAPAGAYO, COSTA RICA – February 2018: El Mangroove, Autograph Collection, announces the appointment of Nicolás Di Paolo as Executive Chef at the 85-suite boutique beachfront property, located on 17 acres of virgin mangrove forest in Costa Rica’s coveted Gulf of Papagayo.
As Executive Chef at El Mangroove, Di Paolo will be responsible for overseeing daily food and beverage operations, menu conceptualization, managing back-of-house operations, and implementing new culinary programming and F&B concepts for both of the resort’s on-site restaurants, Matiss and Makoko, in addition to a new restaurant concept slated to open in late 2018.
Di Paolo’s passion for food and cooking developed at a young age when his grandparents owned an Italian restaurant in Buenos Aires. It was here that the budding culinary talent learned his first recipes. Passed down through generations, his initial curiosity in the culinary industry was sparked.
Today, Di Paolo brings more than 15 years of top-level experience to El Mangroove, having worked at four Michelin star restaurants throughout his career, including El Bulli in Barcelona and El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, both of which have 3 Michelin Stars. With Di Paolo as Chef de Partie, El Celler de Can Roca also earned the prestigious title of Best Restaurant in the World by the industry’s World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2015. In 2011, he graduated from Escuela de Cocina Bellart in Barcelona with a postgraduate degree in cooking and professional pastry making. He went on to teach culinary classes at the school in 2016.
Most recently, Di Paolo was executive chef at the newly opened Mr. Robinson in Barcelona, where he developed a seasonal monthly menu, oversaw employee management and training, managed budgeting, and worked to ensure overall food quality and customer satisfaction.
“It’s easy to be inspired by our natural surroundings here in Costa Rica,” said Di Paolo. “I’m looking forward to using my local resources to develop innovative menus and interactive, engaging dining experiences that will offer more elevated, experiential and memorable meals for our guests at El Mangroove.”
