Introducing Agli Amici Dopolavoro at JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, part of Marriott International, has reopened its gourmet restaurant, Dopolavoro, under the new direction of Emanuele and Michela Scarello of “Agli Amici 1887” restaurant in Udine which was awarded 2 stars in the Michelin Guide Italy 2023.

Led by a cuisine philosophy deeply connected to what the island and the lagoon have to offer, the restaurant – renamed “Agli Amici Dopolavoro” – opened its doors to guests this month.

Agli Amici Dopolavoro joins the Scarello family’s restaurants Agli Amici in Udine Italy, and Agli Amici Rovigno in Rovinj, Croatia, with the family motto ‘oggi è il gran giorno’ – meaning today is the big day – that has underpinned the Scarello family’s hospitality philosophy for over 135 years. Its meaning ‘preparing for each lunch and dinner well in advance, to welcome guests as if each time was a special occasion, to be celebrated, in order to make guests feel at home, offering them an unforgettable experience’ is at the heart of everything they do.

Cristiano Cabutti, General Manager of JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa commented: “We are extremely proud and happy to welcome Chef Emanuele Scarello and his sister and great sommelier, Michela, to our Resort, at the glorious Dopolavoro restaurant.

“This is a further step in establishing JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa as a leading destination in the Venetian culinary scene. The collaboration with ‘Agli Amici’ presents a unique opportunity to explore new gastronomic territories with products coming directly from our garden and lagoon, and create exceptional moments that leave a lasting impression.

“We are thrilled to work together with Emanuele and Michela to offer an extraordinary, localised experience to our customers and look forward to discovering their dishes and experiencing new flavours together.”

With a dedicated entrance accessed only via boat through a private dock and surrounded by the lush greenery of the island, Agli Amici Dopolavoro champions economic and biologic sustainability. Its locally sourced seasonal menu is impossible to replicate given its strong connection with the private island of Isola delle Rose on which the restaurant and hotel is located.

Chef Scarello has created two tasting menus inspired by Venice and the lagoon’s unique features. The Isola delle Rose and its breezes generate a mild beneficial climate that enables the island to grow a wealth of plants that cannot be found anywhere else in Venice. These include a magnificent olive grove which produces the island’s olive oil and is served at the tables of the resort’s restaurants.

The two menus are focused on vegetarian and pescetarian options, with only one meat dish. Fish is locally and sustainably sourced, and the seasonality of all produce is a priority.

Chef Emanuele Scarello said: “Venice and its lagoon form an incredible whole, the result of a dynamic process where the work of man and the natural ecosystem blend seamlessly, influencing each other. This process is reflected in a stratification of knowledge and traditions that we want to showcase in our cuisine, inspired by exquisitely indigenous products that are closely linked to the environment that welcomes us. We will offer an experience that fully expresses the uniqueness of the Venetian lagoon for our guests.”

Emanuele Scarello, born in 1970, is passionate about the sea as well as cooking, and grew up in the restaurant that belonged to his family for generations: a Friulian hospitality story for over 135 years. The pleasure of sharing knowledge has allowed him to imprint a unique and personal character to his cuisine, made of local ingredients and contemporary taste. Together, Emanuele and Michela Scarello, a sommelier and restaurant host with a passion for championing small winemakers and forgotten vines in the area, have been running the kitchen, reception, service, and wine cellar of “Agli Amici” in Godia for almost 20 years, to which they added “Agli Amici Rovigno” in June 2021 and now “Agli Amici Dopolavoro” at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa.

The article Introducing Agli Amici Dopolavoro at JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.