New chef at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai

Set to open this month in the Damac Hills development, Fernando Galbiati will lead the kitchen at Trump International’s Fifth Avenue restaurant.

The Clubhouse’s fine dining venue will serve classic Italian fare and aims to draw from a 1920s Manhattan aesthetic. A carefully selected wine and cocktail menu complements the cuisine and the members lounge will be open to the general public during the evening.

Having grown up in the small town of Seregno, near Lake Como, Galbiati’s roots were planted from a young age for a future career as a chef. Home-grown, seasonal produce and farm-to-table living were part of the culture and daily life and he grew up watching and helping his mother as she prepared every dish from scratch.

Galbiati attended private chef school at Collegio Ballerini and underwent five years of technical training in the US before returning to Italy to earn his culinary stripes at Madonna di Campiglio, Portofino and Lake Garda.

In London Galbiati worked for Pierre Gagnaire at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Sketch and after a stint as sous chef at three AA-rosette restaurant Clos Maggiore, he moved to Dubai in 2012 to begin a role as sous chef at the Cavalli Club before quickly progressing to head chef at Bice Restaurant at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Beach. Another move took him to the kitchen at Social by Heinz Beck at The Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah. During this time he spent time in Rome, working at Heinz Beck’s three Michelin-starred restaurant, La Pergola.

With this week’s opening, Galbiati will set out to deliver inventive yet approachable cuisine, placing him as an up-and-coming chef to watch in the region.