Cucina chef Andrea Oreste Delzanno shares his story working at Cucina for ten years at the Italian restaurant inside the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel.
Chef Andrea Oreste Delzanno at Cucina is marking 10 years working at Tsim Sha Tsui’s great Italian restaurant in 2025, serving food from one of Italy’s top gastronomic regions and his birthplace: Piedmontese in the mountainous Italian North.
The Piedmonte native has led the premier Italian dining establishment since 2015, exploring the emotions and history of his familial youth into dishes that represent his homeland and culture. To him, food has and is the connection to one’s soul and nostalgic soft spot.
Chef Andrea’s rich history and culinary background has allowed him to embark on a modernisation of classical Italian dining, an approach that has facilitated a strong connection between him and his guests. He has treated his food and guests like family over his 10-year tenure.
As Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel and Cucina mark the momentous occasion, we sat down with chef Andrea to explore how he is celebrating his 10th anniversary at the storied Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant and his unique story at one of Hong Kong’s finest trattoria.
What is your culinary story in the industry that has led you to join Cucina?
I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was 10 years old. I chose to join cooking school until I was 15 and began climbing the ranks in kitchens in Northern Italy. My career began in the hotels and the grand restaurants in the North of Italy around Lake Maggiore, enabling me to learn and experience many sections in the kitchen.
Growing up in a family with a rich connection to cooking, I was inspired to join the industry to showcase my region’s top food in Italy and globally. I take after my grandmother who taught me the classic way of cooking, following my Northern Italian culinary background.
During my time working in Italy’s top hotels, I met Michelin star chef Corrado Michelazzo who mentored me on the classic way of Italian cooking. He brought me to work in Shanghai and later Hong Kong too, where I worked at Gaia and Sabatini, where I explored traditional and classic Italian cuisine. I later joined Cucina in 2015.
As a young talented chef, when I joined Cucina ten years ago, I wanted to bring the new and creative out of old school cooking. Cucina benefits my growth because I have the freedom to create new experiences, plus the sea view and team are a cherry on top!
What are your central cooking philosophies and principles?
At Cucina, I want to bring a highlight to the classic dishes of Piedmonte, dishes that really represent myself the most: a classic style of Piedmonte dishes with modern interpretation
Because Piedmonte is located in the northern region of Italy, we are famous for cheese, wine, meats, and truffles. Popular Italian dishes from our region include vitello tonnato, tagliolini pasta, tartare, and agnolotti. I still use my grandmother’s cookbooks and grandfather’s recipes in my cooking to bring the traditional flavours to Cucina!
Working in Asia, I have explored new cooking techniques here and discovered different ingredients that I would never use in Italy, such as wasabi with meat, yuzu for desserts, and soy sauce in my sauces.
We ensure that we only use seasonal produce and the best ingredients we can find. Luckily, in Hong Kong, we are fortunate to be able to source products from across the world.
How has Cucina differentiated itself in the market as a top Italian restaurant?
Cucina is a restaurant that has everything, from a setting for quality food and dining, friendly staff, to the classic harbour view. Whilst we present ourselves in the fine-dining space, we are friendly and offer casual dining experiences.
Over ten years, we have made an effort to focus our culinary direction on Piedmont cuisine, adjusting for the palate of Hong Kong and exploring what the market actually requires. Not many Italian restaurants in Hong Kong truly explore Piedmontese cuisine.
Every quarter for dinner service, we serve seasonal menus at Cucina exploring products like truffle, asparagus, and game meats, whilst our lunch service is refreshed with a bi-monthly regional Italian menu showcasing the ingredients and recipes from different parts of the country.
As we are in Hong Kong, I cannot ignore the beauty of Cantonese and Chinese cuisine. I regularly meet with Chinese friends of ours who invite me to their home to dine and try their food.
They once prepared me a delicious Stuffed Crab Shell dish that I could not get enough of! I knew I had to offer this dish in Cucina. I was able to later serve the Baked Crab Meat in Shell, Creamy Leeks, and Black Truffle Caviar during a seasonal promotion campaign at the restaurant.
What creations and dishes of yours are most proud of that showcase Cucina’s great culinary style?
The priority for me at Cucina is to retain the taste of my traditional dishes whilst bringing in a contemporary and modern twist in the restaurant. A very traditional dish on the menu that is modernised is the Traditional Italian Vegetable Soup, Basil Pesto, which is my grandmother’s recipe, involving a lighter version in Hong Kong.
Another recipe close to my family that we modernise is the Traditional Stewed Beef Tripe, Tomato Sauce, Polenta from Lombardy which is styled in cleaner plating.
Our Mystic Tartare with Fassona Beef, Hazelnut, Black Truffle is a signature dish that represents my journey and life, using ingredients all sourced from Northern Italy. The dish is presented on a bed of smoke that reminds me of the foggy weather in Piedmonte. Additionally, the Octopus with Scallop shows off the flavours from Southern Italy with the octopus from the Mediterranean sea.
What has Cucina brought you over these 10 years?
Throughout these 10 years, I have been able to cultivate strong relationships with both the service and chef team at Cucina and our guests during my tenure at Cucina.
The restaurant and the team I work with have afforded me great freedom to innovate on my historic cuisine and express creativity with Italian food in Hong Kong. Few Italian restaurants are able to focus on Piedmont cuisine, such as here in Cucina.
My guests have inspired me throughout my decade here to grow with the restaurant and serve food that genuinely touches their hearts. This is not just a restaurant, but a home for many to soak up the friendly atmosphere, eat quality Italian food, and feel a sense of community here in Tsim Sha Tsui.
I have one Italian guest who frequently visits Cucina and praises me for creating dishes that remind him of his childhood in the north of Italy. He has recommended several original dishes for me to create that have actually made it on the menu, such as Beef Tripe, Veal Sweetbreads, and Gnocco Fritto.
With the celebrations of you marking 10 years at Cucina, what are the plans for this anniversary?
In July 2025, I am planning to launch a 10-year anniversary menu enjoyed over the one month showcasing the 10 most iconic and most loved dishes from the past decade at Cucina, such as the Black Truffle Pizza and the Fassona Beef Tartare, a classic Piedmontese dish and signature at Cucina.
We want to continue presenting the strength of Italian cooking, not just from the culinary rich region of Piedmonte, but across the country using colourful and robust ingredients.
Cucina, 6/F, Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Harbour City, 3–27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2113 0808
This feature is brought to Foodie in partnership with Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel.
