Claudia Barrovecchio

You are on the team for a reason: your voice and perspective always matter.

I moved to the Cayman Islands when I was 20. I didn’t speak English at all, and I didn’t know anything about food, products or desserts that weren’t Italian. I learned a lot there and that experience opened the doors to everything that came after.

Even though I started very young, there was never a “realization” moment for me, but rather a constant feeling that when I was in the kitchen, I was in the right spot. That feeling has stayed with me throughout my years in the kitchen. The better I got, the more I wanted to learn, which led me to spending even more time in the kitchen. It was a cycle and I loved it.

But I feel good about this -- we have some big goals at Fiola and as a company that I am excited to tackle -- balance will come soon.

It is very important for me to celebrate their wins and acknowledge a job well done.

In our business there is nothing more important than making our guests happy and being able to make people happy is what keeps my culinary wheel running.

The idea is to transmit our passion, our roots and our feelings to our guests using food as the channel of transmission. I find my inspiration in everyday things. One of the elements that inspires me the most is my homeland of Italy.

I succeed and I fail. Everything helps.

“On Food and Cooking” is a must-have for a chef.

A positive mindset and a strong sense of leadership are fundamentals I can’t do without. I look for professionals with the sparkle in their eyes, I look for those people who are willing to learn and be part of a team, I look for good listeners with genuine passion for what they do and with a strong business sense.

Creativity and resilience are also a must for a Chef.

We invest a lot of money and time in training so that employees don’t feel stuck in their jobs and have the opportunity to grow internally if they wish.

I support them, I encourage feedback, and I always do my best to lead by example. In our kitchens we foster a working environment where everyone can feel comfortable to share their opinions and their goals; and together we work on how to achieve them.