“I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect in Istanbul,” says Luca De Astis, looking back on his first few months as Executive Sous Chef of Aqua at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus. “But I’ve been pleasantly surprised.” Beyond the extraordinary culture, architecture and history waiting to be discovered, De Astis has been particularly impressed by the attitude of his staff. “There’s a reputation that people in this part of Europe don’t have the same get up and go. As a matter of fact, they do.”

While Aqua’s kitchen brigade proved an unexpected pleasure, there have been challenges. Chief among them was finding Four Seasons standard of quality product with consistency. “Initially, it took a bit more effort than I’d experienced back in France and Spain,” he says, counting himself pleased to have secured reliable suppliers who not only offer superb product but really enjoy their job. “That’s the most important thing.”

Then there is the dilemma of De Astis’s creativity. His last four restaurant gigs were in Barcelona, where avant-garde gastronomy is the rage. In Istanbul, he has noticed that local diners tend to stick to familiar dishes rather than try things they might deem daring or innovative. No problem: “The trick for me has been to do something new with the product I have.” For instance, De Astis has been using sous vide – the slow, low-temperature, vacuum-bag cooking method – to draw brilliant flavours out of otherwise traditional Mediterranean fare. “I’m bringing a little bit of my experience try to create new habits.”

Born and raised in Milan, De Astis recalls being inspired to pursue a culinary career while watching television. “My father and I were watching a program about a hotel chef. He asked me if I’d like to be a cook and I said, 'Yeah, why not?'” Hardly a lightening-strike moment, but he quickly got excited. “I chose cooking because I like food, and I’ve always been curious regarding the possibilities of taste through preparation.”

Before Istanbul, De Astis spent most of his career in France and Spain, mainly at Michelin-starred addresses – including a three-star in Paris. He really hit his stride in Barcelona where he practiced avant-garde culinary techniques and even ran a small catering operation, enhancing his management skills. “I like my job because this profession is constantly moving; everyday there is something new,” he says, adding that success often means keeping the cart behind the horse: “Some chefs know a lot of technique but they don’t do a good job with it. I’m careful to only use methods I’m sure about.”

As for those unadventurous Turkish palates, De Astis remains optimistic: “I don’t want to be too modern right now, but I see a lot of potential in Istanbul. Five or six years from now, someone will create a thoroughly modern kitchen here, and it’s going to be a big success.”