Adriano Rausa

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2025
• First Four Seasons Position: Current

Employment History

• W Rome; IT London Restaurant; IT Restaurant, Milan; Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Milan; Ristorante Oliver Glowig, Rome; La Torre del Saracino-Gennaro Esposito Chef, Vico Equense, Italy; Harrods, London

Education

• Diploma Alberghiero, Ristorazione, Istituto Alberghiero Tor Carbone; Cuoco Professionista di Cucina Italiana, Corso Superiore di Cucina Italiana, Alma – La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana

Birthplace

• Rome, Italy

Languages Spoken

• Italian, English

While the destination surrounding Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel is an inspiration all its own, Executive Chef Adriano Rausa’s drive for culinary excellence is primarily sparked by the outlets he leads. “Our aim is always to deliver the best for our guests, day by day and dish by dish.”

The dining experiences Adriano creates for Four Seasons play out at Restaurant Terrazza Danieli, a rooftop fine-dining feast for the eyes and the palate set before panoramic views of Venice and its legendary lagoon, as well as Bar Dandolo, located in the majestic lobby of the 15th-century historical palace, which offers a curated cicchetti snack menu. His role also sees him fashioning menus for in-room dining, private engagements in historic salons, and banqueting for business and social gatherings within nearly 95 square metres (1,000 square feet) of onsite event space.

Key to the dining operation Adriano leads are the many small local suppliers he works with to secure the finest ingredients. “I’m creating a classic Italian cuisine with a strong Venetian identity, enriched by my own Mediterranean touch. From my personal perspective, farmers and fishmongers are essential partners in this journey,” he says, noting the intense, hands-on study of local sources and cuisine he undertook after joining the hotel’s pre-opening team in fall 2025. “Every ingredient has its own identity, and together they create something unique.”

Roman by birth, with Sicilian roots, Adriano developed a fondness for ingredients before learning to cook with them. He has memories of his father waking him early to help plant tomatoes in the family garden. “I think I was lucky: Most people in Rome can’t grow their own vegetables.” He also recalls jokingly asking his grandmother how to whip up gnocchi with tomatoes, and her heartfelt response: “She gave me a recipe over the phone, and I was able to grasp what she was talking about. I was in high school at the time, and I made for lunch for my family. Their reaction made me want to learn more.”

Learn he did. Like many Italian chefs, Adriano’s resume is a kilometre long and, in his case, highlighted with Michelin-starred restaurants from across Italy and beyond. Among prestigious chefs who helped shape his talent and encourage his career was Oliver Glowig, with whom he interned in Rome; Gennaro Esposito, under whom he advanced from chef de cuisine in Milan to executive chef in London; and Ciccio Sultano, who reconnected Adriano’s cuisine with his Sicilian roots.

Adriano’s last stop before joining Four Seasons in Venice was as executive chef at W Rome where, with his passion for recreating Roman classics, he was hailed in the media as the city’s “hottest young chef of the moment.” Not that he chases accolades: “If someone remembers a special dish, that’s better to me than a good review, because it means I’ve given them a special moment.”

Outside of the Danieli, Adriano makes his own special moments with travel to discover other cuisines, honing his skill at photography, and running as time allows. He believes strongly that maintaining fitness is “good for the brain,” he says, “especially here in Venice. Early in the morning, when it’s just me, the fog, and the city, I feel like I’m running in a museum.”