Andrea Camastra

Andrea Camastra. The chef of the senses

SENSES restaurant is a culinary window on the world. What takes place here each day can only be called a culinary show, titled “A feast for the senses”, directed by Andrea Camastra, who with unending passion follows your senses.

This is a unique place on the culinary world map. Since May 2016, the restaurant has retained its Michelin star and is the gastronomical establishment with the highest accolades in Poland. It has also received the best result in the Gault & Millau guide for the last two years running (2018 and 2019 – 18,5 points and 4 hats). Senses is the first restaurant, in this part of Europe, to have been appreciated by the committee of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and has found its way onto the prestigious list of The Diners Club® 50 Best Discovery Series. Andrea himself was chosen as one of the 100 best Chefs in the world by „Le Chef” magazine. Senses restaurant is also the winner of many national awards and special mentions.

The restaurant’s name is far from arbitrary. During your visit your senses will be stimulated. This is the only place where you can try original taste combinations of the most exclusive products from around the world. Your sense of smell will be pampered by aromas that have been selected and extracted by Andrea, aromas you would never have expected on your plate. The use of various textures not only allows you to experience the sound of food, but also the feel of the food. All of this will be complemented by the artistic presentation on hand-made plates designed by Andrea. The perfection of the service and wines ideally paired by our sommeliers will complete the experience and, when you finish, leave you with the feeling that these were the best 3 hours you have ever spent in a restaurant.

Andrea Camastra, is an exceptional Chef! He is energetic, passionate and has an unconventional approach to cooking. Whenever he has a moment of free time, he leaves Warsaw to visit his in-laws, who live in Kolbuszowa – Podkarpackie district, because Andrea has not only fallen in love with Poland but also a Polish woman. When he visits his in-laws, Andrea loves participating in the day-to-day running of the farm. “Yesterday I was filthy and today I’m making an artistic dessert wearing a spotless apron. Now that is inspiration!” – he says. In Kolbuszowa, where our farms are located, we rear boar-pigs, fallow deer, poultry and lamb, as well as running a traditional cultivation of fruit and vegetables which, besides the best international products, form the foundation of our cuisine. One of a kind! Andrea is passionately dedicated to his job. He admits: “I work 14-16h a day, I have no idea what goes on outside!”.

It is thanks to this that in 2019 he received the honor of being named one of the 100 best chefs in the world, according to „Le Chef” magazine and the title of “Chef of The Year North England”, “Chef of the Future 2015” as well as “Chef of the Year 2017”, according to the Gault & Millau guide. Andrea’s unique talent and his boldness in breaking through convention was noticed by Hervé (the discoverer and father of molecular cuisine) who, during his visit in Poland, deemed him the ambassador of the „note-by-note” method and successor of the legendary Ferran Adria.

Andrea cooks using cutting edge culinary techniques, while simultaneously honoring tradition. As he himself says: „I grew up surrounded by Italian cuisine. That is where my love and respect for natural products came from”. He hails from Bari, the city of Queen Bona, who taught Poles culinary curiosity and the taste of new vegetables like tomatoes, aubergines and artichokes. Despite his many years of experience, Andrea has not grown complacent and is constantly eager to learn and search for something new. He is the recipient of many awards, but he is aware that the road to perfection is long. “Every chef has to start somewhere. Like a child learning to walk before it runs” – claims Andrea.