Park Hyatt Milan Chef Takes Ten-Day Residency at Alila Maldives Resort

Pellico 3's head chef, Joshua Acquaviva, will leave Park Hyatt Milan for ten days in late October 2026 to cook at Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, a 80-plus-key resort in Raa Atoll. The residency runs 25 October to 3 November 2026 at Pibati Sul Mare, the resort's beachside Italian restaurant. Pizza sessions cap at eight guests. That number tells you the business model: scarcity sold as intimacy.

Who is the chef?

Acquaviva is 30, Naples-born, and rose fast. He joined Pellico 3 at Park Hyatt Milan in 2022 as Chef de Partie (a station chef) and made head chef within two years. His CV includes VistaMare at Hotel Il Fogliano, where he worked while the restaurant earned its first Michelin star; two-starred Kresios in Telese; and four years as Sous Chef at Il Faro di Capo d'Orso on the Amalfi Coast. Pasta and pizza, he says, are not merely staples but expressions of technique, memory and generosity.

"Naples has shaped the way I understand food from the very beginning," Acquaviva said. "What excites me about coming to Kothaifaru is the opportunity to share those traditions in a completely different setting."

What does the residency involve?

The published schedule is concrete:

• Pizza Masterclass — 28 October, 4:30–5:30 PM, limited to eight participants at Pibati's counter, with staggered sessions if demand requires.
• Mare & Sapori — a three-course lunch, 29 October, 12:00–3:00 PM, included for guests on Full Board and All-Inclusive meal plans.
• Pasta Masterclass — 30 October, 4:30–5:30 PM.
• Where Milano Meets Maldives — a four-course dinner with Acquaviva, 31 October, 6:30–9:00 PM.

The resort recommends advance reservations. Menu and sessions remain subject to availability.

How does the menu adapt to the island?

This is not a Milanese transplant. The residency leans on produce and herbs grown on Kothaifaru itself, pairing Italian technique with island-grown inputs rather than flown-in replication. Executive Chef Frank Wackerhagen frames the economics plainly: start with essentials — well-rested dough, hand-made pasta, patiently developed sauces — then let the island's herbs and produce carry the difference.

"Joshua and I share a respect for cooking that is clear, disciplined and rooted in strong foundations," Wackerhagen said. "This residency gives them the opportunity to work closely with Joshua, exchange ideas and build on their craft together."

Pibati Sul Mare takes its name from the Sanskrit "Pibati", meaning to drink or absorb. Its regular menu already centers on artisanal pizzas and handcrafted pastas with island-inspired flavors, so Acquaviva's specialty maps directly onto existing kitchen infrastructure.

What is the operator's play?

Alila frames the residency as experience-driven luxury rather than formal gastronomy. General Manager Thomas Weber was explicit about the positioning: "Welcoming Joshua to Kothaifaru is not about moving one restaurant into another," Weber said. "That intimacy, rather than formality, is central to our idea of luxury at Alila."

Both properties sit inside the Hyatt system — Park Hyatt in the Luxury Portfolio, Alila likewise — so the residency keeps the guest-facing spend, and presumably the loyalty engagement, inside World of Hyatt, the program's 54-million-member base included.

The resort itself holds 41 beachfront villas, 36 overwater villas, three two-bedroom beach villas and the Boduge Residence, all with private pools. It sits near Hanifaru Bay, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and the world's largest feeding and breeding hotspot for manta rays and whale sharks.

For Acquaviva, the ten days close a circle: a Neapolitan cook returning to pizza and pasta, the two formats that built his career, now priced into a Maldivian luxury setting. Bookings open through alilahotels.com.