Salvatore Cossu

When did you come and live in Phuket?
I came here 22 years ago from my native Sardinia, in Italy after living in The Hague, the capital of Holland, for four or five years where I opened an Italian restaurant, Costa Smeralda, and a pizza/takeaway. Previously I’d undertaken a hotel management course at the Hotel St Michel for three years in Lausanne, Switzerland, before going to Holland. I visited Thailand four or five times on holiday before deciding to come and live in Phuket. I liked the place.

When did you decide to become a chef and open your own restaurant?
About 38 years ago while working in Holland I decided I liked the job of being a chef. When I came to Phuket I opened three restaurants in Patong: Marco Polo in 1990, my first Cassanova in 1991 and the second Cassanova in 1995. Ten years ago I opened Salvatore’s Restaurant in Phuket Town.

What changes in the business environment on Phuket have you noticed?
The last year business was down by around 25 percent but I’m optimistic that this year and next year will be better. Seventy percent of my customers are Thais and around 30 percent a mixture of locals and tourists. Thai customers have become more open over the years. They trust me and will ask me to choose one of the five set menus we offer each day.

What other trends have you noticed?
In the last 10 years I’ve noticed that Thai customers now almost always order wine rather than whisky or beer; they like the expensive wines which suit us as we stock mainly Italian and French wines. Their favourite dishes are seafood and New Zealand lamb. I must be careful as Thai customers are very particular about everything being very fresh.

Why do you think Salvatore’s Restaurant has been successful?
Hard work. I do everything myself. I go to the market every day to buy fish and meat and my wife and I buy all the vegetables and other ingredients ourselves.

What is your favourite dish?
I like a simple dish of spaghetti, fresh tomatoes and basil with some olive oil. I cook only with olive oil. No butter. Many of my dishes come from my 80-year-old mother’s recipes. I go home to Sardinia every year to see her and my two brothers and three sisters and bring back some of her recipes to serve in the restaurant. The recipes have a lot of fish, vegetables and also some specialist Sardinian dishes such as sardines, pork, rabbit and duck.