All the best restaurants in the world talk about the importance of finding the very best ingredients available. Few restaurants have gone further in the eternal pursuit of the ultimate ingredients than Don Alfonso 1890.

The long Don Alfonso history spans all the way back to 1869 when Alfonso Costanzo Iaccarino was born and after several jobs did he, 21 years old, start up a restaurant with a German named Brandmeier at the Sorrento Peninsula. Alfonso Iaccarino today is the Grand Chef of Don Alfonso 1890 and the grandson of Alfonso Costanzo Iaccarino, and he married Livia back in 1969 and 1980 they started to focus 100 percent on the Don Alfonso 1890 restaurant. In 1999 Alfonso’s and Livia’s two sons joined the restaurant – Ernesto who today is the Head Chef and Mario who is the Restaurant Manager.

All four family members still work every day at the restaurant and with their new hotel and they own the restaurant together. Since 1999 the family also run a separate company called Don Alfonso Consulting & Distribution for consultancies within the restaurant trade and the distribution of their local produce. La Mamounia’s Italian restaurant in Marrakech, which you can read about at wbpstars.com as well, is one example of the restaurants with support and consultancy from Don Alfonso Consulting & Distribution.

In 1990 the family bought a farm called Le Peracciole nearby Punta Campanella so that the restaurant could get its own produce of ingredients. Today Don Alfonso 1890 serves most of the ingredients from its organic farm and it is not just vegetables and herbs, it is poultry and honey as well to mention a couple of examples.

The concept is working brilliant and today many restaurants try or are doing similar, but back in 1990 very few had any sort of organic thinking compared to what they have today. And very few can today match the volume and richness of produce that is delivered from Le Peracciole. The flavours of the vegetables and the natural herbs are something all food lovers must try out at least once in a lifetime.

Don Alfonso 1890 is located in picturesque Sant’ Agata not far from Sorrento in the Italian Campania region and is a must visit for anyone travelling in the beautiful region. Food lovers and everyone the least interested in fine dining should definitely make a reservation at Don Alfonso 1890.

Gastronomy

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Written by Andy