JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa reopens its gourmet restaurant Dopolavoro under the direction of Emanuele and Michela Scarello, who own the Udine restaurant Agli Amici, awarded two stars in the Michelin Guide Italy 2023.

Led by a cuisine philosophy connected to what the island and the lagoon offer, the restaurant is now named Agli Amici Dopolavoro, offering a sophisticated atmosphere with architectural details dating back to the 1920s. The restaurant opens today, April 6, 2023, joining the Scarello family´s restaurants in Godia (Udine), the above-mentioned Agli Amici, and Agli Amici in Rovinj (Istria, Croatia). The Scarello family’s hospitality philosophy is ‘today is the day’, meaning preparing for each lunch and dinner well in advance to welcome guests as if each time was a special occasion to be celebrated.

“We are extremely proud and happy to welcome to our chef Emanuele Scarello and his sister and great sommelier, Michela,” said Cristiano Cabutti, general manager of the hotel. He added that this would further establish the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa as an attractive destination in the Venetian culinary scene.

Agli Amici Dopolavoro has dedicated access via boat through a private dock, surrounded by the island’s greenery. Chef Scarello proposes two tasting menus built around Venice’s and the lagoon’s specific features. These two menus are dedicated to the vegetable garden and the lagoon, with an offering intensely focused on vegetarian and pescetarian options, with one only meat dish. All the fish served won’t be sourced from fish farmings, so the seasonality of the products available can be prioritised to be constantly in touch with the local area.

The Isola delle Rose, thanks to its strategic position between the lagoon and the sea and the breezes that generate a mild and beneficial climate, boasts a wealth of plants that cannot be found anywhere else in Venice. These include an olive grove with a hundred plants from which the island´s olive oil is produced and served at the tables of the resort´s restaurant. “Agli Amici Dopolavoro is a small restaurant with a large vegetable garden in the Venice lagoon,” said chef Emanuele Scarello. He intends to offer an experience that fully expresses the “uniqueness of the Venetian lagoon”.

Emanuele Scarello, born in 1970, is passionate about the sea and cooking, and grew up in the restaurant that belonged to his family for generations. His sister, Michela Scarello, is well-known as a sommelier passionate about minor winemakers and forgotten vines in the area.

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa opened in 2015 with 266 rooms and suites, four restaurants – including Agli Amici Dopolavoro – offering international and local cuisine, and four bars.