Considering a career in the world of luxury gourmet travel? From a ‘salt sommelier’ in Rome to a ‘truffier’ in Provence to a fruit bowl arranger extraordinaire, here’s five of the quirkiest careers in luxury gourmet travel
1 Salt sommelier
Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Italy
You know you’ve made it once you’ve dined at chef Heinz Beck’s three-Michelin star restaurant, La Pergola at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts’ Rome Cavalieri but it’s not just Heinz attracting all the attention here. La Pergola has its own salt sommelier, who has been specially trained in the art of salt… that’s right, it’s not just a choice of rock or ground. At La Pergola you can choose between no fewer than 16 salts from around the world, utilising the expert advice of your super smart salt sommelier. So if you know the difference between Sale Vichingo (smoked) salt from Norway and red salt from Hawaii, a career in luxury salt could be for you!
2 A fruit bowl arranger extraordinaire
Closer to home in London’s luxurious Dukes Hotel the focus shifts to fruit. In the lobby hotel guests can admire Dukes’s ‘fruit bowl sommelier’ Roberto De Vivo’s impressive and arty fruit bowl arrangements. His fruit bowl arrangements can include snake fruit, African cucumber, golden kiwi and Mangosteen. Could you give Roberto a run for his money in the fruit bowl stakes?
3 A fondue sommelier
Bramble Ski, Verbier, Switzerland
A salt sommelier when in Rome, a fruit bowl sommelier in London town and now a fondue sommelier where else but Switzerland? Bramble Ski’s cheese expert Christophe Deslarzes is a local farmer and artisan, born and bred in Verbier and his creations are far from cheesy… Do you know your Raclette AOP from Canton of Valais from your Bagnes 25, that’s hyper-local to the little valley that Verbier sits in? Could Christophe’s creations inspire your next career move?
4 A truffier
Crillon Le Brave, Provence, France
Crillon Le Brave, a luxury hotel in Provence, boasts its very own in-house ‘truffier’. Eric Jaumard has been working with the boutique hotel for 15 years. Eric hosts Crillon le Brave’s local truffle hunting weekends (bi-annually, in both English and French) and also works hand in hand with the hotel’s head chef, Jerome Blanchet, to ensure the hotel is using Provence’s finest truffles in their dishes, such as one of Jerome’s hearty signature dishes, a truffle omelette. Eric sources all his truffles locally with his trusted and trained truffle-hunting dog. Do you have truffle skills up your sleeve? Nice work if you can get it!
5 Salt & Olive Oil Guru
Anantara Phuket Layan, Thailand
At Anantara Phuket Layan a fragrant bouquet, golden colour and smooth texture don’t always refer to wine, with more than 100 extra virgin olive oils and gourmet balsamic vinegars to choose from. Oh and at least 17 varieties of salt too. If you’re wondering how to choose, don’t fret, you’ll find invaluable salt and olive oil gurus at this Thailand resort. There’s a ‘wine guru’ too, with a balanced and diverse wine collection offering guests a tantalising journey through the vineyards of the world, including the best of Thailand.
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