He actually wanted to be a florist or a hairdresser but, fortunately, soon decided he would rather cook and be a pastry chef. The 34-year-old German Italian, who has been crowned "Pastry Chef of the Year" multiple times, is responsible for desserts at THE EPICURE. Born and raised in Hesse, D’Andrea began an apprenticeship with Karlheinz Hauser at the Süllberg in Hamburg after finishing school in 2006. In 2010, D’Andrea’s talent took him to Joachim Wissler at Restaurant Vendôme, where he expanded his pastry skills. Back in Hamburg, D’Andrea shone out as the Executive Pastry Chef at the two-Michelin-starred Süllberg restaurant and joined the luxury hotel The Fontenay in 2017 as its Executive Pastry Chef, where he helped the Lakeside gourmet restaurant gain a Michelin star in his first year there and a second Michelin star since 2023. With a family background in the fruit and vegetable trade and an Italian-German heritage, D’Andrea’s cuisine is characterised by creativity, modernity and the use of seasonal products. His passion for complex textures and temperatures is reflected in his signature dessert The Ring.