Author: Renee Morrison

Moving from Michelin-starred menus to home cooking comes easily to Cassar because it brings him back to where it all started. “My grandma was a good cook, so she used to make handmade pasta at home and lovely soups,” he says. “For me, cooking is tied to family and home.”

He also points to festa, an annual religious celebration that takes place in villages across Malta, as a major culinary influence: “During this time, there’s always plenty of traditional Maltese food,” he says. 

At Fernandõ, Cassar showcases those roots with a global edge. He was promoted from sous-chef to head chef in 2024 and, under his leadership, the Michelin-starred restaurant has continued to sharpen its emphasis on ingredient-driven cooking. Cassar blends Maltese flavours with Japanese influences from his family background, layering in the French technique he picked up during his early culinary training in Paris. 

“I trained in Paris when I was really young,” he says. “It was very difficult—very toxic at times—but looking back, it has formed me and given me a lot.”

These experiences shaped not only his cooking but also his outlook. “I’ve found a way to put my ego to the side as much as I can and really focus on how to bring to the table what the clients want and what makes them happy,” he says. 

Seafood is central to that approach. “I’m proud of my country, so I want people who are travelling here to taste what Malta has to offer,” he says. “And our biggest culinary asset is our fish and our seafood.”

Wild-caught fish with capers, preserved Maltese lemon, leeks and Japanese kombu is one of his signature dishes, bringing Maltese and Japanese influences together on the plate.

Despite his fine-dining pedigree, Cassar keeps his holiday cooking classic. “I usually cook for my family and friends,” he says. “I like to start off with some nice seafood, octopus salad and some appetizers with lots of olive oil and lemon, and then go into a roast.” 

The main course rotates from turkey to guinea fowl to lamb, depending on who’s around the table that year. “It’s my culinary background—I just like to mix it up,” he says. Malta’s British colonial past is still reflected in the holiday meal, where a Sunday-style roast remains a fixture.

One of Cassar’s favourite holiday customs in Malta is also one that’s slowly fading: families bringing their prepared roasts to the village baker to cook. “The bakers have the ovens running, so people from the village bring their meat and potatoes and vegetables on Christmas and the baker cooks it for them,” he says. “It’s being done less and less as life becomes more fast-paced, but it’s still part of Maltese culture.”

His advice for home cooks this season echoes the philosophy behind his own holiday table. “Do something as straightforward and as simple as possible,” he says. “For the holidays, it’s about family, about the environment you’re in and about cooking something that’s comforting and nourishing.”