Aroma

The story

Aroma Vaassen – Italian Fine Dining by Chef Pasquale Carfora, Michelin Recommended in Apeldoorn

A final chapter for Italian fine dining on the Veluwe

Restaurant Aroma, housed in the same monumental building where De Leest once earned three Michelin stars, will close its doors in May 2026. Chef Pasquale Carfora and his wife Elisa Leune have decided to end on a high note, after four and a half years of cooking with "love and precision." The current menu, Atto 19, is a personal retrospective: nineteen scenes drawn from memories and tastes of five years of Aroma.

Carfora, originally an engineer from Sabaudia, Italy, brings a distinctive approach to Italian fine dining. His cooking marries his Italian roots with the best of Dutch seasonal produce, a philosophy aligned with the Slow Food movement. He sources organic San Marzano tomatoes from small farms in Campania and artisan Parmigiano-Reggiano from a 400-year-old cooperative. The kitchen’s dedication to "good, clean, and fair" food has earned it a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026, as well as recognition from JRE, Euro-Toques, and Gault&Millau.

The atmosphere is elegant yet warm, driven by Carfora’s calm, precise hand. Dishes like a frozen Aperol Spritz marshmallow with a "virtual olive" of liquid chocolate and Gaeta olives show his playful side. The restaurant is open for dinner and lunch, with a focus on tasting menus and wine pairings.

Aroma has been a gathering place for notable guest chefs, including Michelin-starred Flavio Costa from Piedmont. But now, the final service approaches. Carfora invites guests to experience his most personal menu yet, one that reflects the journey of a restaurant that chose to close at its peak.