“I was born in Luino, a small town on the shore of “Lago Maggiore” the second largest lake in Italy. At the age of 13 I had a summer job working in my cousin’s restaurant as a kitchen assistant. After gaining experience in the basics of catering, I studied for two years to become a chef at “Istituto Professionale Alberghiero Erminio Maggia” in Stresa, at the time one of the best catering schools in Italy.
At the end of my studies, I went on to work in several hotels in Italy including the Grand Hotel at Gardone Riviera (lake of Garda), Savoy in Madonna di Campiglio, Regina Palace in Stresa (Lago Maggiore) and several Hotels in Switzerland at Lugano and Montreux.
In the early eighties I arrived in England mainly to learn the language, and after a few years working in different places decided to settle in Brighton, where I found a position as second chef at “Taverna Sorrento”. After which I divided my time between England and Italy, until in 1986 I was offered the opportunity to become head chef of a new restaurant in Hove called Topolino.
I then moved on to work at Pinocchio in Brighton subsequently to Donatello a restaurant in The Lanes Brighton, where I stayed until 2001 when we opened Pomodoro e Mozzarella.”
