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INTERVIEW
I left home at 17 years old . My poor mother could not get her head around why I wanted to leave . Twenty five years ago , we only had one flight into the UK once a week from Naples , South of Italy and it was so expensive to fly . Imagine , her little boy in a little town moving to London , another nation another language - I think I broke her heart .
My mother didn ’ t like my wife , the reason for this is because she thought my wife was the reason I left Italy . In the first couple of years the relationship between them wasn ' t great but then eventually everything worked out when she realised I wanted London to be my home . My mother she never really told me anything but showed me the simple way of cooking ,
When I left catering college and qualified as a chef and started to cook at home she said “ you do too much , too many ingredients ," I said to her what you are talking about . She soon told me " No , Italian cooking is about spending the least amount of time in the kitchen and the least amount of ingredients as possible . Get them fresh , let the ingredients do the job ".
Last One … Jesus . He can help with the bread and the wine , and I would like to ask him a few questions .
Gino - What ’ s New for 2022 ? Loads , we have got another five restaurants to open , a new TV show cooking with the D ' Acampos which links the book together . The Asda range is growing bigger and bigger - people are loving it . What we have created is unique . I go to Italy and I create the food over there , we cook it , we freeze it and we bring it here to the UK - no preservatives , no colour , just like we used to do in the old days when mum used to make the lasagne - we would cook fresh and freeze and then take out when we needed .
Gino ' s new restaurant is at : 360 SKY BAR , Old Hall Street Liverpool , L3 9LQ . Bookings recommended .
Who would be your dream dinner party guests ? Number 1 : This would be my Grandfather , he was the man who inspired me to cook . What a selfish man he was , I qualified in the catering college and he goes and dies . So he never got the opportunity to see me writing a book , never saw me opening a restaurant , never got to see me cook ... and that really pis * ed me off . He was the man I wanted to show off to .
Number 2 : Noel Gallagher and Number 3 : Liam Gallagher . I believe if I was in the room with them and could cook a meal for them both , I would get them back together . I never had the opportunity to see them together in concert , only separately .
Number 4 : I need a female otherwise it becomes a boy ’ s night out and I prefer girl ’ s , women are more interesting and have beautiful minds . Boys can get boring . I can ’ t invite my mother as then I would have to invite my father and you have only given me five places !
As I ’ m in Liverpool , it would have to be Cilla Black , I have a weird story about Cilla . She wanted me to go to her house to teach her how to cook . I asked her what do you want me to show you , she asked me to show her how to make Yorkshire Puddings . I said to her , " you do know I ’ m Italian ! Of all the things you want me to cook you want Yorkshire Puds ." I did make them - she was amazing . wirrallife . com 21