Antonio Carluccio
There’s a certain turn of phrase and a relaxed, humorous expressiveness that results from a culinary career which has spanned nearly 50 years. And Antonio Carluccio has it down to a tee e strolls into the Garrick Street branch without a care in the world, turning down the offer of a ‘more comfortable’ table and various other trimmings the staff throw his way. While many in his position might obsessively scan for dust, eyeball the waiters, and demand constant attention, he is quite happy to settle down with an espresso and squeeze himself around a modest table near the doorway. Perhaps the confidence gained while perfecting the Carluccio’s chain has left him with this carefree attitude, or perhaps it’s the fact that his diary is the size of War and Peace and clearly has more pressing matters inside... As he puts down this massive book of arrangements and appointments he lets out a sigh, which rings with both relief and excitement, “they want me to go to the Commons” he states, “this afternoon”. His face lights up, and a joke about being a commoner floods into his head and out of his mouth. It’s moments like this where Antonio Carluccio’s charm really shines. Given the opportunity to boast, he chooses humour instead, and although there’s clearly an abundance of stories waiting patiently to come to life, there’s even more jokes and anecdotes bubbling away on the surface, like fizzy aperitifs before the all important main course. When he does begin to explain the reason behind the invite, it becomes clear that the main course really is as meaty as you would expect. His invite comes as a result of the work he does for the Warrior Programme, a
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charity designed to rehabilitate ex-servicemen and help them build a new life after going through extremely mentally challenging times. He works with those affected face-toface, helping them build new skills by teaching them how to cook. It’s a hands-on experience which he seems to take great pleasure in being part of, and as he retells some of the truly horrific stories he’s heard, it’s clear that to some of these people he’s probably much more than just a chef. Diary now well aside, we begin to talk about food. And again, Antonio’s eyes light up
distinct you will find a restaurant based on just that”. And while you don’t really find that level of specificity in London, it’s clear that there’s an element of this thinking to Carluccio’s. The idea was to present original dishes in their simplest, most traditional and most flavoursome form, with good ingredients being the backbone – which is shown in the fact that the shops, selling imported Italian ingredients, came eight years before the first restaurant ever made its mark. And this will continue to be the future for Carluccio’s, more shops and more expansion, but with the same fine ingredients at reasonable prices. It’s a philosophy he doesn’t want to see diluted and one which has weathered the recession better than others. And even though Carluccio has now taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the restaurants, he is still well aware how important it is to keep this philosophy going and that his name is a symbol which is firmly embedded into the company: “I never diluted my name” he says, “because I know how to divide silk from wool”. And while we’re left mulling over exactly what that means his face lights up again, “Two men walk into a bar...”
“Italians created food for a British stereotype” as if he is just about to tell another joke. He doesn’t, but as he draws his memory back to when he first came to London in ‘75, the picture he paints of Italian food is just as amusing. “Italians created food for a British stereotype” he laughs, “all cannelloni and pasta... and this spaghetti Bolognese, which you just don’t see in Italy. It was lower level”, he sighs, “the fish and chips at the time were good but even the French food was cooked by Italian chefs”. It’s a memory which he leaves well in the past but one which has clearly shaped him as a chef and helped develop his humour, which comes out once again when he announces: “Mof mof!... it’s about mof mof and I’ve being saying it for years – minimum of fuss, maximum of flavour – mof mof”. As a man who clearly practises what he preaches, he explains patiently exactly how ‘minimum of fuss, maximum of flavour’ influences his food and the Carluccio’s chain. It seems to be all about the basics, the foundations, “original is the best” he proudly announces, “every cuisine, no matter what it is has to have good ingredients, and must work on the original. Italian food can’t be modern. It can be revisited, retouched, made with good ingredients, yes, but it can’t be modern. In Rome, Neapolitan cuisine is so
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