Report Example: Chef Gennaro Contlado

Introduction

Gennaro Contaldo is an Italian chef born who was born in the year 1949 on 20th January. He is widely known as a prolific restaurateur. Gennaro Contaldo is also famous for his affiliation to Oliver Jamie, his confidant and relations with Italian renown chef Carluccio Antonio apart from Television series called Two Greedy Italians that airs on BBC. The research dwells on the life of Gennaro Contaldo, as of pioneers in the hotel industry in Italy and spread to other parts of the world and is now known for what he performs (Dennis 2017).

Contaldo was a familiar individual in British food and restaurant because of the cookery books that he produced and several television appearances. Contaldo had a significant career that allowed him to meet other influential people in the food and restaurant sector (Jamie and Gennaro make best tiramisu, 2010). Contaldo gets remembered for having catered for Prince Charles in the UK.

Contaldo wrote at least 22 books and became a starring the several television programs. The famous chef became famous for their two TV programs aired on BBC2 and other stations. The main TV programs that Contaldo featured include Two Greedy Italians and Italian Feast (Gennaro 2015).

Contaldo was born in a family of five other children and grew in the northern Italian region. It is remembered that Contaldo once worked as a journalist before leaving Turin for Vienna. From Vienna, Contaldo went to Germany and eventually landed in London where he became a wine merchant. It is that time where he started devoting himself to restaurants, and particularly, chef.

Early life

Gennaro Contaldo was brought up in Minori, which is a small village located on Amalfi Coast. It is then where he found pleasure in food which was established as he hunted alongside the father and the grandfather. Carluccio and Contaldo, (2012, p.32) argued that Contaldo also collected herbs for the mother, which gave him an opportunity to know about different plants and spices. From eight years old, Contaldo started working at local restaurants near their home.

Career

He married in the year 1974 after leaving Italy in 1969 and got three kids. Contaldo got another two kids with another wife, after separating from the first wife. Initially, he generated an Italian antique business, after which he specialized in cooking. Carluccio and Contaldo, (2012, p.34). In England, Contaldo was quite inspired to cook because of the widespread existence of fungi and game, which are essential elements in Amalfitan cuisine. Contaldo expressed a significant love for hunted food, like the mushrooms (Whiting 2017). He learned about the wild food during his early days when he went hunting with the father and the grandfather.

Contaldo would later join London restaurants located in St Johns Wood. He also worked at Antonio Carluccios Neal Street before leaving the place in 1998. It would be a year later when Contaldo opens a restaurant called Passione restaurant, located in London. The Passione restaurant got awarded the as the quite remarkable Restaurant of Italy in 2005 under the categories of the Pepe Restaurant Awards named after Tio. The recession that hit the entire world in 2009 forced Passione restaurant to close because business was quite low.

Earlier in 2003, April, Contaldo printed a cookbook called Passione that he explained different Amalfitan cooking techniques. The cookbook won as the best Italian Cusine Book in the year 2003. Carluccio and Contaldo, (2012, p.37) Contaldo published the second book in 2006, called Gennaros Italian Year. Contaldo published the third book in 2008 called Gennaros Home Cooking printed in 2008. The latest edition by Contaldo got published in 2016 called, Panetteria: Gennaros Easy Italian.

Contaldos friendship with Oliver became vital as he mentored him back in the 1990s. Contaldo and James maintained a personal relationship since then, has contributed significantly to their professional success. Contaldo and Lowe, (2005, p.82) illustrated that Oliver had once pledged to any information that led to the arrest of burglars that broke into Contaldos Passione restaurant in 2003. Contaldo also features in several Oliver Jamies television shows like the Naked Chef. Contaldo made an additional attendance as one of the chefs in Olivers Food Networks.

Apart from developing menus and training chefs on behalf of Oliver Jamie, they managed to develop and expand their UK eatery chain. The duo toured Italy which got aired in a TV series in four parts of the Two Greedy Italians. Another series followed in 2012 called, The Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry (Gennaro cooks up top Italian tips, 2016).

Contaldo appeared in television shows that related with cooking appearance. He made an impressive record for preparing a three-egg Omelette in sixteen seconds in BBC 1s Saturday morning kitchen show. Contaldo entered the world Guinness World Record in 2014 for the making the enormous number of ravioli prepared in the shortest time of two minutes. Contaldo founded a YouTube network in 2010 where he often uploads his latest videos. In the FoodTube channel founded by Oliver, Contlado makes special appearances as a guest chef quite often. He has since been porpular on his YouTube channel due to an extensive following.

Contaldo set up a grocery close to his Neal Streat Restaurant in the year 1991. According to Contaldo and Lowe, (2005, p.46), he operated the place until 1998 when opened the first Carluccios cafe. The cafe is presently visited by royal families in the United Kingdom. The cafe gives customers a wide range of Italian foods and wines.

Contaldos food chains have since grown in the UK, and they presently operated over 80 locations. Contaldo and Lowe, (2005, p.92) revealed that even though he distanced himself from the restaurant from the year 2005, but he still had a voice in the manner certain things got performed. He loved cooking and did it from the heart, which is probably why people liked his food because to him it was an art.

The Italian government appointed Contaldo a Commendatore in 1998, which is the same as British Knighthood. The Queen granted Contaldo an OBE in 2007, thanks to the commitment and services that he rendered to catering and hotel fraternity. Whiting (2017, p.24) posit that Contaldo got awarded an AA Hospitality Lifetime Achievement in the year 2012. The award was unique because it was awarded to individuals that made prolific contributions to their sectors like the hotel and catering department.

Contaldo was a jovial person on TV and even when cooking, but it is reported that he suffered depression in his later stages of life. Contaldo had attempted to end his life in 2008, after which he started going for therapy at London Psychiatric Hospital. His depression worsened after the closure of the London based Neal Street restaurant business (Spotlight on, 2011). His marriage got into problems when he broke up with his wife they had lived for 28 years, Pricilla. In fact, Contaldo got married thrice in his entire life, which illustrates that he could have undergone severe depression.

Contaldos motto was minimum of fuss, maximum of flavor. Many people got interested in his cooking ideas. Contaldo acknowledged receiving hundreds of letters from elderly women and men intending to improve their cooking skills. Whiting (2017, p.24) argued that Contaldo prepared quality food, whose delicacy made his name spread to the entire UK. Contaldo was a friendly and relaxed person, and he replied the elderly that they could improve their cooking skills, even if they lived on a low budget. He expressed that one needed not to worry about budget when improving the quality of food because condition improved even on a small budget.

Since Contaldo met his protege, Jamie Olive his fame seemed eclipsed but he cooked simple and delicious food. Jamie played a significant role in his making, which puts him indispensable to his ultimate success. Whiting (2017, p.30) argued that Contaldo set up his first restaurant, Passione which grew and developed its success level. Contaldos hotel focused on four aspects of the cooking that include seasonal cooking, unpretentious feeling, simplicity and talent in cooking. Contaldos hotel changed the menu on a daily basis but maintained a procession of special food.

Contaldo started interacting with food at a tender age because he went hunting and worked in a restaurant. He knew about chicken, eggs, mushrooms that he found at the mountain and fish from the sea (Lacey 2012). Working for local hotels at an early age made a prolific contributor to his career. He did enter the cooking sector by surprise, but it started because of early life. Before he passed on, he used to train chefs, develop recipes while using the Italian techniques.

Contaldo inspired many chefs in the United Kingdom and back in Italy (Dennis 2014). Contaldo brought several ideas to cooking and new recipes. Jamie got mentored by Contaldo, and the latter acknowledged that by referring to him as his London Dad. Contaldo showed Jamie the little vital techniques needed in cooking but not limited to common sense and sensitivity.

Contaldos children learned a lot from him because they could make cakes and biscuits all by themselves at an early age also (Lacey 2012). They could even make pasta, but they did not think or say they intend to become professional chefs like the data. Contaldo recalled that the mum also used to cook nicely and it inspired him.

Contaldo entered the Guinness world book of records for preparation of ravioli in under 2 minutes. Whiting (2017, p.22) argued that Contaldo claimed that the pasta machine contributed to his success because it helped him make the pasta quite thin. He rolled out small dough pieces while letting the rest wrapped so that they do not dry. He prepared the ravioli because it was one of his favorite recipes, which he obtained from his home.

After spending at least four decades in London, he added that it is possible for him to introduce new cooking styles and the quality of food was on another notch. Whiting, (2017, p. 64) argued that London is now renowned as a food capital where all kinds of food cuisines are cooked with customers left with several choices to pick. He got the Italian food from the spaghetti that got served on a single plate with scaloppini. Improved traveling facilitated the availability of all ingredients to a persons wish. The knowledge and understanding makes one prepare the Italian cuisine or other types of simple learning.

References

'Jamie and Gennaro make best tiramisu', 2010, Birmingham Mail (England), 2010, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

Gennaro, C 2015, Gennaro: Slow Cook Italian, [N.p.]: Pavilion Books, eBook Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

'Gennaro cooks up top Italian tips', 2016, The Mirror (London, England), 2016, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

'Spotlight on... Gennaro Contaldo', 2011, Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), 2011, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

'Gennaro gives us a taste of Jamie's new restaurant', 2013, Europe Intelligence Wire, 2013, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

Whiting, K 2017, 'Gennaro is still telling a love story with food', Evening Times (Glasgow, Scotland).

'Meet Gennaro - the man behind the Jamie formula', 2011, Europe Intelligence Wire, 2011, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

Dennis, J 2014, 'Citaha adds chef Gennaro Contaldo to its Italy menu', Travel Weekly (UK), 2247, p. 21, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 December 2017.

Lacey, H 2012, 'The Inventory: Gennaro Contaldo - Chef', The Financial Times, 2012,...