Antonio Carluccio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antonio Carluccio
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Carluccio signing books in Glasgow in 2013
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| Born | 19 April 1937 Vietri sul Mare, Campania, Italy
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| Died | 8 November 2017 (aged 80) London, England
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| Years active | 1958–2014 |
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| Spouse(s) | 3, including Priscilla Conran |
Antonio Carluccio was a famous Italian chef, restaurant owner, and food expert who lived in London. He was often called "the godfather of Italian cooking" because of his long career, which lasted over 50 years. He is best known for his TV shows, especially Two Greedy Italians, where he cooked and traveled with his friend and fellow chef, Gennaro Contaldo.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
Antonio Carluccio was born in Vietri sul Mare, a town in the Campania region of Italy, on April 19, 1937. He was one of six children. His father was a stationmaster, and his family moved often because of his father's job.
As a child, Antonio loved exploring the forests near his home. He would often go hunting for different kinds of mushrooms and fungi with his father. This early experience helped him learn a lot about natural foods. After finishing school, he joined the Italian Navy for his required military service.
After leaving the navy, Antonio worked briefly as a journalist for a newspaper called La Stampa. He also worked for a company that made typewriters, called Olivetti, as a technician and sales person.
A Career in Food
When Antonio was 21, he moved to Vienna to study languages. Later, he lived in Germany for many years, from 1962 to 1975, where he worked as a wine merchant. He then moved to the United Kingdom in 1975, continuing to import fine Italian wines.
In 1981, Antonio became the manager of the Neal Street Restaurant in London. This restaurant was owned by Terence Conran, who was Antonio's brother-in-law. Antonio later became the owner of the restaurant in 1989. A very famous British chef, Jamie Oliver, actually started his career at the Neal Street Restaurant under Antonio Carluccio! The restaurant closed in 2006.
Antonio Carluccio wrote more than twenty books about Italian cooking. He also appeared on BBC Television shows, including the Food and Drink Programme. In 1996, he had his own series called Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feasts.
In 2011, Antonio and his friend Gennaro Contaldo traveled around Italy for a BBC Two TV series called Two Greedy Italians. They made a second series in 2012 called Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry.
In 2012, Antonio received a special award called the AA Lifetime Achievement Award. He also published his life story, called A Recipe For Life. In 2021, a special library and archive dedicated to Antonio Carluccio's work opened at Oxford Brookes University.
Carluccio's Restaurants
In 1991, Antonio and his wife at the time opened an Italian food shop together. They named it Carluccio's. A few years later, in 1994, they expanded the business to sell food to other businesses.
The first "Carluccio's Caffè" opened in London in 1999. This was a unique place that combined an Italian restaurant with a food shop. It became popular for serving Italian breakfasts and meals. The chain grew quickly, first across England, and then all over the UK.
In 2007, there was a discussion about how the company paid its waiting staff. Soon after, the law in the UK changed to make sure that companies pay their staff a minimum wage, and that tips from customers are extra, not part of their main salary.
In 2010, a company from Dubai bought Carluccio's. The chain continued to grow, with over 80 locations in the UK. Carluccio's also opened restaurants in other countries, including Ireland and several countries in the Middle East. Antonio later rejoined the company as a consultant to help with its development.
Personal Life
Antonio Carluccio was married three times, and each marriage ended in divorce. His third wife was Priscilla Conran, who was the sister of Terence Conran.
In 2008, Antonio was a guest on a popular BBC Radio 4 show called Desert Island Discs. On the show, guests talk about the eight songs, one book, and one luxury item they would take if they were stranded on a desert island. Antonio chose music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials books, and white truffles as his luxury item.
Antonio Carluccio passed away on November 8, 2017, at the age of 80.
Awards and Recognition
Antonio Carluccio received several important awards for his work:
- In 1998, the Italian government gave him the Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. This is a very high honor, similar to being knighted in Britain, given for his great contribution to Italian food.
- In 2007, he was given the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by the British government.
- In 2012, he received the AA Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and successful career.
Books by Antonio Carluccio
- An Invitation to Italian Cooking (1986)
- A Passion for Mushrooms (1988)
- A Taste of Italy (1989)
- Passion for Pasta (1993)
- Italian Feast (1996)
- Antonio Carluccio's Music and Menus from Italy: Great Italian Arias, Classic Italian Recipes (1996)
- Carluccio's Complete Italian Food (1997)
- Southern Italian Feast (1998)
- The Complete Mushroom Book (2001)
- Antonio Carluccio Goes Wild: 120 Fresh Recipes for Wild Food from Land and Sea (2001)
- Italia (2005)
- Carluccio's Complete A-Z of Italian Food (2007)
- Antonio Carluccio's Simple Cooking (2009)
- My Kitchen Table - Antonio Carluccio: 100 Pasta Recipes (2011)
- Two Greedy Italians (2011) with Gennaro Contaldo
- Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy (2012) with Gennaro Contaldo
- Recipe for Life (2012)
- Antonio Carluccio: The Collection (2012)
- Antonio Carluccio's Pasta (2014)
- Antonio Carluccio Vegetables (2016)
DVDs
- Antonio Carluccio's Southern Italian Feast (1998)
- Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feast (2001)
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Carluccio para niños
