Gennaro Contaldo facts for kids

Gennaro Contaldo (OSI) was born on January 20, 1949. He is a famous Italian chef. Many people know him because he worked with the British chef Jamie Oliver. He also starred in a TV show called Two Greedy Italians with another Italian chef, Antonio Carluccio.

Gennaro's Early Life

Gennaro grew up in a small village called Minori in Italy. This village is on the beautiful Amalfi Coast. He learned to love food from a young age. He would go hunting with his dad and grandpa. He also helped his mom collect fresh herbs for cooking. Gennaro started working in local restaurants when he was only eight years old.

Gennaro's Cooking Career

In 1969, Gennaro left Italy and moved to England. He started working in a hospital kitchen there. Later, in 1974, he got married and had three children. He later had two more children with his current partner. For a short time, he had a business selling old Italian items. But he soon went back to cooking.

Gennaro loved cooking in England because he could find lots of wild game and mushrooms. These foods were very important in the cooking style from his home region, the Amalfi Coast. He often talks about how much he enjoys finding wild foods, especially different kinds of mushrooms.

Working in London Restaurants

Gennaro worked at popular restaurants in London. One of these was Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden. He left Neal Street in 1998.

In 1999, Gennaro opened his own restaurant called Passione. It was on Charlotte Street in London. Passione was even named 'Best Italian Restaurant' in 2005! However, the restaurant closed in 2009. This happened because of tough economic times.

Gennaro's Cookbooks

Gennaro has written many cookbooks. His first book, Passione, came out in 2003. It was all about the cooking style from his home, the Amalfi Coast. This book won an award for 'Best Italian Cuisine Book'. He has written many more cookbooks since then, sharing his delicious Italian recipes. His most recent book, "Panetteria: Gennaro's Italian Bakery," was published in 2016.

Working with Jamie Oliver

Gennaro is well-known for his friendship and work with chef Jamie Oliver. They first met in the 1990s at Neal Street Restaurant. They have stayed close friends and work together often. Gennaro has appeared on many of Jamie Oliver's TV shows, like The Naked Chef. He even helped Jamie Oliver as a sous-chef on a cooking show called Iron Chef America. Gennaro also helped create the menus for Jamie Oliver's restaurants in the UK, called Jamie's Italian. He is a business partner in these restaurants.

Two Greedy Italians TV Show

In 2011, Gennaro toured different parts of Italy with Antonio Carluccio. They filmed a four-part TV series for the BBC called "The Two Greedy Italians". They explored Italian food and culture together. They made a second series in 2012 called "The Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry".

TV Records and Online Presence

Gennaro has appeared on many other TV cooking shows. On the BBC show Saturday Kitchen, he set a record for making a three-egg omelette in just 16.36 seconds! In 2014, he also earned a Guinness World Record. He made the most ravioli in two minutes.

Gennaro is also an ambassador for Citalia, a company that offers Italian holidays.

Since 2010, Gennaro has had his own YouTube channel. He regularly uploads videos there. He also often appears on Jamie Oliver's YouTube channel. By July 2022, Gennaro's channel had over 36 million views and 600,000 subscribers!

Media Appearances

Gennaro Contaldo has been on many TV shows and radio programs.

Television Shows

• The Naked Chef - The Italian Job (2001)
• Saturday Kitchen (2001-2024)
• Jamie's Kitchen (2002)
• Iron Chef America (2007) - He was a helper for Jamie Oliver.
• Two Greedy Italians (2011) with Antonio Carluccio
• Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry (2012) with Antonio Carluccio
• Jamie Cooks Italy (2018)
• Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy - London (2022)

Radio Shows

• Woman's Hour (BBC Radio 4) - September 13, 2004

Books Written by Gennaro

• Passione (2003)
• Gennaro's Italian Year (2006)
• Gennaro's Italian Home Cooking (2008)
• Gennaro's Easy Italian (2010)
• Two Greedy Italians (2011)
• Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy (2012)
• Panetteria: Gennaro's Italian Bakery (2016)
• Gennaro's Pasta Perfecto! (2019)
• Gennaro's Limoni: Vibrant Italian Recipes Celebrating the Lemon (2021)