CIT Y CENTRE
Gaetano Monteriso’s recipe for success I can be a bit fussy when it comes to food served in restaurants. I like to see the kitchen and the chef and his brigade in action. At a recent visit to Gio’s on Mill Lane, I was heartened to see chef Gaetano Monteriso hard at work. Pans were bubbling with freshly made sauces and a colourful array of vegetables and salads were on display in abundance. Our son Jack also got in on the action and made the pizzas for our lunch. City Life spoke to Gaetano about his passion for serving good food. Giovanni’s restaurant manager Massimo Fraioli, Executive Head Chef Gaetano Monteriso and Giovanni
What’s your background? I moved to London when I was eighteen years old - eleven years ago. I could not speak English. I’ve been in Cardiff for the last five months.
Where have you worked? La Trompette a French style Michelin Star restaurant in London, and The Square, which has two Stars, again in London.
Where does your love of cooking come from? My family. I used to wake up in the morning to the smell of my mother making a ragu sauce. We ate at the table as a family. It was a time to sit down together and talk. A time to share. A time of happiness. My uncle had a restaurant. It’s in the blood.
Which British chefs do you admire? Definitely Franco Taruschio of Walnut Tree fame. A real master.
Do you think the standard of cooking in this country is good? Definitely. There’s lots of potential to make Cardiff a gastronomic destination. We have the talent, we have fantastic Welsh produce, cheese, meats and vegetables.
You encourage children in your kitchen to learn the ropes? Yes, we’ve had many children here making pizzas. They are encouraged to roll the dough, build the pizza and place it in the pizza oven. Meeting children who enjoy good food and who like cooking makes me very happy as it reminds me of my own childhood at home.
Here, at Gio’s, we cook everything from scratch, using the very freshest ingredients. Every sauce is made from scratch. You can tell good ingredients are used in our food by the fantastic taste. That’s why customers keep coming back to us.
What’s it like working in a kitchen? Stressful and hot. Standards need to be set so tempers are flared. There’s a bit of bad language, but that comes with the territory.
“There’s lots of potential to make Cardiff a gastronomic destination. We have the talent.”
Where do you see yourself in five years time? Running a Michelin star restaurant in Cardiff with Giovanni.
Gio’s 10 - 11 Mill Lane, Cardiff CF10 1FL 029 2066 5500 gios@themillcardiff.co.uk www.gios.co.uk
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