Antonio Carluccio opens Carluccio’s in Yas Mall and shares his secrets to good food

Antonio Carluccio is on a roll. The 77-year-old Italian chef and restaurateur was in Abu Dhabi last week to open Carluccio’s in Yas Mall – his third restaurant in the capital and his ninth in the UAE – he has six branches in Dubai. His 10th restaurant, in Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence, is scheduled to open later this month.

The chef, who has about 100 restaurants around the world, shows no signs of slowing down. Besides travelling the world, he has a couple of cookbooks in the pipeline, with one set for publication in 2016. He shares with us the secret of Carluccio’s success and the four ingredients he simply cannot live without.

How did Carluccio’s start?

Carluccio’s initially started as a shop in London, selling high-quality products imported from Italy. We drove around all of Italy and visited all the little shops to find the best products. Then we brought them to London to sell them. It was successful. We wanted to open a restaurant but we didn’t have the money. Although my name was really good at the time, the bank said no. But there was an investor who had money to spend and that’s how it started. In 1998, the first Carluccio’s opened in London.

Why is it so successful?

You have to have good ingredients and know what you’re doing. We make very good, simple food and the restaurant has a nice ambience. We use fresh, quality ingredients. It’s not just about profit.

Original article by Stacie Overton Johnson

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Antonio Carluccio opens Carluccio’s in Yas Mall and shares his secrets to good food