After Dinner Speakers: Aldo Zilli, Ruth Lea, The League of Gentlemen

After catering college in Italy he was sent abroad for the winter season to hotels all over Europe. He finally came to England at the age of 19 and decided to concentrate on his passion for Italian food, and started working in Italian restaurants, introducing new cooking methods and eclectic menus, transforming them from little-known venues to celebrity haunts. However, he soon outgrew the kitchen, becoming executive manager and training other chefs in his own impressive style. Eventually, certain of his own success, Aldo decided to go it alone and acquired his first restaurant in Il Siciliano in Dean Street. Word quickly spread about the quality of food and the atmosphere created by Aldo and soon the restaurant was packed. In 1988, he bought the premises at 41 Dean Street and opened Signor Zilli, following this in 1993 next door with London’s first authentic Italian bar, Signor Zilli Bar. Aldo opened Zilli Fish in June 1997 and it has been bursting at the seams since its opening. Great Italian food and Aldo’s legendary sense of humour makes these three establishments a magnet for people from the media and entertainment world. In 1996 he was awarded Best Italian Restaurant Award in The London Restaurant Awards and in 1998 he collected the award for Best Media Restaurant for Zilli Fish. He has also won Favourite Showbiz Restaurant for Signor Zilli in the Capital Radio Awards. He has recently opened a new restaurant Zilli in Notting Hill and Zilli Fishtoo, a major new fish restaurant and bar will open in Covent Garden in February. He has filmed three of his own television series, all for broadcast on Carlton Food Network: Perfect Pasta with Aldo Zilli; Aldo's Italian Job and Aldo and Friends, which featured guests such as All Saints, Chris Tarrant and Anthea Turner. He has completed a new series for CFN Two Chefs In Cape with Brian Turner and he has guested on a number of programmes including BBC2's Food & Drink, The Vanessa Show, The Generation Game, Channel 4's Light Lunch, Dinner Dates for LWT, GMTV, The London Programme and The Food Factory for ITV. He made his acting debut on an episode of London Bridge shown in October 1998. Aldo currently joins Henry Kelly on Classic FM to create A Taste Of Italy, which is broadcast every weekday morning. He has also featured in TV commercials for First Direct Bank and Orbit Sugar Free Gum. Aldo has been resident chef for The Sun newspaper, and has written three books: Sainsbury's Quick and Easy Italian Food; Aldo's Italian Food For Friends (1998) and Zilli Fish (1999). His latest book Foolproof Italian will be published in spring of next year. He is also chef consultant for Safeway foodstore.