Gennaro Contaldo

Gennaro Contaldo was born on January 20, 1949, in Minori, a small village on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. His early life was heavily influenced by his family and local culture, where food and cooking were central. He began working in local restaurants at the age of eight, developing a foundational love for culinary arts. Contaldo’s culinary journey began in his hometown, where he learned traditional Italian cooking techniques, often sourcing ingredients through hunting with his father and grandfather and collecting herbs with his mother. This early exposure instilled a deep appreciation for fresh, seasonal ingredients, which became a hallmark of his cooking style.

In 1969, Contaldo moved to England and initially worked in a hospital kitchen before briefly establishing an Italian antiques business. However, his passion for cooking eventually led him back to the kitchen. He gained further experience working in various London restaurants, including Antonio Carluccio’s Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden, where he met his future protégé, Jamie Oliver, in the 1990s. In 1999, Contaldo opened his own restaurant, Passione, in Charlotte Street, London. Passione quickly gained recognition, earning the ‘Best Italian Restaurant 2005’ award from the Tio Pepe Restaurant Awards, though it closed in March 2009 due to economic factors.

Throughout his career, Contaldo has maintained a close professional relationship with Jamie Oliver, appearing on numerous television shows such as ‘The Naked Chef’ and ‘Iron Chef America’. He also played a key role in developing menus and training chefs for Oliver’s UK restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, where he was a business partner. Contaldo has authored several cookbooks, starting with ‘Passione’ in 2003, which won the ‘Gourmand World Cookbook – Best Italian Cuisine Book’ award. He has also starred in the BBC Two television series ‘Two Greedy Italians’ with Antonio Carluccio in 2011 and 2012, further cementing his reputation as an authority on Italian cuisine. In 2014, he achieved a Guinness World Record for making the most ravioli in two minutes.