New Italian eatery brings taste of home

NESTLED in Ashbourne’s Wellington Yard is the town’s newest best-kept “secret”.

Italian restaurant Segreto opened two weeks ago and has seen significant success so far.

It is housed in the slot previously owned by Chimes Café, which opened again in April 2018 but has since closed.

Now, Segreto aims to offer homemade and hearty Italian food in a warm and family-friendly atmosphere.

Joint owners Derek Stoch and Michele Bucci spoke to the Ashbourne News Telegraph a week after it opened on Wednesday, July 10.

Michele, who is Italian himself, talked of bringing some of his own culture’s food into our town.

He said: “We haven’t been here long but it’s going quite well. This is the only Italian restaurant in the local area. We want to make proper Italian food. All our bread and pizza is home-made.

“If people want to spend money in our restaurant, we want to give them proper food. We’ve also got gluten-free options, vegetarian options and vegan options, too. All pasta is vegan!”

Michele and Derek say they have a very fluid idea of what the restaurant should be. Michele added: “We also want to change the menu every three months to keep things fresh and different, and the wine list too.”

“We are planning to do different themed weeks for food. We are planning to do a Tuscany week, for example, and other ideas for the future. We are quite busy in the summer months.” Segreto has a terrace outside that has around seven tables for customers to enjoy the current sunshine.

Derek explained that the pair of chefs met at the Bentley Brook in Fenny Bentley, where they both worked in the kitchen.

They became firm friends at the inn and worked together for around two or three years before deciding to start up a venture of their own.

Michele said: “We have been in the industry for around 12 or 13 years now. I’ve been in the UK for 10 years as a chef and I was in Germany for two or three years.

“I’ve always been in the kitchen so this place is the first place that we have owned.”

Derek, who is Polish, said: “Segreto is completely different to anywhere else in Ashbourne. It is a place for everyone, young or old.

“We want everyone to enjoy themselves here. This isn’t a formal restaurant, we want everyone to feel comfortable here.

“We are going to do the best that we can for you.”

The business has the lot leased for the next five years, but they want to be there for much longer.

And our reporter had to ask what the name meant. Michele was happy to translate: “Segreto means ‘secret,’ but it’s not a secret anymore!”

The business was previously known as Chimes Café, which reopened in April 2018 under new management but has since shut.

Segreto is open during the summer from 12pm to 9pm for food, and 11am until around 10pm for drinks.