Mamma’s kitchen!
Celebrity chef Gino D’acampo returns to his motherland for a tasty six-part series…
Gino D’acampo meets some of Italy’s forthright female cooks in his latest food show, Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make.
‘In Italy, women are the boss of the kitchen,’ says the TV chef. ‘Italian matriarchs have shaped the country’s food trends. And you’ll see why I love cooking with these women – they keep me on my toes!’
The six-part series sees Gino travel from Naples to Bologna, learning to cook local dishes from families and their matriarchs. He kicks off in his birthplace, Torre del Greco, where he was taught to cook by his late Nonna Flora and Mamma Alba.
Family favourites
‘I want to show you my Italian family and how it all started,’ says Gino. ‘I hope to honour the women responsible for my cooking journey as without them there would be no Gino D’acampo!’
Reuniting with his aunts Lina and Rita, Gino’s suitably embarrassed when they pull out family photos albums full of a naked baby Gino! But then it’s time to get busy, and Gino takes on the role of sous-chef as his aunts take control of the kitchen and rustle up his favourite dish, pasta alla Genovese.
Gino also visits the pizza place he adored as a boy and buys juicy mussels from the harbour before rustling up his Mamma’s Sunday-night signature dish, mussels with linguine.
‘It’s the best,’ smiles Gino. ‘I have so much fun with my Italian family. I can’t wait for you guys to see it!’