The Sky's the Limit

The celebrity chef and business owner talks exclusively to Craig Hough about his love for the north, his new panoramic sky bar in Liverpool and his future plans with INNSiDE Meliá Hotels

Gino D’Acampo chopped and sautéed his way onto British screens in the early noughties, and has fast become a star of UK television through his appearances on countless TV shows including ‘This Morning‘, five series’ of the award-winning ‘Gino’s Italian Escape‘ and the ever popular ‘Celebrity Juice’. A career highlight saw him take home the crown on the 2009 series of ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!’ and you can now catch him on Saturday night, on prime time ITV hosting ‘Family Fortunes’.

Away from the screen, Gino is a shrewd businessman, having opened his first restaurant in London at the tender age of 21. He went on to open the first ‘Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant’ in Manchester in late 2015, expanding into Leeds and Harrogate over the next two years. In 2020 Gino D’Acampo Hotels & Leisure was formed, as part of the leading Italian chef’s plans for international expansion. This year the business announced the creation of a new hospitality empire in association with INNSiDE Meliá Hotels and it’s this news that starts the conversation with Gino, as he explains his excitement for the collaboration, 

“This is something that we’ve been working on the last four or five years, the relationship is getting stronger and stronger. The people that own the Meliá group are all really cool guys and I believe it’s the perfect fit. The hotel and the restaurant have everything that people want – the elegance, the creativity, it’s a great fit and we work well together.”

The conversation then moved on to Manchester, a city in which he opened the first ‘Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant’ and where Gino more recently launched First Street Bar & Kitchen. Gino gushes,

“Manchester – how can you not love it, my friend? I am a huge Oasis fan, so I mean, The Mancunians are rock ‘n’ roll, I can tell you that. Super cool people, that love to party. They love everything that I like – good food, they like to party, like to drink. I mean, I should have been born a Mancunian.” 

As more of Gino’s restaurants are set to open with INNSiDE Meliá Hotels, he explains the difference in creating a menu for a hotel than one for his stand-alone restaurants. He adds,

“To create a menu for the hotel, it needs to be varied and you need to think more about international guests who will be visiting. You can have visitors from America or China, all with different expectations. When you have a stand-alone restaurant, you can have a smaller menu as you know your locals, you know what the people want. The hotel offers more chance to experiment with the menu.”

Having recently opened in the West End of London, Luciano restaurant is named after Gino’s first born. Has Gino set a precedent for the family and can other family members expect a restaurant named after them

Gino laughs, 

“Yes, I am afraid they do expect that. Even my mother-in-law (Elizabeth) is expecting a restaurant. She said to me “Don’t you think we should open a fish and chips shop and call it ‘Elizabeth’”? I was like, “No, I don’t think so”. Now, everybody in the family wants a restaurant with their name on it. I think I’ve opened a can of worms there.”

Gino’s newest venture opened last month on the 17th floor of INNSiDE BY MELIA in Liverpool city centre. So, what can customers expect from the new venue, Gino explains,

“Well first of all; the view from the Skybar is insane. Then we have the beautiful Cicchetti light bites – we have amazing arancini rice balls and beautiful bruschetta, lots of little nibbles. We also have great music with a live DJ. So, if you want something different, with a great view, a cool vibe, that’s the place to be.”

With hotels in 28 locations, and another 13 properties in the pipeline, INNSiDE by Meliá is rapidly growing – Gino explains what’s next for their powerful partnership, 

“At the moment we are working on going worldwide and opening a restaurant in Milan, Dubai and Malta - the list is endless. Meliá are asking us to open one left, right and centre (laughs). What they don’t understand is that it’s not an easy thing to do. It takes a lot of effort. Slowly, but surely, we will do them all.”

INNSiDE by Meliá’s philosophy is ‘Stay Curious’, but what British dish stirred Gino’s curiosity when he arrived in London back in 1995? Gino answers,

“I was very curious of fish and chips. Remember, I come from the south of Italy, right? So, we go fishing, we pick it, we lightly grill it, pan fry or we bake – nice and simple. When I heard there was a dish where you pick up a fish, you put it into batter and you deep fry it, I was thinking, “oh my God this is either going to be disgusting or it’s going to be wonderful”. It’s wonderful – I like to have fish and chips once a week.”

During the lockdown period, Gino continued his work on This Morning, with a live link from his home in Sardinia. So how was Gino’s lockdown experience?

“To be honest with you, I feel bad in saying, in lockdown I had the best time ever. I was on the island of Sardinia with my family, in the sunshine, away from everybody. What more could you ask for? I feel bad as many people suffered, but I enjoyed the time with my family.” 

On the topic of family, talk then turned to Gino’s grandfather who was a huge inspiration to him as a child. Gino credits his grandfather for his love of food and talks warmly about working in his restaurants from the age of 9. But can Gino see any of his family members stepping into his chef’s apron and taking over his kitchens?

“No. They are much cleverer than I am. They understand my job has long hours, and you come home smelling of garlic and onions all the time. They are much wiser. They can do the outside-of-the-kitchen part, but I don’t think any of them will ever step into a kitchen. Also, let’s be honest, it would be dangerous to try to replicate what your father did, there’s too much pressure. It’s like David Beckham and his children – they are never going to play football are they? Because everybody is going to compare them to their father. The wiser thing to do in a situation like that is to do something similar but now exactly what the father does.”

As the interview comes to a close, Gino took time to reflect on his arrival in London, aged 18 and explains his future ambitions and what legacy he will leave. He adds,

“I opened my first restaurant when I was 21 in Kentish Town. I’ve always thought I would be successful; I always had that drive to do it. I hope to retire when I’m 50 years old. I’m 45 now. I want to be able to enjoy more holidays, than work. My aim is for 8 months of holiday and 4 months of work. As I am saying this to you now, there are a team of people in this room that are looking at me thinking “don’t you even think about it – you are going to work until you die!”. My ambition is more holidays – less work. My legacy is my children and the name of Luciano in my restaurant in London. That’s where my legacy lies.” 

360 Sky Bar, Old Hall Street, Liverpool is now open for bookings, www.ginodacampohotelsandleisure.com

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