Locanda Locatelli is on Seymour St in Marylebone, London W1. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2008
Giorgio Locatelli grew up on the banks of Lake Comabbio, Lombardy, where his uncle ran a hotel. Giorgio worked in Italy and Switzerland before arriving in England in 1986.
Images courtesy of Giorgio Locatelli
It is midday and the calm before the culinary storm in the kitchen of Michelin-starred restaurant Locanda Locatelli. Its engaging proprietor, the celebrity chef and television presenter Giorgio Locatelli, immaculate in spotless chef whites, is escorting me through the restaurant’s kitchen, where his chefs are waiting for the frantic lunchtime action. Tantalising aromas of freshly baked bread, fragrant herbs and gourmet cooking pervade the air. The atmosphere is unnervingly calm. “We’re all prepped and ready,” says Giorgio, checking a tray where succulent haunch of rabbit is simmering gently in a rich stock. “It won’t be quiet for much longer. Let’s talk downstairs in my office.” In his subterranean lair, I’m introduced to his English wife and business partner Plaxy, with whom he has two children, Jack and Margherita. Olive, their appropriately named petite black cockapoo, is lounging decoratively on a sheepskin rug.