Beloved Italian cookery writer Antonio Carluccio has died

We have sad news to report today, as the much-loved and respected Antonio Carluccio has died at the age of 80. Known as a master of Italian food, Carluccio cooked, ate, and championed the cuisine for over 50 years. Born on the Amalfi Coast in the South and raised in the wooded North-West, Carluccio moved to London in 1957.

In 1981 he opened the Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden, which remained for 26 years. In 1991, he opened a deli next to the restaurant and in 1998 started the first Carluccio’s Caffe in Market Place, London. After developing the Carluccio’s caffe business for a decade, Antonio stepped back from day-to-day management but continued to work with the Carluccio’s team on menu development and chef training while continuing to develop new projects.

In 1983 Carluccio made his first appearance on BBC2, discussing Mediterranean food and in the same year he was asked to write his first book, An Invitation to Italian Cooking, which was updated and re-released in 2002. He wrote over a dozen books that were published worldwide, and was a popular television personality, hosting the highly-regarded ‘Antonio Carluccio’s Northern Italian Feast’ and ‘Southern Italian Feast’.

Carluccio was appointed Commendatore by the Italian Government in 1998 for services rendered to Italy, the equivalent of a British knighthood. He also received an OBE from The Queen in 2007 for services to the catering industry.