Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo has said he wants to address ‘a lot of cr*p’ that’s been written about his restaurants before launching his new Alderley Edge venture.
He said he has ‘kicked them out’ ready to turn the site into a new branch of his Luciano concept, named after his 19-year-old son.
The restaurant is set to open to the public on January 24 – but Gino had some things to address before then.
The chef took to Instagram to share a video from his kitchen shortly after returning from a break with his family in Sardinia.
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Gino D’Acampo wanted to ‘set to record straight’ in a video shared on social media. Credit: Instagram @iamginodacampo
He said: “When I got back, I saw a lot of cr*p being written about my restaurant.
“Apparently my restaurant has gone into liquidation. Now I don’t usually do stuff like this but let me set the record straight here.
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“About 10 years ago I opened a business called Pasta Bar, which is serving Italian food very fast, in the centre of London.
“We tried for 10 years and then Covid came around and I thought ‘You know what, we have to close, there’s no point to pursue with the idea’, which by the way I absolutely love.
“The pasta bar business has got nothing to do with my restaurant business, with my import business, or with any other business that I do.
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“It’s a stand-alone business that’s gone into liquidation, we have to move on.
“This is what business is all about, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
Luciano by Gino D’Acampo. Credit: Supplied
Gino went on to say that his restaurant business is ‘growing really well’, with three large sites to open this year alone.
One of those will be his second Luciano in the heart of Alderley Edge – the first is at the five-star ME London hotel in the West End.
Luciano will also expand to take over Chinese restaurant Yu, which announced a relocation back in June 2021 but has fallen silent since.
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Piccolino in Alderley Edge. Credit: Piccolino
Gino said in his Instagram video: “Finally I got it. Yes! I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant in Alderley Edge, and two days ago we did it.
“If you live around the area, the restaurant used to be called Piccolino, so what I did, I kicked them out and now it’s called Luciano, like my son.
“The menu is going to be amazing, I’ve invested thousands and thousands of pounds into the restaurant, brand new kitchen, everything all kitted out.”
Food at Luciano. Credit: Supplied
In a statement about his new site, he said: “I have many friends in Alderley Edge and the surrounding areas, it’s an amazing place and one in which I’m super excited to open.
“The location on London Road couldn’t be any better, it’s a fantastic property.
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“I’m looking forward to spending time here with the amazing team, and our incredible, loyal guests.”
Managing director of Luciano by Gino D’Acampo, Mat Cunningham, added: “We’re looking forward to bringing Luciano to Alderley Edge.
“Gino’s influence in the kitchen is significant, not just in terms of the sourcing of ingredients and creation of dishes, but the impact he has on chefs who love to work with him and aspire to his talent and attention to detail. He’s incredibly hands-on.”
Featured image: Supplied
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Premier League launch completely FREE archive featuring highlights from every game since 1992
Danny Jones
Finally, in a bit of private sports broadcasting news we can actually get behind, the Premier League have launched a new archive featuring highlights from every single game in the first division’s modern era.
Best of all, as the title might have given away, it’s completely free to enjoy.
Chronicling every top-flight game since 1992, the new digital Premier League archive available online was launched earlier this week.
Providing video on-demand (VOD) access to literally thousands of games from way back when, you can relive all of your favourite moments from the best league in the world.
It might sound like quite a simple and easy thing to supply the masses with, but in an era when it’s increasingly hard and expensive to watch broadcast of any and all games, be that live on telly, via streaming, or VOD, this is such an easy win for the Prem.
With so many people struggling to afford all the various packages needed to view premium football, and therefore turning to illegal sites, this is at least a step in the right direction and a good bit of PR.
Sports presenter Nubaid Haroon wrote: “When I had my show with the Premier League, the archive was available via a login for us to watch some of the old tapes.
“It was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. Regularly tapping in to see random dons like Elmander and Nzogbia.”
For us, it’s going to be watching vintage clips of Michu, Adel Taarabt and Alan Smith – yes, for both Leeds AND Man United.
Safe to say the whole thing has gone down very well with pretty much all footy fans across the board.
Don't want to overstate this but 20-minute highlights of every Premier League game in history, free and on demand, means that this should be a national holiday.
Case in point: another user on social media went on to add, “The full Premier League archive? Finally. Time to disappear into 33 seasons of greatness.”
Happy days indeed.
We expect the positive reaction to this will only grow even greater as more and more people find out about this new free service.
You can find the near countless hours of Premier League football right HERE – which classic game that comes to mind are you going to watch first?
Dispute over Manichester now ‘resolved’, say Mounfield family
Danny Jones
The family of the late, great Manchester musician, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, have said that the drama surrounding the highly-anticipated tribute festival in his name, Manichester, has now thankfully been settled.
Now the focus can once again return to remembering him as best as possible.
Following plenty of talk about the project following his passing late last year, a live music festival honouring Mani was finally confirmed in March, and the reaction following the event’s announcement has been unsurprisingly phenomenal.
Well, at least for the most part, as there was also some confusion over whether or not Manichester was still a charitable effort as advertised, with son Gene Mounfield disputing claims online. Fortunately, it all seems to have been put to bed now.
On behalf of the boys, and as their legal guardian, I want to thank everyone for the kind messages and concern for their wellbeing. There was a misunderstanding regarding the upcoming Manichester tribute concert, but we’re pleased to share that everything has now been resolved. pic.twitter.com/j8jEMrFzsD
Being organised by Madchester.com and locally-founded fashion label, GIOGOI, the debut edition was said to have the total blessing of Mani’s family, including his brother, Greg Mounfield.
It was also said that the funds raised by the show would be going to the legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassists’ twins, George and Gene, but the latter recently argued that “nothing” was going to either him or his brother and that the news was “dropped” the plans just a fortnight prior.
Gene also said that “if it was a charity gig it would be at Co-op [Live] or Heaton Park, and it would be done by SJM [Concerts]”: a Manchester-based promoters and events company.
All of this was also wrapped up in ever more paper talk and sensationalism, as some were reporting that Noel and Liam Gallagher, as well as other members of Oasis, would be surprising fans as the still yet to be revealed ‘major headliner’.
These rumours have since been quashed, as has whatever miscommunication caused the misunderstanding between the parties concerned, and we are now back to simply looking forward to seeing an already stacked lineup here in the city centre this May.
Damon Minchella of Ocean Colour Scene (a fellow bassist who also tours with Richard Ashcroft) is helping organise and will also be performing on the night itself. As for the surviving Mounfields, they went on to add in an accompanying Instagram post: “We would also like to express our gratitude to PH.
“It means a great deal to all of us that so many people loved Mani enough to give their time and energy to honour his memory in this way. We are genuinely touched by the support.
“It has been an incredibly difficult few years for the boys and for our whole family. We hope this event will bring some much‑needed joy and create new, positive memories for everyone who cared about him.
“With love and thanks – The Family”
It goes without saying that we can’t wait for this city and Greater Manchester as a whole to honour a Manc icon and are looking forward to another year celebrating the thing that never fails to bring us all together: music.