Gino D’Acampo, Grilled!

We chatted to the passionate and charming Gino, straight after his book signing at the Gloucester Quays Food Festival where he had randomly just been handed a pair of pants – a g-string in Italian colours to be precise.

If money was no object, where would you open a shop and what would it be like?
I would open a restaurant on the island of Capri and it would sit no more than twenty people. It would be the best ingredients from the south of Italy, and I would show them how good food can be made with the simplest of ingredients. (It was at this point we discussed Puglia and found out that Gino was close to where we were staying when we got married there last month)

If you had to eat the same meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Anything to do with pasta. I can eat pasta every day, three times a day…

What do you keep on your bedside table?
A picture of my two boys is always there, always a bottle of water and the TV remote control.

When is the last time you had a McDonald’s or similar?
Probably about three or four months ago. I’m not completely against it, I think once every few months is fine. It’s to remind you of how bad that kind of food really is.

What is your career Plan B?
I’m writing a song at the moment so Plan B would be to become a song writer. Not many people know that about me, that’s a good question!

What is your favourite thing to cook at home?
I don’t do overcomplicated food at home because I don’t cook to impress people, i cook to satisfy people, so again pasta, with chilli, garlic and olive oil or gridded steak with a bit of black pepper.

Is there any food that you can’t stand?
I don’t like cucumber or coriander.

Do you have any reoccurring dreams?
I often dream I lose my children, I dream I’m an eagle that’s flying with the two kids under my wing but then I lose one.

Who would be your ideal dinner date?
Number one would be Jesus. Jesus would be great, with the bread and the wine and stuff like that. And I would love to have Rod Stewart as a guest. I think you’d need to throw a pretty one in there, Sienna Miller.

What is the one object you can’t do without?
Nowadays is a mobile phone. Am sorry to say that, how sad is that?

ginodacampo.com