TV chef Aldo Zilli reveals difficult childhood Christmas – ‘There was lots of love but not a lot of money’

Italian chef Aldo Zilli spends a lot of time with family, maintains traditional traditions, and prepares a fine feast of caviar, fresh lobster, roast beef, and champagne. Christmas is a very special time of year for him. When it comes to the festive season, the 68-year-old celebrity chef puts his heart and soul into the celebrations, with a touching nod to his mum, while ensuring he has the best of the best for his family. He actually makes a joke when he mentions that the lobster comes from his neighborhood fishmonger and that the fizz is not “that cheap prosecco you get.”

When he was a young boy, Aldo first discovered his love of flavor. In their Italian home in Abruzzo, he and his eight older siblings cooked everything from scratch with his mother Maria. My mother worked in a local hotel as a cook, and she also had nine of us. He tells us that my love for food began when my family and I started making gnocchi and pasta together at the age of eight. “As one of my brothers was a priest, and I was the youngest, I was always left behind, so they all attended church on Sunday while I was cooking with my mother.

Reflecting further on his childhood, Aldo says, “We grew up in a very poor environment, there was lots of love but not money. We simply made do with what we had, and because our mother was able to grow everything in the garden, we ate what we grew. Aldo made the decision to leave his home and “see the world” when he was 16 years old. My first stop was Germany, I was homeless for a couple of weeks, there were no phones then, and I was struggling. Then I found a job in the back of an Italian restaurant as a kitchen porter, and that’s where my career started. “

Determined to make it as a chef, he was soon promoted, before moving to the UK at the age of 19. Before he took up his own restaurant in Soho at the age of 28, he worked in hotels and restaurants all over London. He has since been his own boss.

Aldo puts the emphasis on family in everything he does, with Christmas being a significant occasion to bring everyone together. My ideal Christmas is for me to invite everybody I can, my immediate family, my wife’s family, everyone basically. Because I was raised in a large family, I never had anything for Christmas when I was growing up; instead, we never did presents in those days. So now, I just give, give, give as much as I can – I give my time, I cook, I do everything. “

The entertaining chef really comes into his own with his signature dishes on Christmas Eve. I’m a fish chef, I love fish. We always have plenty of shellfish the night before because my fishmonger always delivers some wild sea bass, scallops, and fresh lobster. “Making the big day extra special for his loved ones, he shares”, I don’t drink alcohol, so I enjoy giving everyone a nice glass of top champagne. Instead of the inexpensive prosecco you can buy, I prefer champagne. Since Christmas is special to me, I believe everyone should enjoy the best.

“So we start with caviar, champagne and canapés. When we sit down for lunch, we have our starters. I usually prepare tortellini like my mother used to, and then we have our roast, which features two or three different types of pudding. Aldo jokes, “A Christmas pudding has to be on the table because otherwise, my mother-in-law would not speak to me again”.

Aldo is also given strict instructions for making a traditional Christmas dinner for his 83-year-old mother-in-law when it comes to the day’s dishes. “She likes the turkey stuffed with chestnuts, sage and Brussels sprouts”. However, on Boxing Day, the Zilli household is filled with roast beef and pork belly, which Aldo describes as a “big feast”.

A long-standing family tradition sees Aldo’s three children – Laura, 40, (whose mum is Aldo’s ex-wife, Jan), and Rocco, 18, and Twiggy, 16, whom he shares with his wife, Nikki – write him a letter that is read on Christmas Day. My children have to write my wife and I a letter and place them under our plates like I did with my parents. That’s such a big tradition I carried forward”. They describe what their year has been like, what they think of their parents, how their families can all improve, and how much they adore us. On Christmas Day, we have them open. We read them aloud around the dinner table because you can’t open them before that.

His mother is a moving memory that Aldo has during the holiday season. He thoughtfully states, “My favorite Christmases were not my mom’s, but my mother’s because I adored the way she handled us all, with all of her nine children cooking for everyone.” Every Christmas, I’m really moved by those vivid memories of her. I’m constantly reminded of her in my cooking. She taught me to make everything from scratch from gnocchi, tortellini, bread and focaccia. When it comes out of the oven, I can smell her. “

As well as preparing for Christmas, Aldo tells us he’s been busy working on his new restaurant, Undercroft, in London’s Mayfair. Admitting it’s scarier than live TV, he says”, It’s a nerve-wracking situation opening a restaurant, especially]during] these times, but it’s a very special casual, smart-dining restaurant with live music, a great atmosphere, and the food is by me. “

Source: Mirror