'I love the people': Gino D'Acampo hails Leeds hospitality scene as he visits the city

Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo praised the Leeds hospitality scene during a visit to his Boar Lane restaurant.

The chef and presenter invited diners to his restaurant at the Leeds Marriott Hotel on Friday to sample its new winter menu and chat with some of his guests.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: “I always love to come and see my chefs and the guests. But mainly I’m here because we’ve got a new menu.

“We have the new winter menu that we’re just starting, and I’m going around the kitchen to make sure that it’s delivered to perfection.”

The new menu balances well-known Italian staples with dishes popular in his native Italy, featuring seasonal food inspired by the Italian countryside and coastal regions.

“You need to have a balance with the classics,” he explained. “You need the classic Italian that everybody is going to want. So it’s a balance between 50 per cent Italian classics and 50 per cent of the ones that you want to try.”

One dish in particular holds deep personal significance: the spaghetti alle vongole, made using his late mother’s recipe.

“There is one dish on the menu that means a lot to me, because it was my mother’s famous spaghetti - spaghetti with clams. It’s close to my heart because it was the last dish she cooked for me before she died,” he said.

Mingling with guests ahead of the first serving, he described the atmosphere in the restaurant.

“The mood is that they can’t wait to try the food,” he said.

“They know that they’re going to get proper Italian food. They know that I won’t put pineapple on a pizza, or compromise by putting cream in a carbonara.”

While the restaurant opened in 2023, Gino’s own connection to Leeds stretches back more than three decades.

He recalled: “Leeds was the first city - the first big city after London - that I visited when I came here 30 years ago. I’ve always said I love it.

“I love the people. I’ve always loved the atmosphere of Leeds, the bar scene at night and the clubbing - when I was younger.”

He added: “The people are still the same: very cool, very friendly. You would expect a northern city to be colder, but I’ve always found the opposite: warmer than the cities in the south.”

Over the summer, the YEP has highlighted Leeds’ bustling hospitality industry with our Summer Served campaign, from its champions to the biggest challenges facing the sector.

Addressing the challenges facing the industry, Mr D’Acampo emphasised the vital economic and social role restaurants, pubs and bars play.

He said: “Think about each restaurant. Each of my restaurants employs 45 to 50 people. We set up a place here. It’s beautiful. We create great food. We create a lot of jobs. Come and support us. Come and try.”

Urging people to remain positive, he added: “Let’s tell them how great the food is, how great the atmosphere is, how great it is that we employ people, and how much we appreciate the fact that they come in and support us. Let’s talk positively.”

Offering advice to aspiring chefs and those seeking to enter the industry, he warned that “this is a job that requires passion” and that “unless you enter with passion, you’re going to fail”.

Asked what he hopes guests take away from Friday’s visit, he said: “I only want one thing for them when they come out: to rub their belly and go, ‘You know what? This was good. It was honest about the price. The atmosphere was fantastic. The food was great, and I’m happy.’

“I want people to come here and just be happy that they had great food, paid the right amount of money, and were surrounded by nice people and a great atmosphere. That’s it.”

The new winter menu is available now at Gino D’Acampo Leeds, located in the Leeds Marriott Hotel on Boar Lane.