and in addition to running the house she also worked at a local hotel in the restaurant business I started making gnocchi and pasta with my mom from the age of eight for the whole family one of my brothers was a priest; therefore on Sundays everyone else always went to church while I cooked with my mother." It was his passion for cooking that instilled in Aldo the desire to discover the world and its cuisines as soon as I arrived I was homeless for a couple of weeks Then I got a job in the back of an Italian restaurant as a kitchen worker Soon Aldo proved his ability to juggle the stove and was quickly promoted but it was when he moved to the United Kingdom at age 19 that he found his America Now Zilli is sixty-eight years old and boasts a career of great success and satisfaction in the kitchen but also in front of the cameras (there are numerous culinary programs in which he has participated and still participates) and as an author of books Aldo is a clear example of what can be called a self-made man whose success is based on the solid principles with which he grew up and of which he is extremely grateful and proud he loves to celebrate gratitude surrounded by his loved ones remembering Christmases spent in poverty but rich in love "My ideal Christmas is to invite anyone I can I like a big Christmas because I grew up with a big family and I never got anything for Christmas when I was a kid I never got a gift because we didn't exchange gifts back then I do everything." The only thing Zilli asks for as a holiday gift is a letter from his children to him and his wife in remembrance of his childhood Christmases “Every year my children have to write a letter to me and my wife and put it under our plates like I used to do with my parents In the letter my children write how their year was how we can all improve as a family and how much they love us You are not allowed to open them before then and we read them aloud around the dining table." who is now in the process of opening a new restaurant “Undercroft,” in London's Mayfair district celebrating Christmas through food as well so he tells of his tradition: “I am a seafood chef I always have my fishmonger deliver some wild sea bass so we have plenty of seafood for Christmas Eve but I like to treat everyone to a nice glass of top-quality champagne I usually choose champagne rather than prosecco Christmas is special to me; I think everyone should have the best of the best then I usually make tortellini like my mother used to make and roast with lots of vegetables and two or three different kinds of puddings At least one Christmas pudding must always be on the table otherwise my mother-in-law might never speak to me again!" remain his mother's: "My favorite Christmases are not my own but the ones I used to spend at my mother's all nine of her children sitting around the table Those vivid memories of her touch me deep inside every year She taught me how to make everything from scratch from gnocchi and tortellini to bread and focaccia Do you want to discover the latest news and recipes of the most renowned chefs and restaurants in the world La nostra società utilizza inoltre cookie funzionali per registrare informazioni sulle scelte dell’utente e per consentire una personalizzazione del Sito; ad esempio Questi cookie possono essere installati dalla nostra società o da Terze parti In caso di disabilitazione di questi cookie la qualità e l’esperienza di navigazione potrebbe non essere soddisfacente Questi cookie sono installati da social media per consentire la condivisione dei contenuti del presente Sito Essi sono in grado di monitorare la navigazione compiuta anche in altri siti e creano un profilo dell’utente sulla base dei suoi interessi Ciò potrebbe avere un impatto sul contenuto e messaggi visualizzati sugli altri siti visitati non sarà possibile utilizzare o visualizzare questi strumenti di condivisione per l’installazione e l’uso di tali cookie occorre il consenso dell’utente Per maggiori informazioni consulta la pagna cookies policy when lightning struck a beach packed with holidaymakers on Italy's Adriatic coast on Saturday The bolt of lightning hit the stretch of beach near Alba Adriatica which said that the beach was crowded at the time despite cloudy skies and bursts of rain Photos posted on social media showed emergency workers crowded around what appeared to be a woman on a stretcher on the beach with the most serious a local woman who suffered a heart attack and was reanimated on the beach She was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital temporarily lost feeling in her legs and was also receiving treatment in hospital along with a third woman who also experienced paralysis in one leg Local authorities could not be immediately reached by Agence France-Presse (AFP) Earlier news reports had said that as many as seven people had been struck by the lightning bolt The civil protection department warned on Saturday of unstable weather conditions in central Italy with scattered thunderstorms and "frequent electrical activity" please register for free or log in to your account Please whitelist confidentials.com to continue to our site and enjoy an Ad-Light experience CELEBRITY chef Aldo Zilli has just launched a new regional feature menu ‘Giro d’Italia’ (journey through Italy) at the award-winning San Carlo Cicchetti restaurant and bar on King Street West The Giro d’Italia menu is a fantastic way for us to showcase the variations in local Italian cuisine the Giro d’Italia menu will feature a different region of Italy exploring the culinary specialities unique to that location The specials menu comprises several strictly authentic dishes crafted from seasonal ingredients flown in from the featured region The June launch sees Cicchetti take a gastronomic tour of Aldo Zilli’s home This central region stretches from the heart of the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea salamis and some excellent locally produced wines July will see Cicchetti journey deliciously through Sicily San Carlo Group Chairman Carlo Distefano’s place of birth Commenting on the launch of the Abruzzo menu Aldo Zilli said: “I learned to cook with my mamma back home in Alba Adriatica it’s a charming seaside town where our food is simple; it’s minimally mucked-about For me the best cooking combines great simplicity with great taste “The Giro d’Italia menu is a fantastic way for us to showcase the variations in local Italian cuisine and to continue to do what Cicchetti does best authentic food where the quality of seasonal ingredients is allowed to shine through I hope you’ll come and sample the taste of my home town.” For dinner reservations call San Carlo Cicchetti on 0161 839 2233 Follow San Carlo Cicchetti on twitter @SanCarlo_Group Giro d’Italia Abruzzo Menu by Aldo Zilli for Cicchetti Pallotte Cac`e`ove servite con pomodoro e scaglie di caciotta al tartufo nero Classic abruzzo cow cheese balls served with tomato sauce and sliced black truffle caciotta £6.95 Tortino Di Melanzane gratinate con scamorza e salsiccia abruzzese Gratin of aubergines with scamorza cheese and spicy Abruzzo sausage £8.95 langustines and saffron from National Park of Navelli £13.95 Typical abruzzi handmade “sagne” pasta served with chick peas and slightly spicy Special skewers made from abruzzo lamb`s meat £9.95 Abruzzo style guazzetto of salted cod with olives £7.95 Red wine recommendation: Montepulciano ZANNA by ILUMINATI this superb wine is made from Pecorino grapes Neil Sowerby explores the cultural riches of Brits' favourite island Hotel has become a standout in the city since opening just over a year ago Harley Young shares her highlights after spending a long weekend in the coastal city Lily Wallen sees things fall apart in suburbia Italian-born Aldo Zilli is a celebrity chef and restaurateur who specialises in Italian and seafood cuisine Born in 1956 in the small seaside town of Alba Adriatica in the central Italian region of Abruzzo and has appeared as a guest chef on many cookery and lifestyle TV programmes he set the world record for the most times a pancake is flipped in a minute by flipping it 117 times.