Gino D'Acampo
Encyclopedia
Gennaro "Gino" D'Acampo (born 17 July 1976) is an Italian
chef, television personality and winner of ITV's 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here. D'Acampo lives in the United Kingdom
.
, Napoli, Italy
, Gino D'Acampo grew up with his parents and his sister, Marcella. He inherited his love of cooking from his grandfather—who was head chef for Costa Cruises
—and, at the age of thirteen, entered Luigi de Medici Catering College. He went on to gain further culinary experience working in many top restaurants in Europe including Perignon in Nice
and Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King in Marbella
.
In 1995, aged 20, he moved to the United Kingdom to work in The Orchard Restaurant in Hampstead
, London
, and the Cambio Restaurant in Guildford
, Surrey
. Around this time, he served a prison sentence for burglary of Paul Young's house.
in the development of ready meals, beginning with the Tesco
Finest range. This experience led to his first engagement as a guest on Great Food Live
on UKTV Food
and began his television career.
called Essential Ingredients which focused particularly on Italian ingredients. He became a regular guest on the BBC
's Saturday Kitchen
before the show moved to ITV
under the name Saturday Cooks!
, since when he has also appeared frequently on Daily Cooks!. He regularly features on Ready Steady Cook
for BBC 2 and has appeared in his native Italy on La Prova Del Cuoco. In 2005, he starred in Chef v Britain with Claire Sweeney
and also travelled around Mexico
shooting his own show, An Italian in Mexico for UKTV Food
. A second series began airing in 2007.
D'Acampo appears regularly on This Morning
and Too Many Cooks
as well as The Terry and Gaby Show
for Five.
He participated in and won the 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!. After the show, he and fellow contestant Stuart Manning
were charged by the Australian police with animal cruelty, for killing and cooking a rat on the show. However, the charges were later dropped after ITV accepted responsibility for the incident.
On the 15th December 2009 he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
as a guest.
D'Acampo has also been a guest on Celebrity Juice
four times.
D'Acampo also appeared on Celebrity Grime Fighters.
On 27th January 2011 D'Acampo cooked gammon and Italian mushy peas completely naked on This Morning following the show's success at the National Television Awards. D'Acampo had previously stated that he would cooked naked if the show won an NTA.
D'Acampo is currently filming a new TV programme for ITV network called 'There's No Taste Like Home'.
D'Acampo will be travelling to 30 different parts of the UK for the series. In each show he’ll meet three home cooks, each boasting a treasured recipe that has been passed down through their family for generations - http://www.itv.com/beontv/theresnotastelikehome/default.html
From 8 August to 2 September 2011 D'Acampo, along with Melanie Sykes
, hosts a daytime cooking and chat programme on ITV, Let's Do Lunch With Gino and Mel.
He is a fan of the rugby union
team Leicester Tigers
.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
chef, television personality and winner of ITV's 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here. D'Acampo lives in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early life
Born in Torre del GrecoTorre del Greco
-Main sights:*Roman archaeological remains, including the so-called "Villa Sora" , probably a property of the Flavians.*Monastery of the Zoccolanti, with a cloister housing 28 frescoed panels depicting the life of St...
, Napoli, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Gino D'Acampo grew up with his parents and his sister, Marcella. He inherited his love of cooking from his grandfather—who was head chef for Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises is a British-American owned Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy.Founded in 1924, the company originally operated cargo ships, until the introduction of passenger services in 1947, with regular services between Italy and South America...
—and, at the age of thirteen, entered Luigi de Medici Catering College. He went on to gain further culinary experience working in many top restaurants in Europe including Perignon in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King in Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
.
In 1995, aged 20, he moved to the United Kingdom to work in The Orchard Restaurant in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the Cambio Restaurant in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Around this time, he served a prison sentence for burglary of Paul Young's house.
Business
D'Acampo co-owns Bontà Italia Ltd., a supplier of Italian ingredients and has a careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
in the development of ready meals, beginning with the Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Finest range. This experience led to his first engagement as a guest on Great Food Live
Great Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
on UKTV Food
UKTV Food
Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
and began his television career.
Television career
He shot a TV series for Great Food LiveGreat Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
called Essential Ingredients which focused particularly on Italian ingredients. He became a regular guest on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
before the show moved to ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
under the name Saturday Cooks!
Saturday Cooks!
-Formats:There were different names for the show, depending on which day it aired. The Saturday morning show was called Saturday Cooks!, and the show which currently airs during the week is called Daily Cooks Challenge....
, since when he has also appeared frequently on Daily Cooks!. He regularly features on Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
for BBC 2 and has appeared in his native Italy on La Prova Del Cuoco. In 2005, he starred in Chef v Britain with Claire Sweeney
Claire Sweeney
Claire Jane Sweeney is an English actress, singer and television personality best known for playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside and her appearance on the first series of the Reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.-Early Life:Sweeney was born in Walton, Liverpool...
and also travelled around Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
shooting his own show, An Italian in Mexico for UKTV Food
UKTV Food
Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
. A second series began airing in 2007.
D'Acampo appears regularly on This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
and Too Many Cooks
Too Many Cooks (TV series)
Too Many Cooks was a cookery competition on ITV which turns the idea of cookery shows on its head – the people cook for the chefs.It's a chance for great home cooks to prove themselves to the professionals, or be put in their place if their cooking is not up to scratch – contestants often turn out...
as well as The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show was a daytime television show broadcast on Five on weekday mornings between June 2003 and April 2004, produced by Chris Evans' company UMTV. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin....
for Five.
He participated in and won the 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!. After the show, he and fellow contestant Stuart Manning
Stuart Manning
Stuart Bernard Manning is an English actor and model.He is best known for the role of Russ Owen in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, which he played from 2004 until 2009....
were charged by the Australian police with animal cruelty, for killing and cooking a rat on the show. However, the charges were later dropped after ITV accepted responsibility for the incident.
On the 15th December 2009 he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
as a guest.
D'Acampo has also been a guest on Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
four times.
D'Acampo also appeared on Celebrity Grime Fighters.
On 27th January 2011 D'Acampo cooked gammon and Italian mushy peas completely naked on This Morning following the show's success at the National Television Awards. D'Acampo had previously stated that he would cooked naked if the show won an NTA.
D'Acampo is currently filming a new TV programme for ITV network called 'There's No Taste Like Home'.
D'Acampo will be travelling to 30 different parts of the UK for the series. In each show he’ll meet three home cooks, each boasting a treasured recipe that has been passed down through their family for generations - http://www.itv.com/beontv/theresnotastelikehome/default.html
From 8 August to 2 September 2011 D'Acampo, along with Melanie Sykes
Melanie Sykes
Melanie Ann Sykes is an English television presenter and model.-Career:Melanie Sykes was born to an English father, and an Anglo-Indian mother. She first came to public attention as the bikini-clad girl in the Boddingtons beer advertisements with the broad "Northern" accent in the mid-1990s...
, hosts a daytime cooking and chat programme on ITV, Let's Do Lunch With Gino and Mel.
Books
He is the author of five books published by Kyle Cathie: Fantastico! (2007), Buonissimo! (2008), The Italian Diet (2010), " Gino's Pasta " (2011) and " Italian Home Baking " (2011) .Other work
He still stays true to simple Italian cuisine and often returns to the Luigi de Medici College to give talks to students and do live demonstrations. He is a member of the Federazione Italiana Cuochi and the Associazione Professionale Cuochi Italiani. He was involved in the Gala Dinner for Pavarotti in 2002 and a private party for the Italian Ambassador.Personal life
He lives with his wife Jessica, whom he married in 2002; the couple have two sons.He is a fan of the rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
.