Paolo Cillo head chef at Il Forno _320
"At Il Forno, we try to encourage people to take their time and enjoy the social element of a meal – as well as the food, of course!"
Paolo brings a mix of innovation and creativity to the traditional Italian fare at Il Forno. He designs all the specials on offer, taking traditional Italian dishes and giving them an innovative twist.
"I’ve never had any authorities to follow," he says, "so I’ve been lucky enough to be able to innovate and experiment with my food, and see what works best for me."
What works best for Paolo obviously works well for Il Forno – as, in a recent review by respected food bible Taste Italia, the restaurant scooped a fantastic 17 marks out of 20.
Despite having dabbled in a range of different cooking styles and traditions, from fusion cookery to Japanese sushi, Paolo says his heart, and his palate, remain close to his roots, and there’s nothing he loves more than a really traditional Italian dish.
A particular favourite is cannelloni crespelle, cooked by his brother in their family restaurant.
"I love the real warm Italian pasta dishes, cooked fresh, with local produce; it is simple, wonderful family food."
He counts Italian chef Leonardo di Clemente, head chef at The Four Seasons Hotel, among his major influences.
Although, right now, running his own restaurant and working at Il Forno takes up most of his time, Paolo has big ambitions for the future: "I’d really like to become a restaurateur with a large chain of Italian restaurants. I’d like to experience the business aspect, as well as the culinary side."
And, even though he has left his restaurant, his family and his fiancee back in Italy, he jokes that he doesn’t really miss them.
What he does miss is the weather. However, he hopes to bring a little corner of southern Italian sunshine to Liverpool with his food.