PA Photo/Haarala Hamilton
series, and winning I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2009.
A lot has changed since the straight-talking chef – now the owner of 11 restaurants, he says, with four more opening by next summer – spent days slaving over a stove in the male-dominated kitchens of the capital.“I have to say, I’ve seen female chefs that scare me more than a male chef,” he says.“I’ve dealt with female chefs that make Gordon Ramsay look like a p***y, to tell you the truth.” And he’s all in favour of more women rising to the top in every profession:“We should have more women who control countries, [then] we will have less wars around the world.We should have more female chefs, we should be surrounded by more women – I really strongly believe that.“When [women] confront someone, they are not looking for a fight, they are looking for a solution. Men are different – we are always looking [at] who has got the biggest penis. Sorry to say that vulgarly, I don’t know how to explain it.” Now back in the UK after his extended Sardinian summer, D’Acampo will soon be jetting off with pals Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix to shoot the next instalment of their popular Road Trip series.“You only watch 50% of the fun,” says D’Acampo of the show, suggesting that if viewers ever got to witness the unaired footage the consequences would be dire.“First of all, I think we wouldn’t have jobs anymore. Second of all, I think all our wives will leave us!”
Does he ever worry, in the era of cancel culture, that his candid quips or on-screen antics could land him in hot water?
“I’m going to be extremely honest with you – I don’t really care,” he deadpans.“If I care what other people think I’m gonna waste too much time.”
He concludes:“If you’re a nice person, you shouldn’t really care about what you’re going to say because you’re never going to hurt anyone. I think only malicious, bad people have to worry about stuff like that.”
Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make By Gino D’Acampo is published by Bloomsbury, priced £25. Photography by Haarala Hamilton.
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