Bottega - Manchester

The San Carlo story begins in Sicily, the birthplace of our chairman Carlo Distefano. A tale of entrepreneurial success, Carlo arrived in Britain in 1962 aged 17, with £12 in his pocket, a work permit and the promise of a job at a barbershop.

A self-confessed workaholic, by the age of 20, Carlo opened his first joint business venture, a hairdressing salon in Leeds; he also had interests in a coffee bar and disco. But food was always to be Carlo’s primary passion, working six or seven days a week, any free time would be spent in London where he’d dine at the most lauded restaurants in the city – including the Savoy, the Dorchester and Simpsons. It was here that Carlo’s passion for great food, style and service became his driving force.

In a world of chain operators and centralised kitchens, the San Carlo restaurant group remains defiantly independent. Each award winning Italian restaurant headed up by its own team of skilled chefs and management and working with only the best Italian seasonal produce – all underpinned by one thing – a passion for great food, service and style.

Now, after thirty years and still working seven days a week, Carlo has overseen the dramatic expansion of the business which has flourished to employ more than 1,000 people across the globe and won more than thirty industry and consumer awards.