Anna Venturi, Managing Director
What do I love most in life? Good company, great food, entertaining, working in a creative and friendly environment and hot Sicilian summers.
My professional interest in food really began when I first came to England from Milan. I remember being at a food show and watching a celebrated chef prepare a simple tomato sauce. The audience seemed really impressed. I thought this is mad- people don’t understand how easy it is to make good, simple food. I felt I had a lot to offer in this field and so, in 1993, set up a small cookery class from my home kitchen in Buckinghamshire, sharing the recipes passed down to me from my grandmother, mother and nanny.
The classes began to outgrow my kitchen and led to me opening the ‘Italian Secrets’ cookery school in Beaconsfield which was later expanded to include a catering service and gourmet shop. I was also asked to write a book based on the recipes I shared and ‘Secrets from an Italian Kitchen’ was published in 2000 by Pavilion Books.
Ten years experience in teaching people how to cook has taught me a lot about food and even more about human relationships. Primarily it has made me realise that cooking is one of the best ways of bringing people together. I measure the success of my business by the reactions I get from people on a daily basis. Seeing everyone relaxing and having fun is what makes Italian Secrets so special for me.
Letizia Tufari, Director
I have always been very driven career-wise, even as a girl I dreamed of being the sales director of a multi-national company. After several years working in the States and in London for a large pharmaceutical firm, my dream was well on the way to becoming true. Surprisingly for me, it didn’t feel right. It started to dawn on me that I wasn’t interested in my boss’ job or in climbing a corporate ladder. I realised that I wanted my skills and hard work to make a tangible impact on the company I was working for, which I could recognise and be proud of. What I needed was a friend with a small business…
My mum already had an established business in Beaconsfield teaching women classic Italian cooking. Our family has a real culture of cooking and, like her, it has always been in my blood. Although I was slightly apprehensive about the prospect of working with my mother I saw an opportunity to forge a new career around something I was truly passionate about.
Going into business with my mum has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things that I have done. We’re a feisty duo but we work well together. The development of Italian Secrets has been particularly interesting for me as I can see my previous life in the business people we work with. I can appreciate both the challenges and the pressures of their ‘nine to fives’ and can share how effective the smell of rising pizza dough can be as a stress reliever!
Caroline Wade, PR Manager
I have worked in public relations since 2002. The first press sell-in I ever did was to the news and features sections of the national press announcing a competition for overweight cats and dogs. My boss at the time told me not to bother with The Financial Times but it’s my philosophy that ‘it’s not what you sell it’s the way that you sell it’ and a picture of an overweight Boxer made the FT’s front page.
Since then I have worked for a number of the UK’s leading brands from retail and fashion to corporate and FMCG. I discovered Italian Secrets when looking for a new role which would allow me to get a better work/art balance. I have been an artist since I can remember and when I am not promoting the mouth-watering work taking place in Wandsworth I paint portraits.
The company has been a fantastic fit for me which is more than I can say about my jeans which I have now had to abandon in favour of the chocolate-filled peaches in the fridge.
Clare Miller, Administrator and Events Co-ordinator
After almost two years working in a media consultancy it was time for a change of direction. It was by chance that I came to work with Anna and Letizia. Since spending a year studying and working in Florence I have always had a soft spot for Italian culture and food so could not turn down this work opportunity.
My role at Italian Secrets involves assisting with the overall running of the company’s corporate cookery programme and co-ordinating our private event bookings. The events are often a challenge! Generally, I am responsible for large teams of waiting staff as well as the logistics of the event itself from booking the venue to managing deliveries (including ice sculptures!) I enjoy doing everything in my power to make an event a success- even if that means alphabetising 250 mini champagne bottles in 20 minutes!
Aside from the gourmet food, one of the best parts of my job is getting to meet and work with so diverse a group of people. I have been exposed to the secrets of sushi making and have seen the most high-flying of business people get excited about creating meringues. Thanks to Anna and Letizia’s unshakeable Milanese roots I can now also understand most things in Italian and I enjoy the new status of ‘dinner party queen’ amongst my friends.
Mark Williams, Head Chef
Cooking has always been my passion but it was not until recently that it became part of my working life. My professional career started at the Royal Mail as a counter clerk, working up to become one of the company’s senior mangers. Whilst I was proud of what I had achieved I realised that the happiest moments in my week revolved around going home, cooking a meal and learning new recipes. I have always believed that the more you enjoy a job the better a job you do and it became important enough to inspire a dramatic career change.
In 2004 I began full time catering training at Leith’s School of Food and Wine after 15 years of being an enthusiastic cook. I followed this by gaining experience in a number of restaurants. In 2005 I was thrilled to join Italian Secrets as Head Chef. Unlike previous positions, this role meant that I could rediscover my excitement for cooking everyday as I taught those who had not had the benefit of culinary training. The wide-eyed amazement of people when they experience even the most simple of recipes is pure gold.
The job also involves being in charge of catering teams for corporate and private parties and I am a real perfectionist when it comes to getting food just right. Nothing beats the feeling of sending out 300 chocolate fondants that are ready to melt in the mouth.
Enrico Bassi, Italian chef
I was born in Sicily to a large family and my mother always involved us in the process of creating delicious, homely meals. Despite this, when I announced aspirations to open my own cured meat shop, (inspired by a lifelong passion for mortadella) my parents were not too impressed. With my siblings training in architecture and following my father into teaching, I eventually compromised by signing up to catering college.
I am now a chef specialising in Italian cuisine and have had some amazing culinary experiences. In London I have had the opportunity to work for San Lorenzo and Isola in Knightsbridge and for the Ivy Group at Daphne’s.
My time at Daphne’s was a defining experience. My expertise was honed and I was given the role of training more junior members of the team. It became clear that I did, after all, have my family's teaching gene as I realised how much I enjoyed passing on my knowledge of food to others.
I joined Venturi’s Table in 2007 and I am thrilled to combine fantastic cooking with a chance to teach. It is very rewarding when I know I have made a difference. Last week I showed a vegetarian a simple aubergine and tomato dish and she was so inspired she decided to hold her first dinner party.
Mehernosh Mody, Indian chef
I am a Parsee from Bombay, India and an avid fan of rock music and traveling. I am at heart a simple bloke who loves eating my wife’s cooking who is an incredible chef in her own right. Although we both trained together she now manages the business while I am the gentleman in “whites.”
After years of training and experience both in India and abroad I am currently the Corporate Chef at London’s prestigious “La Porte des Indes,” a fine dining Indian restaurant.
Whilst I remain true to my traditions and the origins of Indian cuisine, I have achieved my own unique style of cooking which is best described as progressive. I particularly enjoy blending spices, flavours and experimenting with unusual foods. At the moment I revel in educating my five year old daughter on the taste and smell of ingredients. Zana never ceases to amaze us with her knowledge of food and spices and I love taking her to markets with me. Besides this, I enjoy the attention on the school run which comes with cooking on television.
I believe anyone can cook; all you need is passion and someone to share your meal!
Kasia Czarkowska, Kitchen Manager
I came to London from Poland in 2005 to learn English and I came across Italian Secrets by chance. At first I was helping out in the kitchen but I soon got the opportunity to do some cooking which was fantastic. I really like the philosophy of the company and enjoy working in a food orientated environment.
Since I started I have proved that hardwork, determination and being well organised does pay off. I am now the Kitchen Manager and am pleased to say that our kitchens were recently awarded five stars in food safety and hygiene by the Food Standards Agency.
The perk of my job has definitely been the priceless lessons I have learnt about cooking. I often get the chance to help prepare food for Italian Secrets’ events and am really proud of my new ability to make meringues!
