Sowing the seeds

From Hollywood to healthyliving……

The tasty Italian dishes made and served at Bellini Restaurant in Edinburgh proved so popular with diners that owner Gina Giubarelli decided to help others re-create them. The Bellini Cookery School was launched in 2003 to teach customers how to prepare and cook their favourite meals.

Chef Angelo Cimini, who trained in Arbruzzo, Italy, develops the dishes and bases them all on classic, mouth-watering Italian favourites. Several celebrities have also given Chef Angelo their seal of approval; he has cooked for many famous guests including Sofia Loren, Clint Eastwood, rock group REM and Gloria Estefan, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed their meals!

Both Gina and Angelo are passionate about the food they serve and insist that all dishes are freshly made using the finest of fresh Scottish produce combined with authentic Italian ingredients, and absolutely no additives or preservatives. Both believe that this is why their restaurant is so popular.

Gina said, “Guests are always amazed by the difference in taste that they experience in our food. We receive many compliments about the distinctive, delicious flavours from made-to-order, natural food. We make all our own sauces, breads, flavoured oils and sweets too. Because of our passion for fresh food and fine ingredients, it seemed only natural to apply for the healthyliving award when we heard about it.” In doing so, they became the first cookery school in Scotland to achieve the healthyliving award.

Bellini Cookery School holds classes on various topics including fresh pasta making, regional Italian cooking, dinner parties and fish and shellfish for beginners and gourmet. Many different types of cooks attend the classes - retired people, children, busy parents and dedicated Italophiles. The philosophy adopted by the cookery school is one that wholeheartedly advocates healthy eating, and achievement of the healthyliving award supports this approach.

Gina explained, “To achieve the award, we did have to substitute some ingredients and change some of our preparation methods, but never to compromise the quality or taste of the food. Sometimes the fastest way to prepare food is not always the healthiest. We used Chef Angelo’s extensive knowledge of Italian cooking to address all the issues that we faced by using different cooking methods or using different herbs or products for flavouring.”


Chef Angelo and owner Gina Giubarelli.

Half of the recipes offered in the cookery school classes are healthyliving recipes, and Gina feels that gaining the healthyliving award provides a definite advantage. She said, “From a personal point of view, it has made me more aware of what is needed to eat more healthily. From a business point of view, people who attend classes want to cook and learn about cooking. Having the award gives them the option and a clear explanation of how to cook more healthily if they want to.”

All the people who attend the Cookery School share a love of cooking and good food. With more people attending every day, Gina and Angelo feel they are helping their customers to appreciate and be more aware of healthy food.

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issue seven: August 2008
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The healthyliving awardNHS Health Scotland - Scotland's health improvement agencyHealthier Scotland - Scottish GovernmentHealthier Scotland - Scottish Government