Calabria · Private chefs · London
Calabrian private chef in London
A chef from Calabria cooking the food of Italy's toe in your kitchen: chilli, cured pork, wild fennel and pasta rolled by hand.
The cooking
Mountains, two seas and a lot of chilli
Calabria is the toe of Italy, with mountains that run almost to the sea on both coasts. Its cooking is the most fiery in the country: peperoncino goes into cured meats, sauces and the oil kept on the table. It is also a kitchen built on preserving, with tomatoes and peppers dried in the sun, vegetables under oil, 'nduja, soppressata and capocollo.
The ingredients are specific to place: sweet red onions from Tropea, bergamot grown on the coast near Reggio, liquorice from Rossano, swordfish from the Strait of Messina, potatoes and mushrooms from the Sila plateau. A Calabrian chef cooks the food of their own village, and the heat is always adjustable.
Signature dishes
What a Calabrian chef cooks
'Nduja
Soft, spreadable spicy pork salami from Spilinga, eaten on bread or melted into sauces.
Fileja
Pasta twisted by hand around a thin rod, served with 'nduja and tomato or a slow ragù.
Peperoni e patate
Peppers and potatoes fried slowly together in olive oil: the everyday dish of the region.
Melanzane ripiene
Aubergines stuffed with their own flesh, bread, cheese and egg, baked in tomato.
Pesce spada alla bagnarota
Swordfish from Bagnara with lemon, olive oil, capers and oregano.
Licurdia
A Cosenza soup of onions and potatoes poured over toasted bread with chilli.
Pitta 'mpigliata
Christmas pastry spirals filled with walnuts, raisins, honey and spice.
Sample menu
A Calabrian dinner party in four courses
An example only. Tell us how much heat your guests enjoy; chilli can always be served on the side.
Through the year
Seasonal notes
Winter is pig-curing time in Calabrian villages and the season for chestnuts and mushrooms from the Sila. Bergamot is harvested from late autumn into early spring. In parts of the region Christmas Eve is the dinner of the tredici cose, thirteen dishes including baccalà, fried zeppole and broccoli.
Summer brings aubergines, peppers, tomatoes and swordfish. Your chef cooks with what London has in season and brings in only what matters, such as real 'nduja and Calabrian chilli.
How Venti works
A dinner party with nothing to do
Tell us the occasion
Date, number of guests, allergies, budget. By message, any time of day.
Meet your chef
We match you with a chef born in Calabria and send you their menu to shape together.
They cook, you host
The chef shops, cooks, serves and leaves your kitchen clean.
Venti is opening in London this winter. We are matching our first chefs for this winter, so join the waitlist to be first in line for a Calabrian dinner.
Questions
Frequently asked
What does a Calabrian dinner party at home include?
You agree a menu with a chef from Calabria, usually four courses: antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce. The chef shops for the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen, serves your guests and leaves the kitchen clean. Wine and drinks are your choice.
Is Calabrian food very spicy?
It can be, but it doesn't have to be. Chilli is a seasoning the chef controls: they can keep dishes mild and serve chilli oil and 'nduja on the side so each guest chooses their own heat.
Can the chef cook around allergies and dietary needs?
Yes. The 14 major allergens are confirmed with you before the menu is final, and dishes are adapted or swapped where needed. Tell us early about any allergy, intolerance or dietary rule.
How does booking work, and how many guests can we have?
Venti is not open yet: we are matching our first chefs for this winter. Join the waitlist and tell us the date, number of guests, allergies and budget. From a dinner for two to a larger party, we confirm what works for your kitchen and the chef before anything is agreed.
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