Salvi’s owner, Festa Italiana head honcho, and stalwart of the Manchester food scene Maurizio Cecco has announced his brand-new podcast Becoming a Manc; a sneak peek behind the scenes of the hospitality industry via a series of honest and open conversations with the owners of some of the city’s best concepts, brands, and venues.
The first three-episode mini-series is out now and sees Maurizio chew the, impeccably cooked and perfectly seasoned, fat with Marcello Distefano, managing director of one of the UK’s largest family-owned restaurant groups San Carlo, Claudio Ribeiro, founder of the ever-popular brunch spot Federal Cafe, and one half of the brother-sister duo behind modern Chinese takeaway concept blending eastern and western influences Salt & Pepper, Cash Tao.
Manchester is known for its burgeoning food and drink scene with new concepts opening up and expanding in all corners of the city and its suburbs; we see them on social media, fall in love with their delicious looking offerings, and pay them a visit, ticking off our ‘places-to-try’ lists that have been meticulously put together with our mates in WhatsApp groups in the process.
Becoming a Manc is here to help us understand where the concepts come from, the journey of the people who created them, the passion and hard work that has been poured into them to get to the point where we salivate over their Reels online, and the massive obstacles that have been overcome for them to be accepted in Manchester and survive in such a competitive industry; as Maurizio says: “In Manchester it’s raining all the time. If you stop, you get wet. If you run, it’s fine.”
With over 30 years of experience in the Manchester hospitality industry, Maurizio has seen it all and knows exactly what it takes to become a Manc; with his warm charm, wry smile, and knack of asking all the right questions, he and his guests take us with them as they talk about their inspirational experiences of surviving (and laughing!) through the devastating impacts of Brexit, the pandemic, and a cost of living crisis, as well the hard work and sacrifice required to make their customers happy, and nearly killing the Incredible Hulk… that one needs to be heard to be believed.
In episode one, Marcello Distefano of the San Carlo Group tells the story of how his father came to England from Italy in 1964 with no money and originally opened San Carlo in Birmingham alongside some partners in 1992 before going it alone in Manchester in 2005, which was a “turning point for the brand” as it is currently going global. He also talks about Brexit and how after it, for the first time in over 50 years in the UK, his father “felt like an immigrant”, something that Maurizio could also relate to.
Episode two sees Claudio Ribeiro of Federal Cafe speak of his arrival in Manchester from Portugal in 2011 ahead of opening his first site in 2014; he had taken inspiration from the Australian cafe culture during his time there on his travels and noticed that there was a gap in the market for a brunch spot that was less corporate but still high quality. He claims that Federal was “the first place to do avocado on toast” in the city and how he loves Manchester because “the people are different here”. There are now three Federal Cafes in the city centre and a coffee van in Altrincham with a vision of expanding across the UK and, with infectious drive and determination, Claudio advises anyone with a concept and a dream of working for themselves to “just do it”.
In episode three, Cash Tao of Salt & Pepper takes us through the history of their hugely popular concept from his grandparents’ and parents’ traditional takeaways to he and his sister Chloe’s own fusion of eastern and western tastes, the power of social media in building a brand, and reveals that, following a successful stint in the Arndale’s food market, the shopping centre “tried to charge us £100k for them to install an extraction system”, something which led to them leaving the premises and, through hard work and a Manc spirit, coming back with a flourishing flagship restaurant across the road.
Maurizio Cecco says: “I love Manchester! It is my home and I am so proud to be a part of the hospitality industry here; it is absolutely thriving. Becoming a Manc will give you a little sneak peek behind the scenes and show you how hard business owners have worked to survive and provide you with some of the best food and drink in the city.
“We all do what we do because we are passionate about hitting high standards and pleasing our customers but it is not always easy, and some very funny things happen along the way! I hope that getting the inside track on some of your favourite restaurants will make you love them even more.”
Maurizio Cecco landed in Manchester in 1992 after he finished catering college in Sorrento, Naples. His teacher had a friend with a restaurant in Manchester so he sent Maurizio to work there for six months in order to learn some English ahead of his dream of travelling the world. Maurizio instantly loved Manchester, made it his permanent home, met his wife and business partner Claire and his life changed forever.
Together, Maurizio and Claire spotted a gap in the English market for authentic, high quality Italian produce and the Salvi’s (named after Maurizio’s dad, Salvatore) idea was born. Maurizio heard about a unit to let in the Corn Exchange, the Salvi’s Deli found a home and the rest is history; they now have three successful restaurants in the city centre and their celebration of Italian food and drink Festa Italiana welcomes around 40,000 people each year.
The first 3-episode mini-series is available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, with more to be released soon:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/becoming-a-manc/id1739378746
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IQGzkP4FNIIMJCBMn1HV1?si=3e57a1a482f54505
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BecomingAManc0161
