Origins of Carlo Scotto

After finding refuge from a troubled childhood in a Naples restaurant, Carlo made London his home and worked in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay, Angela Hartnett and the Galvin Brothers before opening Amethyst

R a g ù

I grew up in Napoli. As an Italian, you grow up with the food of your nonna, who cooks for the whole family, and I always remember waking up to three smells: coffee, fresh baked bread and the ragù that my nonna was cooking. Such nostalgic smells for me, and it’s beautiful because it’s like you wake up in a kitchen rather than a bedroom.

Don Salvatore

When I was younger, we had a family tragedy [his mother lost a son in childbirth] and I got very angry, and became a different person. I got in trouble with the law and I had to make a choice – get a job or carry on down the same path. As punishment for something I’d done, the courts made me find a job, even at 13, to do outside of school, and I found work at a restaurant, a Michelin-starred one, Don Salvatore.

Michelin Guidance

It was Italian, with a French technique, and I worked my way up, from cleaning plates to washing lettuce to cooking a little bit – and then you find yourself next to someone who really cooks. By the time I was 16, I knew that was what I wanted to be – I remember looking at the Michelin plaque and thinking, ‘Wow, imagine if I could have one of those one day.’

London

At that point I went to London. I’d had friends that had died or gone to jail, and I knew I could’ve been next, so I decided the kitchen was my safe place – it still is today, at 37 – and that was the route I wanted to go down. I visited for a week, then I went back to Italy, finished school, and decided to move to England permanently. It’s been my home ever since.

Gordon Ramsay

When I first worked with Angela Hartnett, Murano was still part of Gordon Ramsay’s group. Everybody wanted to be Gordon Ramsay, with all the shouting and abuse in the kitchen – I’ve got the scars on my body to prove that! But that era taught us discipline – it was harder, but it was better. Today, everybody wants the life, but doesn’t have the will to learn.

Angela Hartnett

I was the youngest in the kitchen, but Angela put me in meat and fish, which was the hardest section. I was making so many mistakes. She came to me and said, ‘What’s up?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know, I just can’t keep up.’ I was ready to give up and she felt it. She stopped, looked at me – she never screamed in the kitchen, she didn’t need an audience – and said, ‘Listen, if you weren’t that good, I would never put you in this section, so get your shit together.’ I never made a mistake from that moment; I became a different chef. I became the chef I am now.

Squid

I moved to Japan and lived with a family for two weeks who couldn’t speak any English, but I wanted to know their culture. I’d go to places to learn about sushi, and how they make it up to suit your right and left hand. I also ate a live squid – that was horrible. I could feel the tentacles still moving in my throat.

Local flavours

I’ve been inspired by the cultures I’ve seen around the world. If you see the world as a kitchen, all the cultures have ingredients. Being in different kitchens around the world, I was more interested in cultures. For me, seeing all the families, what they’re cooking, the traditions, the manners, the hospitality – that’s what I wanted to bring to my restaurant.

Global cuisine

I would love to have an Amethyst in every major city in the world. I’d want to do more courses from around the world too – my dream is to do a 50-course menu, but nobody is ready for that! There are so many cultures I’d like to put on a plate. Then, when someone came to my restaurant, I could take them around the world in one night.