Lucio Galletto

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Lucio Galletto - Online Italian cooking class Liguria

Lucio Galletto grew up in a family of restaurateurs, his parents opening a small beachside kiosk on the eastern Italian Riviera in the 1940s, which evolved into a 200-seat restaurant, Capannina Ciccio, still run by his cousin Mario. Lucio earned pocket money waiting tables, before following his heart to Australia in 1977 when he married the vivacious Sally. They opened the first Lucio’s in Balmain in 1981, moving it to Paddington a couple of years later, where it remained for 38 years (closing in January 2021).

Neighbouring artists soon cottoned on to Lucio’s seriously good food and hospitality and made it their local. When Lucio framed a scribble Sidney Nolan left behind on one of his dockets, Nolan was so flattered that he presented Lucio with a painting, and so Lucio’s fabulous art collection began and, over the years, the walls of the sunny corner terrace became covered with canvases large and small by Australian artists including John Olsen, Tim Storrier, John Beard, Garry Shead and Luke Sciberras.

Lucio’s Paddington may be closed, but the great food and wine – and warm hospitality – live on with the next generation. Lucio & Sally’s son, Matteo, and his wife Dieuwke now run Lucio’s Marina in Noosa.

Join Lucio in the Kitchen

 

Listen to Lucio’s playlist of favourite tunes to cook to.

Experience & Explore

Try these extra recipes from our Month on the Italian Riviera Inspired by Lucio:


Here’s why Lucio’s Italian Restaurant will always be remembered as one of Sydney’s finest dining experiences.

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Recipe Video

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Chef Q&A

What was your favourite dish your mother cooked?

I always loved my mother’s testaroli con pesto; it’s such a traditional dish from my region. I hadn’t thought about for years then on a trip back to Liguria we had it and I decided to introduce it to the menu at  Lucio’s.

Tell us about Lucio's Marina.

As much as I tried to talk my children out of pursuing a life in hospitality, I guess it’s in their blood. So when we closed Lucio’s Paddington after almost 40 years, my son Matteo and his wife opened Lucio’s Marina in Noosa. Some of the artwork that hung in paddington is there, and a couple of the signature dishes like the fresh green tagliolini with crab, but they’ve also made it very much their own with a raw seafood bar and a great cocktail list.

Have a look for yourself at www.luciosmarina.com

What did you enjoy most about being a restaurateur?

The people! I love being in a room full of people sharing a meal with their family and friends. It’s energising to be part of that, and I especially enjoyed preparing and serving dishes tableside like our salt-baked fish and the pesto pounded in a traditional Ligurian marble mortar at the table.

What do you think is the most important element of Italian cooking?

The produce. It needs to be fresh, seasonal and top quality – then it requires very little to be done to it. Keep it simple, cook with love and share your table with family and friends often. And pour a glass of Italian pinot grigio when you do it!

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
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We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken from the Chinese class the other night. Once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better than going out to restaurants as the recipes and quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
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The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
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Your recipes are something I always feel confident offering guests and also reasonable in the time to prepare. We often try your recommended wines and suppliers and enjoy your travel tales too!
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
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Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to. And I love listening to the themed playlist while cooking.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
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I am absolutely loving Be Inspired! There are ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
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Awesome fun traveling through Emilia-Romagna experiencing first hand some of the produce I've worked with over the last couple of years cooking with Roberta's classes – the family are reaping the benefits now.
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
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Food, wine and travel! Three of my favourite things! Be Inspired with Roberta has been a wonderful experience and given me more confidence in the kitchen. I have learnt so much, cooked things I never would have attempted without Roberta’s excellent videos, and used ingredients I have never tried before.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
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I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from Roberta's online cooking classes. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
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