Sicilian Culinary classmates reunited in the UK to bring their fruitful dream to life after a successful expansion of their business, from serving at local food markets to opening a brand new pasta-cafe restaurant.
After two years, cafe owners Giuseppe Cannavo, 31, and Alessio Giummaressi, 30, have made their mark in the Crookes community with their cafe & deli, Made in Sicily, located a few doors down to their new venture, Ciuaru.
Giuseppe said: “A little truck, that was our brand but we want to bring Italy to the UK properly.”
The duo moved to the UK separately, Alessio settled in the UK twelve years ago whilst Giuseppe arrived three years later however both came with the intention to bring their culinary visions to life.
They started five years ago selling their Arancinis at Nether Edge and Sharrow Vale markets, with their Bolognese and Spinach Mozzarella being a crowd favourite .
In 2024, Alessio and Giuseppe soon found a unit in Crookes to expand their business even further, diverting from being a mobile business to something “stable and everyday” – a cafe & deli.
However, discovered that their first month officially open as a cafe under the name “Heart of Sicily” was challenging due to a slow down in the business. This led to the cafe closing down for a month before reopening into the 2025 New Year with a new change of brand and a new look, “Made in Sicily” which has since then “been a blast” and have served regular customers within the area including their very own next door business neighbours along the road too.
Alessio said: “We treat them more than a friend, than a customer, we wanted make our space feel homely”
The new pasta-cafe restaurant aims to bring classic pasta dishes with a variety of sauces, gluten free and vegan options in order to make their Sicilian roots as accessible as they can to the community.
Niki, a barista at neighbouring vegetarian business, Dana Cafe, added: “We’re buzzing for them to open, we love fresh pasta and it’s just great to get food from different places.”
Despite their previous challenges, the pair have undertaken the renovation of the new restaurant themselves however have maintained their determination and aim to open their restaurant by the end of March.
