“We are two families of four – we both have two kids. We’re all so proud of each other”
05:00, 19 Oct 2023Updated 09:55, 19 Oct 2023
Giuseppe Spinuso and Marta Gierula and from La Famiglia(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Hidden away on Stanley Street is an award-winning Italian restaurant with family at its core.
Giuseppe Spinuso is the proud owner of La Famiglia, a venue that’s won over the adoration of locals and critics from all over the UK. Across two floors, guests can dine on authentic Italian cuisine that gives the cliches a boot in favour of dishes such as pappardelle burrata and caserecce all’ arrabbiata.
With firm roots in Italy’s Sicily and Sardinia regions, Giuseppe and his family packed up their lives and came to England in 2005 for a new start. He told the ECHO: “After I was educated in school and became a food and beverage manager, I came here to work.
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“I became a bar manager and then a general manager in different companies but it was always my dream to have my own business. In 2018, my wife and I, along with my wife’s sister and her husband decided to open a restaurant because they were also in the industry.”
The decision to call the venue La Famiglia came from the desire to keep the family passion alive and to work together as a supportive unit, with the name directly translating to “the family” in Italian.
La Famiglia provides authentic Italian cuisine(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Giuseppeadded: “We came together to create a mix of Sicilian food and Sardinian hospitality. Our concept and aim was to create a place you would go on holiday but at home. There’s lots of different atmospheres and food in Italy which is why we’ve done something different than your normal pasta in our menu.”
Ditching the “cliches” of spaghetti bolognese and carbonara – dishes Giuseppe stressed are far from authentic Italian – for something more genuine like pappardelle burrata and caserecce all’ arrabbiata, the restaurant landed with something new to Liverpool’s food scene.
La Famiglia opened in September 2019 to rave reviews from customers in one of the busiest times of the year. However, the business was stunted multiple times with the COVID-19 pandemic not long after the company began to make a name for itself.
Giuseppe said: “It was really hard. We came here with nothing but each other so when we had to close down a couple of times, it was scary. We didn’t know if we’d have people coming in again or even wanting to dine out. We had built such a great business here and it was hard to see it go.”
You can find La Famiglia hidden away on Stanley Street(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Although the family were experts running a restaurant from the floor and back of house, owning their own venue came as a drastic change of pace. Giuseppe added: “There’s so much you only learn on the job and when it happens. You care more. You also look after staff more because they’re not just a number they’re a part of the family too. You look after them and you learn that and so much more when you actually own your own place.”
With family such a vital component of La Famiglia’s brand and ethos, young and older generations have thrown all of their support behind its success. He added: “We are two families of four – we both have two kids. My kids, Mario and Maya, are always in the restaurant and you can see all of us and our families in the photos upstairs. We’re all so proud of each other.”
Following the hurdles that come with running your own business and a few curveballs from covid, La Famiglia has won the love of locals and critics from all over the country. La Famiglia has earned six titles including “best new restaurant”, “best chef” and “best family-friendly restaurant” from the Italian Awards.
Giuseppe with the “best family-friend restaurant” award(Image: Liverpool ECHO/Colin Lane)
Other accolades include “best wine selection”, “best restaurant dessert” and “best pasta chef.” Thrilled with the venue’s accomplishments, Giuseppe told the ECHO: “It has been amazing to see everyone support us so much.
“It can be scary being a small family business because we can’t rely on anyone else. To have such a strong community behind us, and regulars that feel like family too, it’s amazing. The awards have been great for us because they allow people to see what we can do but when they come in they see we’re not just any other Italian restaurant, we’re a family, which is why we’re called La Famiglia.”
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