“We’re a family business, our ethos is very much family and food”
The Italian Club Bakery opened its doors on Duke Street this week (Image: Iain Watts/Liverpool Echo)
A family behind two of the city’s much loved Italian restaurants have opened a new bakery.
The Italian Club Bakery opened its doors on Duke Street this week as a steady stream of customers piled through the doors. The bakery is the family’s third business in the city centre – joining The Italian Club and The Italian Fish Restaurant, both based on Bold Street.
Scottish Italian Rosaria Crolla, 45, moved to Liverpool 20 years ago from Glasgow and fell in love with the city. Rosaria, whose parents Valter and Maria are from Picinisco, comes from a family who have worked in the hospitality industry for generations.
She opened the Italian Club restaurant on Bold Street back in 2006 with her partner chef Maurizio Pellegrini, 49, who is from Bari in Southern Italy. The Italian Club Fish opened three years later, with both restaurants becoming known for their authentic Italian food.
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Rosaria’s sister Gabriella Crolla, 37, told the ECHO: “We’re a family business, our ethos is very much family and food. We’ve got chip shops in Scotland, we’ve always been in that trade.
“Our dad was a chef, my sister has married a chef, I’ve married a chef, so it’s in our blood and we like to eat. It’s been a progression slowly, slowly but it’s been received so well by the people of Liverpool – they do like their food.
“We wanted to expand what we do in the restaurant so you can have it at home as well. My brother in law is a bread maker and we have a pastry chef.
“We had all of those people with their talents, they were serving the restaurants, and we just thought it’s time to dedicate a venue to those people to show what they can do.”
All of the produce at the bakery is homemade, from pistachio filled doughnuts to almond tarts and freshly baked bread. The business was previously based on New Islington off Bold Street before it closed during the pandemic.
The family were looking for bigger premises to expand the bakery and accommodate indoor seating. Gabriella said: “We wanted people to be able to sit in and have that feel of a bakery where they can come and have a glass of wine, and a plate of pasta if they want as well.
“It’s been a long road since covid and it’s not been easy financially, a lot of businesses know it’s not been easy. It’s taken longer than it should have because you always end up having wee snags along the road but opening today makes it all worth it.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the warmth of people in the street it’s been unbelievable.”
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