Jason Maimone, the Head Chef at Volare Restaurant in Southport, has been honoured as the winner of the Up & Coming Chef title at the UK Italian Awards 2026.
Jason, 35, was awarded the prestigious accolade at the 10th Italian Awards UK Gala Final Dinner at the Marriott Hotel in Mayfair, London.
Volare was also Highly Recommended in the Best Restaurant in North West of England category.
This year’s event saw businesses from across the UK competing for titles such as Best Chef, Best Pizza, Best Mixologist and more.
They are two more huge accolades for the multi award-winning Volare restaurant, which was crowned the UK’s Best Restaurant at The UK SBA Small Business Awards in London in January this year.
They also collected the People’s Choice Restaurant of the Year title at the Your Southport Stars Awards for the past two years running.
Jason Maimone (right), the Head Chef at Volare Restaurant in Southport, has won the title of Up & Coming Chef at the UK Italian Awards 2026 while Volare has won Highly Recommended in the Best Restaurant in North West of England category to the delight of owner Onofrio Maimone (left)
Volare restaurant owner Onofrio Maimone said:
“I am very proud of my son!
“He really deserves this as he has been working very hard from day one!
“Finally, this will give confidence to our regular and prospective customers that the standards are kept to the usual level, if not better.
“As a family business we strive to keep going with the same enthusiasm and determination that has kept us going for the last 19 years.”
Volare was opened in 2007 by Onofrio Maimone and his wife Cinzia Lopalco, with son Jason Maimone operating as Head Chef.
Due to its growing success, Volare expanded into the neighbouring building in 2023, creating what it is today – modern but classic, bigger but still keeping its cosy family atmosphere.
At the start of this season they announced a successful partnership with Southport Football Club, where they provide hospitality on matchdays.
Volare has always been a huge supporter of the local community and local initiatives in a variety of ways.
Jason Maimone, the Head Chef at Volare Restaurant in Southport, has won the title of Up & Coming Chef at the UK Italian Awards 2026 while Volare has won Highly Recommended in the Best Restaurant in North West of England category
Jason Maimone said:
“I am very happy that Volare has won Highly Recommended for Best Italian in the North West – especially to have brought these trophies back to Southport.
“90% of people at the awards evening didn’t even know of Southport! They do now.
“I am very proud to have done so well!
“We are in this position because of my father Onofrio Maimone and Cinzia, because of their hard work, discipline and sacrifice all these years to get us to where we are today.
“I have played a much bigger role since the beginning of the expansion and hopefully edging closer to taking over with my wife Victoria.
“Winning my Up & Coming Chef Award in the whole of the UK for Italian restaurants has been an amazing achievement for myself considering most of my work is done in the background.
“The judges could see my love for Italian cuisine and how much I want to protect the tradition and lift it into modern times.
Volare in Southport has won the title of the UKs Best Restaurant at the UK SBA Small Business Awards.
Photo by Bertie Cunningham Southport BID
“I couldn’t have done it without my father being the teacher and mentor that he has, not just professionally but personally. He has taught me how to be a man of principle, good morals and shown me by example of how to be consistent and disciplined.
“f course none of my career would be possible without the love and support of my wife Victoria Maimone, who has a harder job than me in my opinion! and of course my boys Luca and Leo, who local people may have seen a lot recently at Southport FC passionately cheering them on!
“Every chef is only as good as his team behind him or her and I have the best team, each and everyone of them!
“We are a young team, with a lot of exciting talent and we have some exciting things to come!
Volare in Southport has won the title of the UKs Best Restaurant at the UK SBA Small Business Awards.
Photo by Bertie Cunningham Southport BID
“I would like to thank everyone that voted for me and Volare and have supported us over the years and still continue to do so.
“Without them none of these awards are possible.”
To the many customers who have enjoyed dining at Volare over the years, all these accolades come as no surprise.
Onofrio Maimone said:
“Volare is very much a family-run restaurant serving authentic Italian food which we cook with passion.
“We course the very best ingredients we can. We import many of them directly from Italy – others are locally sourced, for example from the fish market in Fleetwood.
“We are very proud of our wine selection too with some fantastic Italian wines to savour.
“I grew up and spent my first 25 years in Sicily, and enjoy bringing the very best of authentic Italian cooking to Southport.
“The Italian Government recently honoured us for championing authentic Italian cooking in the UK.
“Working in the hospitality industry is tough, and the margins are getting tighter.
“We survive because we are so passionate about what we do, and because any profits we make we re-invest back into developing the business.
“It’s all about the quality of the experience for our customers, both in terms of the quality of the food and the quality of the service. It’s about looking after every customer and making sure that they really enjoy the time they spend here with us.
“It is about hard work; commitment; and really believing in what we do.”
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Dining and Cooking