David Thomas is opening Pane Olio in Rhiwbina, Cardiff
David Thomas is opening new restaurant Pane Olio in Rhiwbina, Cardiff (Image: Pane Olio)
A Cardiff man who chose to leave a career in structural engineering behind, moving to Italy to follow his dream of becoming a chef, is about to open the doors to his first restaurant in the village he grew up. Pane Olio – the Italian translation of bread and oil – is set to officially open its doors mid June, with preparations having taken place to transform the building, at Rhiwbina in Cardiff, since November.
The new eatery will be a deli and restaurant, inspired by its owner and chef David Thomas’s time spent in Italy. Mr Thomas moved to Tuscany to follow his dream of becoming a chef, travelling from north to south of the country, working in hotspots like Florence along the way.
And it was a brave move at the time, leaving behind a career in structural engineering at the time as he felt he had a “duty to himself” to give his desired career path a try. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
Mr Thomas said: “I was a structural engineer but I always had a long, burning desire to become a chef. At the age of 25 I decided to follow that path and I did a cooking course in Barry.
“I felt I had a duty to myself, really, to do what I wanted to do. It would have been a great career being in structural engineering, but it wasn’t what I desired to do. I wanted to at least try it.
“From Barry, I went to Abergavenny to work for Stephen Terry at The Hardwick one day a week. I worked there for two and a half years, and from there I chose to go and work in Italy.
“Originally I was only going to go for six months, but I ended up staying there for eight and a half years. The plan was always to come back home and open my own restaurant, but the longer I was out there, the more I wasn’t coming back.
“But then Covid happened. Italy got hit pretty hard by the pandemic, and I had to make a decision. I left my wife and child in Italy, as we were initially only going to be six months apart, but ended up being 18 months apart, as the war in Ukraine started and the passport decision making office went on close.
“It was a crazy time because I was over here, and my wife was over there, pregnant, with our boy of two years of age as well. It was a tough period. I was working in Casanova, a small Italian restaurant in town (Quay Street) where I had a great time working, and would have stayed there, but this opportunity came up in Rhiwbina in a brilliant location which naturally lends itself to being able to showcase the produce we’ll be cooking, whilst offering people the opportunity to buy that same produce.
“It was what I’d deem as a perfect place.”
Outside the new restaurant, which is set to open in the middle of June(Image: Pane Olio)
Mr Thomas, a former Whitchurch High School pupil who was born and bred in Rhiwbina, said he was looking forward to officially opening the doors of his new Heol-y-Deri business to the public.
It will be the first restaurant of his own, marking a big moment in his culinary career.
He said: “I’ve worked in food since I was 25, and I’m now 39. I’m at the point in my life where I’m ready to open my own restaurant. It’s going to a very traditional, authentic Italian.
“With all the experience I’ve got and with everything I did, it’s pointless we doing a cliched British Italian or American Italian restaurant. It will be authentically Italian, and people can look forward to salamis, cheeses, prosciutto, olives, focaccia, lots of wine, cocktails, and lots more.
“I’ll be in the back, cooking up a few dishes and supporting the business that way. The main emphasis will be on charcuterie.
“For me, personally, it’s very exciting, especially now we’re coming to the very end of the project with all the finishing touches coming in. The tables are there, the chairs are there, and it is about things like choosing your table cloths, your cutlery, your crockery, so it is the nice part now seeing your vision coming together.
“We’re going to be opening up Tuesday to Saturday, and we’ll be doing Sunday lunch once a month Italian style and apéritifo – drinks and nibbles.”
Mr Thomas added that it was a moment to reflect on how much he and his family, wife Ervina and children George and Mia-Grace, now reunited in Cardiff, had overcome.
“This is a massive positive and a massive step in our lives,” he added.
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Dining and Cooking