Recently in Carluccio's Category

Richard Caring, serial restaurant buyer - The Ivy, Le Caprice, J Sheekey and many others is, word has it, looking to take over the Carluccio's chain of cafe restaurants.

Already a major shareholder in the firm, he's no doubt enticed by the remarkable performance of the firm with 42 outlets, and the potential for growth.

Bucking the current trend, a month ago the company posted a 14% rise in half-year sales. But can it go on like this, especially as Signor Antonio said recently that he wanted to get more involved in the business again?

Keep an eye on this one - and other purchases by Caring too that buck the current trend.

Mystery suitor makes approach for Carluccio's >>

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Kitchen Rat hears that Rosie Millard's interview with Antonio Carluccio didn't leave the chef, or the management team at the restaurant chain that takes his name, best pleased.

Millard managed to elicit from Antonio, who made a reported £10m from Carluccio's listing on the Alternative Investment Market in December 2005, the fact that he believes standards at the fast growing chain are slipping and corners are being cut. Hardly the sort of public statement that the ambitious restaurant group is looking for.

Under the headline It's My Name But It's Not My Food, Millard also asked the chef about the knife incident earlier this year that saw him hospitalised and which he maintains was nothing more than an accident.

All in all it paints a picture of a rather sad and lonely old man, all the more unsettling at a time when the majority of the UK is gearing up for festive celebrations.

Although Antonio is no longer a consultant to Carluccio's he remains a fixture on the company's website. Kitchen Rat hears that after a period of inactivity, the bods at Carluccio's have bought foward several projects planned, although not finalised with Antonio, no doubt mindful of their positive PR potential.

Fair to say then that this isn't the final word from Antonio Carluccio.

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