Profile

Aldo Zilli is chef patron of the Zilli Fish group and is one of Soho's most flamboyant restaurateurs. Owner of Zilli Fish (the flagship restaurant), Zilli Café, Zilli Green and Zilli Bar, Aldo is a larger than life personality whose profile has rocketed in recent years.

Biography

Aldo has been a member of the Ready Steady Cook team (BBC 2) attracting viewers in excess of 2 million – a position he was invited to take after his immensely popular episodes for BBC 1’s Sunday Life (Aldo’s episodes were the highest of the series), where he focused on food waste.

The last two years have been great for Aldo with the opening of his wildly successful restaurant, Zilli Green in Soho and two Centre Parcs cafes not to mention the release of his stunning book, Zilli Light (S&S). When not in the restaurants or writing books, Aldo has been busy filming Ten Mile Menus (ITV 1) and GMTV (ITV 1) and appearing on various sports shows. He currently starring in ITV 1’s prime-time smash, Home is Where the Heart is (May 2011), in which he and other high profile celebrities invite a homeless person into their homes to try and turn their lives around. Aldo is due to leave shortly for Sicily to film a brand new series for UKTV due for broadcast Autumn 2011.

Previously, Aldo has appeared on BBC 2’s Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is – Aldo was pitted against Nick Nairn and won his week’s worth of challenges comfortably, as well as BBC 2’s Ready Steady Cook, ITV 1’s Daily Cooks Challenge, BBC 1’s Step up to the Plate, BBC 1’s Eating in the Sun, Channel 5’s Family Recipe, UKTV’s Market Kitchen, BBC 1’s Chelsea Flower Show, BBC 3’s The Real Hustle, BBC 1’s The One Show, ITV 2’s Extra Factor,  ITV 1’s Christmas Cooks Challenge, BBC 1’s Breakfast and Channel 5 News regularly.

When not busy with the above shows, Aldo films regularly n current affairs in food and made a huge impact with his Tonight with Trevor MacDonald special on diets for ITV 1 which was broadcast in Spring 2009 and a programme on Sleep for BBC 1 primetime, also broadcast in Spring 2009.

Aldo has enjoyed a phenomenally successful relationship with Kelloggs Optivita with several TV adverts and accompanying PR campaigns. These were the biggest campaigns Kelloggs have launched in the UK since Special K in the 1970s.

Aldo is probably best know after attracting a huge following on Celebrity Fit Club (ITV 1), where he showcased his dynamic personality and led the successful team to victory, gaining a new slender figure in the process. Aldo has always been synonymous with healthy eating and this was the perfect showcase for his delicious, Mediterranean food.

Aldo also endeared himself to the nation with his winning run on Celebrity X Factor (ITV1) where he and the other 3 singing chefs wowed the audiences with their songs in Italian, French and English - they proved enormously popular making it through to the last stages of the competition.

He has recorded several series for Carlton Food Network including One Man and His Hob in 2001 as well as Perfect Pasta with Aldo Zilli; Aldo's Italian Job and Aldo and Friends. In 2000 he co-presented a series for CFN called Two Chefs In Cape with Brian Turner and he has guested on a number of programmes including BBC2's Food & Drink, The Weakest Link, The Vanessa Show, The Generation Game, Channel 4's Light Lunch and The Food Factory for ITV.

Aldo has been resident chef for The Sun newspaper, and has written several books: Sainsbury's Quick and Easy Italian Food; Aldo's Italian Food For Friends (1998) and Zilli Fish (1999), Foolproof Italian (BBC Books) March 2001 and Simon & Schuster published The Zilli Cook Book in October 2003. His latest books are Fish Cook (Jacqui Small Books, 2006) and his autobiography, Being Zilli (John Blake, 2008).  Aldo latest cookery book entitled Zilli Light, was released in January 2010. The paperback edition of his book, Being Zilli was released Jan 2011.

Updated 20/05/2011