LUCIANO Bonello BIANCO is a well-know personality in Valletta. He is associated with his own restaurant in Merchants Street, which carries his name. Ben Camille met him and his family to take a closer look.
In summer Luciano’s spills outside on the wide pavement near St John’s Co-cathedral, a most pleasant place to be in, of a summer’s evening. Luciano shows me round his restaurant/café and tells me a little bit about himself. “I am married to Connie and we have three great children – Anna, Cinzia and Joseph. I’m also a proud grandfather of three. I’m originally from Floriana but I was brought up in Valletta, something I still get teased about even today!
The amiable Luciano goes on to say that he was an altar boy and once a year he would be sent to the Vatican with a group of other altar boys to serve there. “This was an initiative that Canon Giuseppe Delia started in 1965. I can proudly say that I was with the first group of Maltese altar boys to go and serve at the Vatican. I also formed part of the ‘4 Ts’ which was one of the first local mixed youth groups which caused slight scandal due to the fact that the Church was involved in organising disco parties for boys and girls, unheard of in those days.”
We go on to speak a little about his business as a restaurateur. What does he enjoy most, cooking or eating? “I love eating as my wife is a fantastic cook.” How did he start working in the catering industry and for how long has he been doing it? “I started working as a salesman with Domenico Arpa in this same building which is now the floor in which we have our restaurant now called Cettina Café. It is a very homely place in the heart of Valletta. While working as a salesman I opened my own business – that of manufacturing jeans. Then finally in 1991 I took over this house, expanded and opened Luciano’s Restaurant and Cettina Café. I can’t believe it happened 18 years ago!”
Luciano goes on to speak about the old Arpa house in which his eateries are now firmly established. “This was originally the home of Domenico Arpa in the 1930s. You won’t know who he is Ben, but I’m sure your nanna will!”
Luciano is a collector and because clients know he is a collector they sometimes bring him interesting things connected with Malta for his collection of artifacts, which are displayed upstairs. He explains: “This is something that I started as a hobby which very quickly took off. People just come in here and give me old things that they would otherwise throw away. Sometimes it’s amazing to see what people throw away! I use them to decorate my restaurant.” In fact when they walk into Luciano’s clients get the feeling that they’ve just walked into their grandparents’ home as it is warm, welcoming and homely. Luciano continues talking about his collection: “I have one of the biggest collections of Rediffusion sets in Malta! I also have quite a number of collectible religious items. One worth mentioning is a statue of a little altar boy with a slot for coins in his head. In days gone by parents used to fill this statue with coins in the hope of their child becoming a priest.”
How has catering in Valletta changed over the years? Luciano stops to think a little and replies: “It can be said that I am a pioneer when it comes to catering in our capital city. In the past many people were scared to come to Valletta after sunset. Nowadays, I think it has got much better. Nightlife in Valletta has taken huge steps forward in the past 10 years especially.”
It is well known that the Argentine Tango Group has been meeting at Luciano’s for a number of years and Luciano has been generous and hospitable to them. He comments: “The Argentine Tango Group was founded by Charlotte Stewart, Marco Borg and Aldo Calleja in 1998. They started a group where they gave Tango lessons and put on spectacular shows. They needed a place to rehearse and I offered them my restaurant upstairs on Wednesday nights. Every week half the restaurant was arranged so that customers could dine there and the other half became an open dance floor for anyone who wanted to join in and tango. It was fun! These milonga nights still happen occasionally.”
Luciano’s is an old Maltese town house and the owner is proud of this fact and loves everything Maltese. Luciano comments: “The place itself just gives off that effect I guess. Having said that, my son-in-law Liam, who manages the restaurant is really fantastic with people. He’s got great charisma and really makes sure that everyone feels at home and is satisfied with the service. This is so important. Ambience alone is not enough!”
What is his favourite dish at his own restaurant? He replies without hesitation: “Spaghetti Luciano! Hence the name! Really and truly it’s just a simple yet delicious plate of pasta with a Bolognese, mushroom and ham sauce.”
Could he recount one unforgettable experience at his own restaurant? He immediately recalls how one day he was asked if he was willing to host an important foreign minister with a worldwide status at Luciano’s. He didn’t hesitate and said yes, he would be happy to do so. “I accepted and a bomb squad came to search the restaurant. We were all really excited to host this personality. We spent a whole day preparing, making sure the restaurant looked its best, thinking what special dishes we could offer and so much more. Finally the much anticipated foreign minister arrived with his entourage and when the time came to ask him what he would like to eat, he simply said two words with no hesitation, Hobz Biz-Zejt!”