For more than four decades they have celebrated Italian gastronomy in Britain, collecting numerous awards. The story of the Dammone brothers, now retired to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
Cover photo: @PA
The story
That of the two Dammone brothers is a career made up of numerous achievements and gratifications and concluded with the most worthy recognition. Gip (Geppino) and John Dammone, in fact, were recently included in the King's Birthday Honours List, the famous ranking that recognizes those who have made a difference in their community and in their field of work in Britain- reports the BBC.
During 47 years , the two brothers - who arrived in the United Kingdom with their parents seeking their fortunes following a cholera epidemic - ran Salvo's, the Italian cuisine restaurant founded in 1976 by their father Salvatore (precisely), first alongside him and then on their own. After a lifetime of hard work, last year Gip and John decided to retire and devote themselves to consulting in the hospitality industry, easing, thus, the inevitable hustle and bustle of running a restaurant.
"It has been an incredible journey. We have had the pleasure of serving generations of families and making lasting friendships through this business," John shared with The Yorkshire Post at the time. "We are grateful for the support and love we have received from the community over the years. We could not have done it without our loyal customers and dedicated staff," Gip continued. Such was their commitment to the family business, but more importantly to the community that welcomed them, that they received the British Empire Medal (BEM) at the time of closing .
However, awards and recognition are not a novelty of the last year for the two Dammone brothers: since 1984, in fact, Salvo's has been consistently listed in the Good Food Guide; in 2010 it received the prestigious Rosetta AA - a prize for culinary excellence- and numerous other awards. The Dammone's have always been excellent cooks and extremely forward-thinking entrepreneurs, adopting new concepts in their restaurant including shared tables among diners, the distribution of free slices of pizza to those in line, and the decision not to take reservations.
Retracing the family and business history, Gip told the BBC, "Our venue was part of the first wave of affordable restaurants, where you could come in, eat a pizza or some pasta, drink a liter of wine, and spend about £1.30. When we opened, pizzas would cost 70 cents and were something 'exotic,' so we were immediately successful, being able to accommodate as many as three generations of diners."
Throughout Salvo's more than four decades of existence, the Dammone family, as well as dedicating themselves to the family business, have always given a great deal of attention and time to the entire Leeds community, supporting local farmers and producers by purchasing ingredients, participating in numerous charity events, and holding cooking classes in the town's schools, actions that during the pandemic earned them the support of the entire population.
Confident that the Dammone name will continue to appear among the ranks and awards for their commitment and dedication to the hospitality industry, our wish is "ad maiora, semper"!
