AN Italian restaurant has re-opened its doors under new management in a North Yorkshire market town.

The Gepetto’s Italian restaurant, in Helmsley, has been taken over by Francois Strydom, owner of The Fat Chef Company, following the retirement of Dino Valenghi, who had owned the business for 18 years.

Francois brings with him a vast amount of experience as both a chef and a business owner.

Having grown up “in the kitchen”, he moved to the UK in 2005 and worked for the Jamie Oliver group on his chain of Italian restaurants.

Setting up on his own three years ago, Francois launched an event catering company, The Fat Chef Company, which provided the highest quality food for festivals, weddings and parties, as well as providing consultancy for a variety of restaurants.

The Fat Chef Company also runs the cafe at the International Centre for Birds of Prey at Duncombe Park, Helmsley.

Gepetto’s, which has been given a makeover, is planning extended opening hours from April, including a lunchtime service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, along with later opening hours at the weekend.

Francois said: “This was a fantastic opportunity and one we just couldn’t say no to. Dino has done an amazing job with the restaurant, and he will be sadly missed – although hopefully we’ll still see plenty of him. We will do him proud.

"We want to keep things fresh and delicious and make Gepetto’s the place to go for well executed, authentic Italian cuisine – with a Fat Chef twist. Regulars will notice some new, exciting dishes on the menu. We look forward to meeting more of the local community over the coming weeks.”