Il Paradiso del Cibo

That is why the amiable Paolo, who has lived in York for more than 13 years started Il Paradiso del Cibo in Walmgate, as a panini, pasta and pizza bar in September 2003.

So striking has been his success, with queues forming in lunch hours and a steady stream of customers visiting throughout the day to sample and buy his delicacies, that he is entering his venture in the New Business of the Year category in the 2004 Evening Press Business of the Year.

Paolo, who studied the art of cuisine in colleges both in Italy and York (York Technical College) and managed eight of the finest restaurants in York, including Rish, Little Italy, Silvanos and Manas Greek Restaurant, expresses himself grandly: "My quest has always been to capture the essence of fine eating, to honour my family's gastronomic tradition and to bring all I have learned of the food of life to the people of York."

He says the venue was carefully chosen "not just because Walmgate and the adjoining Fossgate are fast gaining a reputation within the city as the road of fine restaurants, but also because no one else was offering the kind of takeaway service we do."

There is room for 12 people to sit down and eat, some by the broad window where customers can watch the world go by, but in the next six months he hopes to reconfigure the kitchen further back to leave room for 65 seats, while continuing the takeaway service.

Paolo is assisted by Antonello Moi, whom he describes as "my culinary brother. He is a talented young Sardinian chef with the same deep-rooted passion and instinctive feeling for food".

He said: "York's taste buds are finally awakening and we are trying to hasten the process by occasionally offering free samples. I want people not to be intimidated by food they have never seen before.

"Many people enjoy experimenting with new tastes from our cheeses, like Taleggio and Buffalo Mozzerella to cured meats, like Italian ham and Bresaolo. Our own baked bread is very popular."

Updated: 10:11 Thursday, July 29, 2004