The story of Ornella’s Kitchen begins 1850 miles away in the charming seaside village of Castel Di Tusa on Scilly's north coast. Located around 60 miles east of Palermo and 90 miles west of Messina, this tiny village, home to around 1000 people, is famous for its tuna fishing nets and delicious produce.
It was here that Ornella Cancila was born and raised, before moving to Bologna aged 19 to study to become a teacher. Growing up, she was surrounded by delicious home-cooked food whipped up by her father Antonio at his restaurant, La Campagnola.
Blessed with incredible ingredients, from calamari and octopus to artichokes and mushrooms, Antonio’s restaurant made the very best of Sicilian produce to create traditional fare popular in the region like pasta with fresh sardines and wild fennel. Anyone who has visited the island will no doubt have come across its moreish street food as well, like arancini, pane e panelle - fried chickpea dumplings - and sfincione, a type of Sicilian pizza.
