Gennaro Contaldo was born in Minori on the Amalfi coast. He came to Britain in the late 60s and worked in several restaurants around the country and London. He then moved to London, where he worked as a chef in a number of restaurants before opening the award-winning Passione. He came to public attention as the chef who inspired Jamie Oliver when they worked together at Antonio Carluccio's restaurant. In spring 2011 he presented Two Greedy Italians on BBC2, with a second series aired in spring 2012. Gennaro lives in north-east London with his partner Liz and their twin girls Olivia and Chloe.