Gennaro Contaldo was born in Minori in Amalfi. He came to Britain in the late 1960s and worked in several restaurants around the country and in London, where he eventually opened the award-winning Passione. He came to public attention as the chef who inspired Jamie Oliver when they worked together at Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street restaurant. In Spring 2011 he co-presented Two Greedy Italians on BBC2 with Antonio Carluccio and in spring 2012 a second series, Two Greedy Italians Still Hungry was broadcast. He is the author of several cookbooks, including Let's Cook Italian, Gennaro's Italian Year and Passione.