Giancarlo Caldesi, chef-proprietor of Café Caldesi restaurants and owner of La Cucina Caldesi cooking school, is to open a restaurant in the Berkshire village of Bray.

Caldesi told Caterer he was about to complete a deal to buy Bray’s Slice restaurant, which he plans to turn into a fine dining Italian eatery.

While he has not decided on a name for the new venture and is still developing strategic plans, he hopes to have opened the restaurant by the beginning of September.

Home to two of Britain’s three three-Michelin-starred restaurants, The Fat Duck and Waterside Inn, Caldesi said moving to Bray will be the “chance of a lifetime”.

“It will be the biggest challenge of my career but it is also an opportunity of a lifetime. There’s nothing better than to go straight into the lion’s den,” he said.

“I just want to be there and show that Italians can be equally good.”

La Cucina Caldesi website >>

View top Michelin-rated restaurants here >>

The Fat Duck website >>

Waterside Inn website >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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