Piero Casalicchio was a busy textile designer who often went hungry. He didn’t know how to cook and by the time he got home after a long day’s work, most restaurants in Como, Italy, were closed.

The Italian started challenging himself to see what he could make with what he had in his fridge, and a passion for cooking was born.

“I found that cooking was a lot like fashion,” said the 68-year-old. “It took creativity and food had a season, just like fashion.”

It wasn’t soon after that he emigrated to the United States, where he consulted for the likes of clothing stores Liz Claiborne and Limited Express.

However, after 15 years in the fashion business, he was ready for something else.

“Someone called saying they had my keys,” he said. “I thought my wife, Catherine, had lost her car keys. But the person on the phone was a landlord friend who said he had an empty building coming available.

“He said to me, ‘You like cooking, why don’t you use the space to open a restaurant?’.”

A whole new business venture unexpectedly opened up. He ran 26 restaurants in three American states over the next 30 years, including Vinny T’s in Boston and the Pomodoro chain in New York.

In 2009 he sold his last restaurant and retired but two years later, he was sailing in the Atlantic when the restaurant industry caught up with him.

“A storm blew up and we had to do repairs in Bermuda,” he said. “The repairs took longer than I thought and I met farmer Tom Wadson.

“He introduced me to Sally-Anne Kyle, owner of the St George’s Club. They told me they were looking for someone to run their two restaurants — Griffin’s Bistro and Blackbeard’s, which is now The Beach House.”

Mr Casalicchio couldn’t resist the opportunity.

“What could be better than running restaurants in Bermuda?” he said. “I’d been here several times before while sailing.”

He started restaurant management company Hospitality Management Services Ltd, and took over the two restaurants three years ago.

“The restaurants were suffering from a lack of definition,” he said. “You have to know what you are about.”

He revamped the Beach House to be less pubby and more beachy.

“It needed to be more family-oriented,” he said.

Then he turned his sights on Griffin’s Bistro.

“We are trying to make Griffin’s a destination restaurant for locals,” he said. “We also serve the St George’s Club guests, but we open our doors to everyone.”

Finding just the right chef was key to the restaurant’s success, Mr Casalicchio added.

“It took me a while to find someone understanding of how I wanted to do things and the flavour of the food and the uniqueness,” he said.

“Finally, Luca Tomasi joined us as head chef. I like how calm he is. He likes to teach people and he works extremely well. The team is now gelling to where it needs to be.”

Mr Tomasi has worked on the Island for 17 years — at Mickey’s, Cafe Lido and the Coral Beach Club.

“I saw him working and we talked a few times,” Mr Casalicchio said. “Being Italian, we were able to express ourselves in our native language. What I like about Luca is that he is so calm.

“I’m all over the place and drive my staff crazy, but if a wall fell down, Luca would just step to the side and keep cooking.”

Mr Tomasi is from Brescia, Lombardi, near Lake Garda, which is two hours’ north of Milan.

“Because I lived next to a lake I loved cooking fish,” the 46-year-old said. “And that is what I love to do in Bermuda. I love simple foods with clear flavours.”

Before coming to Bermuda he worked in the five-star Hotel Lauren in Brescia.

“Both my parents were artists,” Mr Tomasi said. “My early experiences with cooking were with my grandfather who learnt to cook in the army. I think what I love about cooking is the creativity. I love working with my hands.”

On the day we visited Griffin’s Bistro, he was busy cooking for Thanksgiving. He had ten turkeys to prepare but was taking everything in stride.

“This is just a normal day,” he said.

Mr Casalicchio said he was very happy he was back in the restaurant industry.

“My whole life has been a coincidence and an accident,” he laughed. “Bermudians are awesome people. I love it here.”

Mr Casalicchio has five children and two grandsons.

“They live all over the world,” he said. “But I brought one of my sons, George, to Bermuda to manage The Beach House. I needed some help.”