Gino was born in Torre del Greco, Napoli where he lived with his parents and sister Marcella. His memories from childhood include living on a farm and having big family parties where all his aunties (mother had 9 sisters) would get together to cook traditional Italian food.

He inherited his grandfather's (head chef for Costa Cruise Ships) love of cooking and entered the Luigi de Medici Catering College at the age of thirteen. Gino graduated with masters and continued to develop his skills through the kitchens of restaurants in Europe, including Perignon in Nice and as Head Chef at Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King in Marbella.

He arrived in England the following year (1995) where he worked at The Orchard Restaurant in Hampstead and the Cambio Restaurant in Guildford. It was while in England that an involvement with the 'wrong people' landed him a spell at Her Majesty's Pleasure but the sojourn resolved his mind and set him on a new course to succeed.

Aged 34, Gino is now the owner of a leading supplier of Italian ingredients to the UK food industry (Bontà Italia Ltd). His particular skill in making tasty food in a simple way, led to his first TV engagement with UK TV Food as a guest on Great Food Live. He was an immediate success.