A final supper at Giuseppe Cimmino’s Peppeckish

Words and photos by Susie Sandford Smith

From weekend market hustler to fulltime chef

Giuseppe Cimmino started his food business with a bruschetta bar in Liverpool using his own homemade bread and seasonal ingredients for the toppings but, he says on his Instagram, he didn’t do very well, with punters preferring burgers to bruschette! But he wasn’t put off and once in London embarked on a rather epic journey starting with a supper club at his home and morphing into private catering, a weekly pop-up restaurant serving Italian regional cooking at the Hill Station Café in Telegraph Hill and cooking lessons. And when the pandemic brought the pop-up to a halt he continued cooking, making meals for local delivery or for collection – I think this grew bigger and faster than he’d anticipated and soon he was selling little extra bits and bobs along with the food he had cooked, almost a little deli come restaurant.

Giuseppe and Susie smile at the camera. Photo by Sandrine Terragno.

The best lasagne I’ve had

I first heard about Giuseppe from my sister, she’d met him at a little do, and they’d got to chatting food. She thought I’d find him interesting, and she was not wrong! We started talking on Instagram (love that app) and soon enough I was making the trek south to check out his food at the pop-up. You know how they say if you cook with love the food tastes better? Well, Giuseppe absolutely cooks with love, and enthusiasm, he pours his heart and soul into creating dishes, often based on family recipes, that his guests will go crazy for. I still rave about the lasagne I had that first night and I’ve attempted several versions since based on it – it is probably the best lasagne I’ve ever had. Giuseppe’s Instagram is a joy as he seems to always be kneading or stirring something and when he isn’t he’s off buying the freshest, most beautiful, seasonal produce – it’s been so interesting, as a supper club host myself, to watch this food business grow and flourish.

A new adventure awaits

Giuseppe is shutting up shop at the end of October, off to have new adventures but, keep your eyes and ears peeled because there’ll still be ways you can enjoy his food, I’m sure. I think if you hurry you may be able to get a table for one of his last two pop-ups, contact him on Instagram @peppeckish to find out and to book.

I haven’t been as many times as I would like but, on hearing that I soon wouldn’t be able to, I hot footed it over there for one last meal. One of my dearest friends was over from Paris for a few days, we basically did a tour of my favourite places to eat and drink and I’m so glad that I was able to include Peppeckish.

A last supper chez Peppeckish

I started out with a Negroni before moving on to a glass of red with my food. I so appreciate Giuseppe making a few special dishes for me and my allergy and I can tell you, they lost nothing for having been adapted. Sandrine and I shared (fought over would be a more accurate description!) a plate of meatballs and a plate of smoked mozzarella with roasted tomatoes, both were superb. The meatballs, served in a tomato sauce, were flavourful and juicy and rich and I wish we’d ordered an extra serving!

Sandrine had pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) for her main and I had a special, off-menu, dish of Neapolitan summer squash ravioli with a sage butter and lashings upon lashings of parmesan (actually… might have been pecorino). Giuseppe is a master of pasta making and my ravioli was utterly beautiful.

A plate of summer squash ravioli drenched in cheese

And we finished it all off with a meringue with coffee cream and a Boozey affogato. Utter bliss.

I’m sad I won’t be eating at Peppeckish again but, here’s to adventuring, to food, and to Instagram!

Find out more about Peppeckish on Instagram at @peppeckish