One of London's finest

Ugolino Giovine was born in Chiaverano (Torino) Italy on the 5th November 1896.  He was working as a chef of repute in St Ermin’s London, when he was arrested on the 11th June 1940. His wife Maria was living in Italy at the time.

Nicola Cua remembered Ugolino, a very famous chef, and the chef of the St Ermin’s. In camp Nicola said that the Dunera Italians were lucky in that they had 14 chefs, some of the best chefs in London who did wonders with the mutton a staple of provisions and that the chefs did up the mutton in so many marvellous ways.

Gino Guarnieri remembered Ugolino as the Piemontese cook from St Ermin Hotel who taught him how to make gnocchi Piemontese properly. Gino was a part owner in a café in London but worked front of house and felt that he needed to have skills in the kitchen.  Gino recalled that Ugolino was the one who said if you want to come and work in the kitchen, you come in here to learn, you don’t come in the kitchen to eat, you just come into the kitchen to learn, so I will teach you all I can, though we don’t have all the ingredients here but to make a roast, or make sauce, a few sauces, I am able to help you. (Gino Guarnieri 1990)

On the 1st June 1944, Ugolino was released to Melbourne for employment at Menzies Hotel, Melbourne’s finest restaurant. The General Manager of Menzies Hotel had applied for the services of qualified internee cooks as he had tried to find Australian cooks without success. Ugolino was joined by Cavaliere Bartolomeo Calderoni maître chef of Quaglino’s London and Ermenegildo Guido assistant manager of Claridges Restaurant London.

Ugolino was with another eleven UK Italian internees when the ship Athlone Castle docked at Southampton on 28th February 1946. The ship’s register noted his address as 48 New Compton Street, London, the same address for Ermenegildo Guido.  He died in 1960.

He returned to work at St Ermin's as the newspaper article below noted.

The Evening News November 17, 1955