Troubled chef is still high-spirited

AN award-winning Italian chef is refusing to be beaten after his efforts to self-finance his restaurant ended in bankruptcy.

Rosario Sartore, 38, has been left picking up the pieces after his bid to run Bella Mbriana on East London Street ended in bankruptcy last month.

Bella Mbriana, named after a spirit said to haunt Mr Sartore's hometown in Naples, opened to great fanfare in 2007 when he left his previous restaurant, La Partenope on Dalry Road. But despite rave reviews and awards, things were not going smoothly behind the scenes.

Soon after its inception, a business partner pulled out and shortly before the credit crunch hit, another partner withdrew his support. The bank also closed the restaurant's overdraft.

Despite packed houses, the eatery haemorrhaged money and a final business partner pulled out two months ago, leaving Mr Sartore to go it alone.

The father-of-four has now lost his house and both he and wife Maria have been declared bankrupt. Mr Sartori has now handed the business side over to countrymen Rocco Monaco and Mario Gagliardini, but intends to stay on as head chef and hopes a change of name to Locanda De Gusti will bring better luck.

He said: "Bella Mbriana is an Italian spirit who is supposed to bring luck to a house. It is customary to keep a chair by the door for Bella to come and rest, and my grandmothers in Italy still say 'good morning Bella Mbriana' every day.

"The name was supposed to bring me luck, but I think she ended up working against me. We had a statue in the corner downstairs which one reviewer called 'The Ghost of Bella', and that was the first thing to go when I redesigned the restaurant following the handover."

Mr Sartori has also cited another reason for his financial problems – his refusal to raise his prices or compromise on quality.

"You shouldn't have to take out a mortgage to have a good meal. I intend to continue under the same principles without the spiritual baggage that went with the old name – but I still say 'good morning Bella Mbriana' when I open up!"

RECENT HIGH-PROFILE CLOSURES

• Eighty Queen Street, Queen Street

• Susie's Wholefood Diner, West Nicolson Street

• Glasshouse, Eskmills Business Complex, Musselburgh

• Roti, Morrison Street

• The Waterside Inn, Haddington

• Abstract, Castle Terrace

• Wannaburger, High Street