<p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>A Culinary Journey Rooted in Tradition</strong></span><br><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">His cooking journey began, as so many do, in his mother's kitchen. From a young age, he was taught the basics: that carrots needed more time in the saucepan than cabbage, how to properly mix cornflour with cold water to thicken a dish, and that the anticipation of a meal often made it taste even better. But the most important lesson he learned was that cooking from scratch was the best way to know exactly what you’re eating and why it tastes the way it does. This foundation stayed with Gino through university where he continued to prepare home-cooked meals and discovered the wonders of local produce at farmers' markets and independent retailers.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>From Corporate Life to Culinary Passion</strong></span><br><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">After spending some time in France, where Gino met the wonderful Millie (who might teach you yoga in the NuMi Studio), they moved to London. Corporate life wasn’t Gino’s calling, though he enjoyed the proximity to Borough Market and the leisurely lunches that went with it. Eventually, the curiosity got the better of Gino, and he approached a new Italian-Japanese restaurant in East London, asking if they had a place for a complete novice. They did, and Gino found himself immersed, not in spreadsheets and numbers, but in the world of fine dining.</span></p>