10 Questions With: Riccardo Damiani from La Panza

Born and raised in the lesser-known coastal city of Ancona in Italy, Riccardo Damiani moved to Bristol, where he opened La Panza - a traditional Italian trattoria. Loosely translated to ‘big, full, happy belly’ in Italian, La Panza embodies the trattoria-style - the sort of friendly, laid-back restaurant that Redcliffe locals are lucky to have on their doorstep.

With family recipes passed down for generations, the menu features regional specialities using organic ingredients imported from Italy as well as small Bristol-based producers. While La Panza’s authentic dishes feel like they’ve been plucked straight from a remote Italian region, the restaurant is very much a part of Bristol’s local community. On any one night, you might find La Panza hosting a drag performance, a ring-carving workshop, a pasta bowl making class or a techno day party.

In speaking to Riccardo, it’s clear that he has a genuine passion for hospitality that goes beyond delicious food. He strives to take care of his customers and contribute to the neighbourhood, whether that be through cooking a juicy slab of porchetta or giving a local band a platform to perform. A testament to Riccardo’s integrity; La Panza is more than a restaurant, it’s a space to be shared by the community.

In our Q&A, Riccardo gives his thoughts on everything from his favourite Bristol food spots, to the moment he was approached to open a restaurant.

1. How did La Panza come to be? Was it always the plan to run a restaurant?

I moved to Bristol from Bath eight years ago, to help set up my friend’s restaurant Chaiwalla. After running the business for a year, it came to an end because the landlord didn’t want to renew the contract. Two weeks before the end of Chaiwalla, a customer came in and complimented me on how I was running the place. He offered me a venue that he used to run and said that it was empty and ready to be used. So I grabbed the opportunity without thinking twice and he trusted me to start my own joint. Luckily, it was already kitted out with a kitchen and tables, and it had a lovely Mediterranean feel to it, so I called some friends to help me spruce up the place, called a good supplier and started to trade.

2. What 3 words best describe La Panza?

Authentic, laid-back and passionate.

3. What’s one dish that reminds you of your childhood?

Pasta with mussels, (pretty much every fish dish) - it’s not on the menu now, but it's my mum’s recipe. My hometown Ancona is a port and it’s famous for wild mussels growing along the coast. I always go get some with my parents when I go back and cook them for dinner! My Grandma's from Sardinia, so we used to go visit every summer. I grew up eating a lot of seafood and I’ve always had a passion for fishing and eating.

4. You also have a love for music. Which artists get played the most in La Panza?

During food service I like to play Italian funky, dance, extravagant tunes - artists like Pino Daniele, d'Angiò, Nu Genea, Adriano Celentano, Lucio Battisti and Dalla. Also, on Sundays, we sometimes host day parties with many DJ friends from Bristol and their labels curate the events, creating amazing gatherings and giving the venue a whole new life with such a special lively atmosphere.

5. What’s your favourite dish on the menu right now?

We're about to launch a new menu and I don't want to give any spoilers! But from the spring menu definitely the trofie with foraged wild garlic pesto, confit cherry tomatoes, asparagus, garden peas and burrata - it’s a recipe I made trying to gather some of the most interesting seasonal products of spring. Also I'm really into my foraging so it was nice to go collect the wild garlic around Bristol. It feels right to use ingredients that are local and abundant.

6. Can you shout out some of your favourite Bristol food spots?

Shout to my men Ciccio @ Ciccio's Kitchen (the Bristol king of arancinis), Giorgio and his great Deli on Sandy Park (always there when I'm craving Italian hard-to-find products), Pegs @ Sonny Stores for his delicious menus and impeccable curation. Last but not least, my man Niraj (a friend from school and the one that asked me to open Chaiwalla and the reason why I moved to Bristol) - he just opened a new small joint in Clifton village called Little Chai. Banging samosas and amazing value.

7. You’ve been running La Panza for over six years now. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone looking to open a restaurant?

Believe in yourself. Trust in the process, focus on your idea, on what you want to bring to the city/customers and not to what other people are doing! Everyone's different, be unique!

8. What dish do you cook for yourself when you’re off the clock?

I'm really into my Asian cuisine and I like to eat lots of vegetables and tasty crunchy salads.

9. Who inspires you in the food world?

First of all, my mother and grandmother facilitated my passion for food. Apart from them, street vendors, small family-owned restaurants, mainly Italian trattorias in remote areas of Italy, that have been doing the same thing for generations and are passion-driven and focused on the quality of the ingredients. REAL PEOPLE COOKING REAL FOOD!

10. What do you love most about Bristol’s food scene?

The connection between people doing the same thing, working in independent businesses, sharing the same passion, inspiring each other, helping each other, everyone creating something unique and elevating the whole food scene. You don't really smell a strong sense of competition, we're all in the same boat at the end of the day.