WITH its perfect pastas, sumptuous steaks and a wine list to rival any Mediterranean bar, it’s hardly surprising that loyal customers of The Palmichael in Burton Latimer have loved this oasis of Italian cuisine for well over 30 years.
Yet it’s thanks to success in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards that the venue’s reputation now extends far beyond the diners of the east Northamptonshire boot town, something which is music to the ears of the new generation of the family-run business.
In this, the eighth in the series looking back at those who’ve taken the various titles in the awards since they began a decade ago, Maria Walker, the daughter of the original founders, talks about what winning the Restaurant of the Year category (sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment and proudly supported by Business Times) in the 2016/17 competition has meant to them.
“Our Italian parents opened the restaurant in 1981 in the days when lasagna and ravioli weren’t the household names they are now,” said Maria, whose chef brother Michael Palmiero is the tour de force in the kitchen, “but one thing that has remained constant for nearly four decades is our focus on the customer and our desire to treat every diner as if it were their one special meal of the year.
“Clearly that, alongside the quality of our dishes – which combine traditional elements of our culinary heritage with a modern flair, paid off and when our name was announced at the Awards dinner, we were absolutely overwhelmed.”
The siblings were presented with their trophy by culinary great Michel Roux OBE and while that night still remains something of a blur, the pair had quickly to be back on their professional game, such was the immediate effect of their success: “As soon as our win was announced, our phones rang off the hook and that continued for many weeks and indeed months to come,” said Maria.
“We were always pretty busy at the weekends but the news had a massive impact on our weekday trade with the direct result that we took on an additional full-time chef, a new member of front of house staff and others part time, just to keep up with demand.
“Indeed the benefits have been invaluable to us as it has provided us with a fantastic network of excellent local food suppliers, our customers recognise the value of such an achievement and our turnover increased compared with the previous year which is why, despite not being allowed to take part in the competition in 2017, Michael entered the Chef of the Year category to try to ensure that we still had a presence in the awards.
“Thankfully he was selected as a finalist, which meant our name was still in lights.”
With customers now travelling from south Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and further afield, business is booming but Maria’s keen to extol the less public elements of the competition which they feel have been invaluable: “As winners, we were lucky enough to enjoy some mentoring from a panel of senior executives within the sector which gave us opportunity to think about where we were going with the business.
“While we weren’t in a position to act on that last year, we certainly appreciated their guidance and may be making some exciting developments in the not too distant future.
“The other key thing that the awards has achieved is a real sense of belonging to a network of passionate, like-minded people, so whether searching for delicious local ingredients or needing a problem solving, there’s always someone to whom you can turn.”
The Palmichael, on Kettering Road, is open Monday to Saturday, with availability for private parties on Sundays. To book, including for its next monthly Steak Night on 25 October or to make your Christmas reservation, visit www.thepalmichael.co.uk or call 01536 723641.
Meanwhile, for more details about the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, including the names of those venues vying for this year’s Restaurant of the Year title, visit www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk or call Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email
You can also follow the awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards