Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Aldo Zilli warns people not to sit next to him
on a flight if they want some peace and quiet – he even drove legendary
talker and DJ Chris Evans to distraction with his chatter on a long-haul
flight.
“I used to hang out a lot with Chris and we were going to Cape Town for a
charity event,” says Zilli. “He didn’t realise what I was like and I talked
to him for the entire 13 hour flight. We got pretty drunk and then went
straight out when we got there. After an hour, I went back to the hotel and
collapsed and Chris went straight back to the airport and got on a flight
home. He couldn’t stand any more of my company!”
Zilli 51, was brought up in Italy and came to London at the age of 19. He now
owns four restaurants in central London, writes cookery books and hosts
cookery master classes. He’s also a regular fixture on television, appearing
in Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity X Factor, and has been hired by airline
thomsonfly.com to revamp its onboard food. He’s a consultant to businesses
and travels regularly to various countries around the world.
Did you have any other memorable times with Chris Evans?
We went to Lake Louise, which was brilliant. He’s a good skier and I’m
hopeless, but the après-ski was fantastic. I’m still on good terms with
Chris, but I don’t see him so much now because I’ve kicked the alcohol and
fags since Celebrity Fit Club. It has changed my life and I feel fantastic,
which is just as well because I’ve got a one-year-old baby and a young wife
to look after! It’s difficult not to drink if you work in restaurants. I
used to smoke 20 fags a day and down three or four bottles of champagne and
think nothing of it. Now, if I drink one glass of champagne, I’m all over
the place.
Have you had any embarrassing moments as a celebrity traveller?
Only last week I had to open my case at Gatwick airport and transfer some
heavy stuff from one bag to another. I was travelling with a screaming baby,
my underwear was all over the counter and people were recognising me and
pointing at me. Generally I’m very lucky and as a celebrity I get spoilt,
but it’s moments like that which make me wish that I was not well known.
What do you like about travelling?
Apart from airport security, I like everything about it. I’ve just come back
from Egypt and although I’ve been there on business before, I managed to do
some scuba diving for the first time. I think I preferred the world down
there, it was so peaceful.
Which airline do you prefer?
Well, of course I have to say thomsonfly.com
now [he is consulting for the airline on its inflight food], but it doesn’t
go long haul, so for that I love Virgin
Atlantic. They pick you up in a limousine and really look after you. I
always travel Upper Class or I simply won’t go. I have to admit, I’m a bit
of a prima donna when it comes to air travel. Virgin has a little bar on
board, so you can go and have a drink, although I don’t do much of that now.
How do you pass the time on flights?
