Paolo Tullio came to Ireland in 1968 to go to Trinity College, which he left having gained an MA. He had a variety of jobs - working as a clinical psychologist in St. Brendan's Hospital, working as an interpreter and then as an agent involved with cattle exports in the early 70s.
In 1977 he bought Armstrong's Barn, a restaurant in the Wicklow Hills, and there he garnered a host of awards, most importantly it was one of only three Irish restaurants at that time to be awarded a red 'M' from the Michelin Guide.
After closing Armstrong's Barn in 1989 Paolo turned to journalism and writing. He has been the restaurant reviewer for the Irish Independent's flagship 'Weekend' magazine since 1997 as well as writing for Food and Wine Magazine and The Director Magazine.
He has written two books, Mushroom.Man – a novel set on the internet and North of Naples, South of Rome, a book about his part of Italy which was made into a six-part series. This was shown in Ireland, UK, Australia, Canada and in the USA on the PBS channel.
Other than that television work has been a week's work in 'Fair City', and as the resident critic in all seven series of RTE's The Restaurant.
His new book, The Italian Larder, combines his knowledge of gastronomy and his knowledge of Italian cooking to produce a book unlike others. He shows the reader how to cure a ham, how to make sausages, how to make cheeses, how to make a pizza from scratch, how to make pasta and even how to make liqueurs. The book takes the reader through over 150 classic Italian dishes, each recipe building on previous ones, giving the reader a deep understanding of the philosophy behind Italian cooking.
Apart from his television appearances, Paolo has a weekly half-hour food slot Sean Moncrieff on Newstalk, so between his weekly reviews, his radio show and his TV appearances, he's become one of Ireland's best known commentators on food and wine.
See below for Paolo's Showreel
