A man banned from running restaurants after breaching food hygiene regulations is still serving customers.
Vincenzo Fuccio was banned from running any food business after a court found he had ignored safety warnings for years.
But an Argus investigation has uncovered him serving food to unsuspecting customers at a restaurant in Brighton.
Fuccio – who was convicted earlier this month of ignoring basic food safety rules such as storing cooked and raw meat together – was yesterday seen by The Argus serving families in the Como restaurant in Ship Street.
The ban only prevents him managing a food outlet but not otherwise working for one.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s environmental health department is now making its own inquiries as a result of The Argus’ investigation.
We visited the restaurant yesterday lunchtime and found Fuccio serving customers and going in and out of the kitchen.
When our reporter asked a waitress to speak to the manager, Fuccio was sent over.
When we identified ourselves, Fuccio, 43, of Gardener Road, Portslade, denied acting as the manager.
He complained that we were “intimidating him”.
He said: “I’m allowed to work and that’s it.
“I’m not serving food.”
Multiple warnings
But when we told him we had watched him serve food, he changed his mind and said: “I’m serving food, but I’m not in charge.
“Brighton and Hove City Council know I’m working here. If you put my name in the paper something bad will happen to you.”
Council officials spent years trying to encourage Fuccio to improve conditions at La Vecchia Scuola in York after he was first issued a warning in 2008.
Earlier this month York Magistrates’ Court heard that the conditions in his restaurant “could have had a very serious impact on public health”.
He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of breaching food hygiene regulations and asked for another 16 to be taken into consideration and was given an indefinite ban from running any food premises.
A woman called Cesarina D’Alessio contacted The Argus yesterday afternoon claiming to be one of the managers at the Brighton restaurant.
Council investigation
She said they had taken over the restaurant on January 21, but denied that Fuccio was working as a manager.
She said: “We know about Vincenzo’s past but he is not the person in charge.”
We passed our findings to the city council. A spokeswoman said they were investigating.
Fuccio is listed at Companies House as the former director of six dissolved restaurant and takeaway businesses in Brighton.
He was a former director of a company called Virgin Restaurants Ltd. Ms D’Alessio is also listed as a previous director.
The current director is Robert Webb, who was a director of last year’s Pride.
Como in Ship Street was taken over by the current management on January 21, but has not yet changed its name.
The Argus would like to point out that Como Brasserie in Market Street is in no way involved.
Fabio Lauro, owner of Como Brasserie, previously owned the Ship Street restaurant but the premises was taken over by new management prior to Fuccio's employment.
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