LEE CONETTA is Glasgow food royalty. Each week, she shares memories and recipes from a life less ordinary in the city and beyond.
This week, fond memories of a Rutherglen institution, a crowd-pleasing dish and the chance for Glasgow Times readers to win a tasty prize...
Copy of a photograph supplied by Lee Conetta, owner of Buon Appetito in Rutherglen showing the original Buon Appetito on the Main Street, Rutherglen ..For GT, see story by Ann Fotheringham...
MY parents owned the Central Cafe at 190 Main Street in the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen.
Our neighbours were Warnocks, the butcher; Peacocks, the baker; and the Grand Central picture house.
Rutherglen had five cinemas back then - the Grand Central, the Rio, the Rule, the Greens and the Odeon.
On a Sunday, Main Street was full of well-dressed people going to church and afterwards they would come into the cafe for milkshakes, double nougats, knickerbocker glories and more.
In the early Sixties, we opened a new restaurant upstairs called The Buon Appetito, and then we moved into Rutherglen’s brand new shopping centre, the Mitchell Arcade, in 1975, where we still are today. Our welcoming and friendly staff have been there for a long time - Liz for 40 years, Tina almost as long.
Buon Appetito, Rutherglen staff members Liz McMenemy, left and Tina Gaunt pictured in the restaurant that is situated in the Rutherglen Exchange shopping centre on the Main Street, Rutherglen... Photograph by Colin Mearns.26 May 2021.For GT, see story
I have many, many stories to tell about the Buoni, as it is affectionately known.
Every Tuesday, my husband Joe and I had a half day off, so we’d lock up the restaurant and head off to Largs for a break. One day, sitting in Nardini’s, my mother called to tell us the police were looking for us. We had locked a customer in the restaurant!
We sped back to Rutherglen, rushed in, and the gentleman – Duncan, who was a firefighter - looked a bit surprised.
“Lee,” he said, “you did not have to hurry back - I was perfectly fine. Made myself a steak and chips and had a wee ice cream afterwards. Totally enjoyable afternoon…”
A cafe is a home from home for some people. To this day, customers tell me they would never go anywhere else.
One gentleman, a Mr Lauder, who made models for ships being built on the Clyde, came in every day. He liked the same table.We talked about his love of music, how he liked to walk everywhere – he was a very nice man.
Copy of a photograph supplied by Lee Conetta, owner of Buon Appetito in Rutherglen showing her along with her sister and parents and staff members in the original Buon Appetito on the Main Street, Rutherglen in 1963. Pictured is Lee who is 3rd from left,
One night at home, he fell in front of the fireplace and badly burned his legs. When we heard what had happened, we sent his food home to him. My mum and dad, our cashier, and I, all took turns delivering it.
Sadly, Mr Lauder died a few months later. One day, his sister and her husband came in, curious as to how we became friends. I told her we have many customers we also consider friends. They left a £250 cheque for the girls in the café.
Finally, I challenge everyone who claim they invented curry and chips - because we did! We also sold chips and gravy, bolognaise, coleslaw, cheese – and we started in 1963.
READ MORE: Cooking with Mrs Conetta: Memories of meeting chocolate guru's right hand man
Do any Glasgow Times readers have memories of the Buoni? Send them to ann.fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk and you could win a £70 voucher for DiMaggio’s Royal Exchange Square.
Macaroni cheese
This is a Buon Appetito classic and a dish that is perfect for a family supper or hearty lunch. You can add so many things to it too, if you like – fried bacon, vegetables, peas, mushrooms – the sky’s the limit.
INGREDIENTS
250 g macaroni
50 g butter
50 g flour
600ml milk
A pinch of nutmeg
150g cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon of mustard
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 12mins.
Meanwhile, melt the butter slowly, add the flour, forming a paste.
Add the milk to the pot, pouring slowly and whisking constantly.
Continue to stir for around four to six minutes. When thick, remove from the heat and add shredded cheese and the mustard, with a pinch of nutmeg.
Strain the pasta, pour into a baking tray. Add the sauce, mix well and sprinkle with more shredded cheese.
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