Glasgow restaurant Amore d'Italia set to feature on popular TV series

Amore d'Italia Dennistoun, based at Alexandra Parade, will be on TV screens across the country next month after they were successfully chosen to take part in Come Dine With Me - The Professionals. 

Owner Luca Lo-Bianco and his wife Magda were filmed for the episode which will air on July 22 at 5pm. 

Magda, 37, who applied for the show, said it had always been a dream of hers to take part. 

She said: "I applied for the show personally a few times. I applied three times, and could never do it because I was on holiday or super busy with work.

"So, my sister told me they were looking for restaurants to take part and I applied. We were told there were lots of applicants, so we were really lucky to be picked. It was a great experience.

"I was super stressed because I didn’t know what to expect, but the whole team was super friendly, the camera operators, the producers, they were so fun. They made sure everyone felt relaxed. It was such a great atmosphere."

Magda, who also works at the restaurant carrying out a variety of roles, said filming took four days. 

The Rutherglen woman added: "In the restaurant, it's normal service – we still had customers in, which was extra pressure. 

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"After you know you’re successful, you only have one week to prepare.

"I was stressed, I was thinking ‘how are we going to do this’. You don’t know until the last minute, that’s what makes it more entertaining.

"There is so much preparation. You can’t make the menu too complicated. On the day of your turn to host, you film for 12 hours. You only have a short break to get changed before your guest arrives. 

"I am quite proud of us, everything went according to plan. I’m glad we got to do it as a couple. 

"I'm looking forward to watching it, it's really exciting."