PERSONAL ELTHAM The Waiting Game


ALBERTO FERRANTE is Head Waiter at the Tudor Barn restaurant in Well Hall; he’s previously served celebs including Madonna and Joan Collins. Matthew Bell met him…


Which restaurants have you worked at?


Since I came to England 12 years


ago, I have been Head Waiter for Marco Pierre White in Mayfair, then I went to Le Pont de la Tour near Tower Bridge, Jasper Conran's restaurant after that, and I was Assistant Manager at Richard Corrigan's Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill.


How did you come to be at the Tudor Barn?


I took a break from waiting, doing


things like testing X-Box games, but I got bored and I missed the interaction with people. I saw an advert for the Tudor Barn, came to see it, loved the building and the surroundings so I joined them in October last year. I love the Wine Club because during my years of waiting I have become experienced at knowing the diff erent wines and their tastes.


Joan Collins Said 'Don't worry, these things happen once in a while to people who work so hard all their life.'


Have you served any famous people? Yes. I waited on Madonna when


she signed a contract to be in an Ali G video. I've looked after Pierce Brosnan, Bryan Ferry, Guy Ritchie, Phil Neville and I served Sebastian Coe and Roger Banister when they were planning London's


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bid to host the 2012 Olympics long before they were awarded it.


Who is your favourite celebrity customer?


Joan Collins. I was


very busy the fi rst time she came into the restaurant and she asked for lamb with spinach instead of green beans. But I forgot and only realised when I put the plate in front of her! I just kept apologising. When she left she touched my arm like she was my mum and said, 'Don't worry - these things happen once in a while to people who work so hard all their life.' After that she became a regular and always said ‘Hi’ to me and asked me how I was.


How do you cope with customers who are rude to you?


I fi nd people who are the most fussy


are always the ones who only go to restaurants once in a while. They seem to play up. Someone like Madonna who eats a lot in high-class restaurants is always easy-going, not fussy and doesn't show a bad attitude. I've served her a few times and she always knows what she wants, keeps it simple and doesn't complain.


Do you have any interests other than your obvious passion for waiting?


I enjoy producing dance music. I've


got my own mini-studio in my home in New Eltham so I'm often sampling diff erent types of sounds.


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Photos by Dawn OConnor


Where are you originally from? I was brought up in a village near


Rome. Maybe that's why I like Eltham because it's close to the city centre but feels like it's just as close to the countryside.


What do you think of Eltham? The people are very friendly, diff erent


to other parts of London. It's easier to get to know people in your neighbourhood and people are happy to talk. I used to live in central London which is so diff erent. In New Eltham I love sitting in my garden and taking in the fresh air. There are lots of green spaces here too. I've told my friends in central London, 'you can give me £1 million and I won't come back.'


Help keep Eltham tidy! Put your litter in bins.


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