👨‍🍳 🍳Meet the Team Behind the Sicilian NQ Kitchen

At Sicilian NQ, every dish starts with a story—and every story begins with a person.

We’re a small, independent restaurant, but behind our tiny open kitchen is a team of passionate cooks, pastry lovers, and food rebels who’ve brought a slice of Sicily to Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

This isn’t fine dining. It’s food with heart. And the people behind it? They’re the reason our caponata, arancini, and cannoli don’t just taste good—they feel like home.

🧑🍳 Carmen and Claudio: From Southern Roots to Northern Quarter

Carmen and Claudio are the founders and soul of Sicilian NQ.

Carmen was born and raised in Sicily. She’s a electronic engineer by background, and an entrepreneur at heart. Her main activity is Dirextra, a specialist school in construction and public procurement.

Claudio is from Naples. He is a professional actor and model in italian movies, commercials and video productions.Both moved togheter to Manchester in 2016

In 2018, they opened their first tiny café at 45 Hilton Street, selling pasta and arancini from a counter tucked behind Piccadilly. Then, in early 2020—just two weeks before the pandemic hit—they moved into the current location.

Today, the team is mostly Italian, both in the kitchen and front of house. Recipes come from Carmen’s mum. All the creativity and new dishes are Carmen’s vision. Claudio, instead, is the heart of the room—greeting guests, making them feel at home, pouring wine, telling stories.

Together, they make Sicilian NQ more than a restaurant. It’s a home with an open door.

🍆 We Cook Like We Care (Because We Do)

Sicilian NQ's team every morning starts early—slicing aubergines for caponata, mixing risotto for arancini, folding pastry for cannoli. There are no shortcuts in our kitchen.

We make almost everything in-house:

• Panelle from chickpea flour and parsley

• Pistachio desserts using real Bronte nuts (read more)

• Wine pairings selected to match the dish—not the trend (like this one)

We’re not trying to be fancy. Just faithful to the flavors we love—and respectful of those who came before us.

🍋 Small Kitchen, Big Energy

If you’ve dined with us, you’ve seen it: the tiny kitchen tucked behind the bar. There’s barely space to turn around, but somehow we manage to serve:

• Full Sicilian menus

• Vegan desserts

• Brunch, wine tastings, aperitivo masterclasses

• Corporate events and private dinners (often all in the same day)

It’s intense. It’s loud. And it’s worth every second.

🧡 This Isn’t Just a Job. It’s a Mission.

We’re here because we believe that Sicilian food is more than a cuisine—it’s a culture of generosity, resilience, and connection.

That’s why we:

• Reduce waste as much as possible

• Cook 100% without red meat or poultry

• Offer both vegan and flexible Mediterranean dishes (learn more)

• Welcome everyone—from traditionalists to first-time cannoli eaters

Because what matters isn’t the label on the dish. It’s the intention behind it—and the love that goes in.

🥂 Want to Meet Us in Person?

Come by during one of our wine tastings or Sicilian experiences. We’ll be the ones:

• Stirring sauces

• Singing over the espresso machine

• Serving up the island’s stories, one plate at a time

You don’t have to be Sicilian to cook like us.

But you do have to cook with heart.