Meet our team

Rosa, Co-Founder

Rosa was 19 years old when she travelled to England with her new husband Calogero. In 1975 she established our family delicatessen in Bath and built the business single-handedly until her husband Calogero left his job to support her. Rosa is now retired, entrusting the running of La Bottega to her youngest son, Salvatore.

Calogero, Co-Founder (1932 – 2018)

Calogero started  life in England as a coal miner, and then became a factory worker at Fry’s. Joining his wife Rosa at the delicatessen she established, he quickly realised that it wasn’t just the general public that was interested in our fine Italian produce. In the 1980s he would visit restaurants and cafes selling his specialist Italian cheese along with tubs full of olives and sundried tomatoes that Rosa had dressed with her secret range of herbs and spices. For over forty years Calogero proudly oversaw the expansion of his business, working with his sons to develop a thriving food service company supplying many prestigious restaurants and hotels in the South West of England.

Salvatore (Sam), Managing Director

After training to become an accountant, Salvatore joined the family business in 1985 and took it from a small delicatessen to a thriving wholesale business. Salvatore’s motto is that we are “big enough to cope, small enough to care” and he continues to be actively involved in supporting our wholesale clients and working with our suppliers. He lives in Bath with his wife Linda and their four young daughters.

Laurent, Warehouse Manager

Laurent joined the team in 2016 as Warehouse Manager, bringing a wealth of experience with him. As a chef, with an illustrious and international career under his belt, Laurent has a unique perspective of having been a customer of La Bottega’s for over 20 years before joining the team. Through his work at the famous Le Beaujolais in Bath and later through his own award-winning restaurant Casanis, Laurent appreciates the demands of a busy kitchen and is uniquely placed to lead our team of drivers in delivering a service that fits the needs of our clients. In his spare time Laurent is still a busy chef, catering private events by special request. He lives in Bath with his wife Jill.

Mark, Delivery Driver

Mark joined the team in 2012 and is a familiar face to our clients on our delivery rounds in central Bath. Conscientious and friendly, Mark has built strong relationships with our clients further afield such as on our delivery rounds to west Wiltshire. Mark is a cheerful and ambassador for La Bottega and is quick to relay any queries chefs might have back to the office. Passionate about cars, Mark also helps to keep our delivery vehicles in check. Mark is a born and bred Bath boy, and is a proud father to 4 young children. Mark and his fiancée Leanne live in central Bath.

Radu, Delivery Driver

Radu joined the team in 2016 and supports our delivery rounds in central Bath as well as our regular deliveries to clients in Bristol. Radu is enjoying getting to know the many venues on our various Bath and Bristol delivery routes, and is familiar with the wide range of products on offer. His friendly and reliable nature has quickly made him popular amongst our clients. Radu became a father for the first time earlier this year, and lives in Bath with his partner Kazia.

Jo Ball, Credit Control and Book Keeper

Jo has been working with La Bottega for over 10 years, providing book keeping and credit control support to Sam in the office. Jo is fully qualified in book-keeping and Sage. She is self-employed and works alongside our chartered accountants Dunkley’s in Bristol. Jo has a wealth of private clients in the Bath and Bristol area, and works with us every Thursday. Jo is regularly tempted by the items on our deli counter! Jo lives in Saltford with her husband Steve and three children.