From South Africa to Glasgow via Naples: A conversation with Chef Patron Dean Parker, Celentano's
- James Massoud
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
At Celentano’s in Glasgow, Dean Parker is quietly rewriting the rules of modern Italian-inspired dining. Fusing nose-to-tail cooking, zero-waste philosophy, and seasonal fermentation, Parker’s menu is as sustainable as it is soulful. From house-made ricotta agnolotti to kimchi-laced cod doughnuts, every dish tells a story of locality, frugality, and bold experimentation. Drawing inspiration from South Africa, Copenhagen, and Naples, Celentano’s is more than a restaurant, it’s a fermentation-fuelled, flavour-first celebration of circular cooking, organic wines, and genuine hospitality. As the restaurant turns four, we spoke with Parker to explore his enduring commitment to sustainability, community, and evolving the modern trattoria experience in Scotland.
Celentano’s emphasises zero-waste cooking and a nose-to-tail philosophy – can you walk us through how your whey, ricotta, and bread trimmings are repurposed into dishes, sauces or even cocktails?
We make our own soft cheese using Mossigiel farm organic milk (it tastes better than any milk I've tried). The whey is used to make whey emulsion, which is used for lightening up most pasta dishes and we also use it for culturing cream for whipping butter. Old milk gets fermented with vodka and is used in our bar.
For our sourdough, the trimmings get dried out, broken up and fried in olive oil and garlic, which is used for texture on a lot of our savoury dishes. Day old choux buns get dried blended up and used in the chocolate soil for the affogato.
How do you balance seasonal foraging (like wild garlic in Glasgow) with supplier relationships when planning menus that evolve weekly?
It’s a constant struggle with time. Balancing customer relations is a real tough decision, but it all boils down to what’s best at the time of year. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic relationship with the The Free Company that supplies our veg and beef.
Your menus include biodynamic or organic wines on tap. How did you source these and how has reducing glass waste influenced drink offerings?
We have had six wines on tap since day one with Uncharted the supplier. The wine is amazing, but I cannot take credit as Anna, my wife and co-owner, tastes and selects them. She's got an amazing palate and a good judgement for buying. From waste wine we make vermouth for our negronis; we also use it for the alcohol-free vermouth.
Tell us which dish currently on the menu you’re most proud of, and why it encapsulates your approach to ingredient sourcing and in-house production.
The ricotta agnolotti is always a favourite. I love vegetables. I love making them, it’s part of my morning ritual. I find them therapeutic to make.
Your snacks section features unique items like lasagne fritti and cod doughnuts. How do these reflect your influences and gastronomic experimentation?
The lasagne fritte has been a staple snack of mine for a while. Creamy, cheesy layers of bechamel made from cheese rinds. The smoked cod donuts are one of my favourites, which are bay infused choux buns, the filling is made from smoked cod roe, bread trim and whey, which are blended and emulsified with olive oil. The kimchi recipe has a real sweet kick.
Your malted barley affogato has remained on the menu since opening. What makes it so enduring and how did the recipe come to be?
An affogato is always a dessert I would choose. My favourite gelato is malted barley, which came from The Dairy [Robin Gill's former restaurant] days where I used to work. The chocolate mousse recipe is a real special recipe of mine from The Manor [Robin's second restaurant, which reopened as Sorella in 2018] days. The chocolate soil is for texture, made from day old choux pastry trimmings.
You’ve cited experiences from Italy – such as your time in Naples – and admired chefs like René Redzepi. How have those journeys and figures influenced the menu at Celentano’s?
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some inspiring cities in my life and have taken some influence from my travels. I staged at Amass [now closed down] and ate at Noma and Relae [also closed down] in Copenhagen in 2008, which sparked a keen interest in The Art of Fermentation, written by Sandor Katz. Food is so essential, it’s medicine (the habits we have are our wellbeing), it’s something we share as an experience. There’s so much you can gain from a meal.
In 2015 I went to Naples to eat and stage. Nowhere in the world compares to the hospitality in southern Italy. I learnt so much from my time there, not only cooking but tasting dishes and the way of life. Dishes that will stay with me include a braised squid seasoned with salt and lemon celery loaded with local olive oil and walnuts.
As someone who grew up in South Africa and now cooks Italian-inspired food in Glasgow, how do those different cultural memories inform your flavour profiles and recipes?
In South Africa, my grandparents had a hotel and a love for cooking and gardening. That was probably where the love for the raw ingredients sparked.
Fermentation is where a lot of my flavour profiles come in. Instead of adding loads of lemon to something, use the vegetable that the dish is based around and the lactic acid from the fermentation of that specific vegetable will only enhance the dish you’re making.
Celentano’s operates as both a restaurant and boutique stay with eight bedrooms above. How did you design the guest stay experience to complement the food offering?
We offer a night’s stay and a feasting menu as part of a package. The guests enjoy breakfast in the room: yoghurt, granola compote, Corra Lynn cheese, warm sourdough bread and banana bread delivered in the morning. Sometimes the breakfast is my favourite part of the stay.
For travellers visiting Glasgow, what local food-based day-trip or experience would you recommend before or after dining with you?
Try to get into one of our pasta masterclasses followed by a three-course lunch with the class of people on a communal table. In other parts of Glasgow, Bare Bones do a chocolate demo, Glengoyne’s whiskey tasting is special, and Clydeside distillery is a fantastic trip into the whiskey baron’s story.
What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for small restaurant operators pursuing sustainability in today’s economy?
It’s extremely tough for the hospitality industry right now. The support from the government isn’t there so we’re having to raise prices, which is tricky for customers to understand. Plus, whereas we very keen to be as sustainable as possible this does come at a price, which is crazy in this age of climate change.
As you mark Celentano’s fourth birthday this month – with complimentary Negronis in the offer – what’s next on the horizon for the restaurant and how do you wish to evolve?
More of the same. We have Celentano’s bees, so we’d like to grow the colonies and create more of our delicious honey. Plus, we will look to enhance our very popular masterclasses and private events.
