The food and drink industry in Scotland is booming, with an unprecedented number of high quality, acclaimed places to eat across the land.
One of Glasgow’s dining gems is the Eusebi Deli, which is owned by Giovanna Eusebi, offering an authentic taste of Italy in the heart of the city’s West End using the best Scottish and Italian ingredients with a modern twist.
In 2018, it was named in The Times’ Top 100 Best Places to Eat in the UK.
Michael Prior is general manager at the Eusebi Deli, and he told Scottish Field about his job there.
How I came to work in my current role…
I live and was raised in the East End of Glasgow where Eusebi Deli was located. The Eusebi family was therefore a big part of my childhood and young adulthood. From buying what I considered exotic treats in the Shettleston deli, to having every haircut in my childhood done by Eusebi barber’s. When I heard that they were about to finally open a restaurant and deli in the West End in 2015, it just seemed natural that I wanted to be a part of it.
My role involves…
My role involves overseeing and managing on a daily basis all the arms and legs of Eusebi Deli: from briefing the team at the start of each shift, greeting and seating guests, overseeing every plate of food to the cake order from our very own bakery. I am involved before every new season in discussing the new upcoming menu with thechef, sous chef and Giovanna. I take a lead role in our catering arm which has been a great learning curve for me and a new challenge. This is an area that Giovanna and her mum before her have been doing for decades and built a very loyal following. It’s a wonderful thing to see the same family come back for christenings, weddings and special birthday celebrations across numerous generations.
A typical day starts with…
Coffee, and lots of it! Because we are such a multi-operation covering breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner services from 8am until 10pm, it means as soon as I walk in the door, I have to hit the ground running.
The hardest part of my work is…
That’s tough to answer because I love every aspect of my job, even the long hours. The hardest part is probably the perception of hospitality and therefore recruitment. It is a very challenging area to recruit new talent, who see it as a career and not a stop gap. I believe this is the most challenging area for all of us in hospitality and it is up to us to change people’s perception and create new ways of motivating and retaining people in our sector.
The moment I’ll always remember is…
This is a tough one. There are two moments that really spring to mind; the first being the first time that I met Andrew Fairlie. I was not fully aware that he was a friend to Giovanna and such a huge supporter of her. Initially I was starstruck in a way; he was one of the greatest chefs of his generation and even more so, a leading light in Scotland’s culinary front. I looked after him many times when he would visit, whether it was with colleagues or family. I quickly realised that outwith being an amazing chef, he was at grass root levels, a great man. He was always very friendly, natural and you could tell, very smart. I will not forget his infectious smile and upbeat manner even towards the end of his life. He is sorely missed.
Another moment for me, again took place in Eusebi’s earlier this year when a gentleman, Colin, came in with his wife Devina to organise their 50th wedding anniversary. A sweeter couple you could not meet and Colin especially was quite the character. After chatting to them for a bit, he mentions having known Edmundo and Jean. It transpires that in the late 50s as a young schoolboy, he helped teach Giovanna’s grandmother English in the Rendevoux café in Partick. I thought it was the most beautiful thing to hear and to have them come full circle and celebrate their 50th anniversary with us nearly 70 years later.
I love what I do because…
Everything that I do in my job comes naturally, I live and breathe every aspect of it and if anything I can be a little obsessive. I thrive on pressure and enjoy nothing more than helping create special memories for people. I always say to the team that you have no idea why someone is at our table, it could be for the most special occasions or the toughest of times but whatever it is, please do everything you can to make it special.
If there was an extra hour in the day I would…
Have the dilemma of spending it in bed or using it to catch up on my emails!
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