How this chef uses his internet virality to grow his authentic halal Italian restaurant in S’pore

Ever enjoyed your holiday in a country so much that you harboured the desire to settle down there? That was the case for then-21-year-old chef Gero DiMaria when he visited Singapore in 1996 and decided to search for a job in the local F&B industry.

“Coming from the UK, Asia is very different, and I wanted to try something new and different. I always knew I would try to work in other countries, but I didn’t expect to end up here in Singapore,” he added.

Born to an Italian family in London, England, Chef Gero’s first stint in food was as a part-time dishwasher at an Italian restaurant at the age of 15. He then climbed up the ranks, working at several F&B establishments in the UK before moving to Singapore.

He first worked at the Italian restaurant chain Pasta Fresca and several other restaurants before starting Kucina in 2016, touting it as an “authentic Italian halal restaurant.”

Making Italian food halal

Since becoming Muslim in 2001, Chef Gero shared that he was frustrated with Singapore’s lack of halal options, especially regarding Italian cuisine.

Despite being hesitant to start on his own due to cost and manpower concerns, he turned his frustration into a personal drive. He said he invested S$130,000 with his business partners to open Kucina.

While it might seem “easy” to remove pork and alcohol, changing the recipe of certain dishes, such as the Carbonara and Sicilian Cannoli, became more challenging than expected.

In particular, Chef Gero shared that he spent three months in R&D for his cannoli dessert and “almost gave up” as he couldn’t achieve the right texture. “But in the end, I managed to get it perfect.” 

The concept of “authenticity” is often debated in the F&B industry, and for Chef Gero, it meant using cooking techniques that are the core of the flavours. He shared that while his restaurant was well-received, he had to educate his customers on his offerings.

“I had to teach the customers about real Italian food, as what they had previously was not authentic,” he explained.

We may be halal but the way we cook and the flavours are true Italian, I grew up with Italian cooking everyday so I know what is authentic or not, so this is my principle in cooking. I believe in comfort food and childhood memories, at the end of the day we always go back to our mum’s cooking.

This is what I do at Kucina and I do not deviate.      

Growing the business beyond Internet hype

While some F&B establishments grew their reach through social media reviews, Chef Gero went old-school with his marketing strategy, relying on word of mouth.

He explained that his main challenge when he opened Kucina was staying on budget, leading him to purchase 95% of his kitchen equipment second-hand and not spend a single cent on marketing.

“[Word of mouth] takes longer, but it builds a better community and loyal customers. We didn’t spend any money on marketing for the first two years,” added Chef Gero.

He eventually enlisted the help of marketing companies to increase his reach and was exposed to various opportunities, from winning awards to catering for the annual National Day Parade from 2020 to 2022, and even cooking for the former president of Singapore, Madam Halimah Yacob, at the Istana.

In 2022, he hopped on the TikTok bandwagon, creating informational videos on authentic Italian halal cuisine. It was not long until he first went viral for his Aglio Olio cooking tutorial, and his Internet popularity grew with each video posted.

Since going viral from his educational videos on social media, Kucina saw a 30% to 40% increase in monthly sales, and their Instagram and TikTok pages amassed 281,000 and 269,400 followers, respectively, at the time of writing.

Chef Gero shared that he gets recognised everywhere he goes, even overseas, and is aware of the influence that he now holds with the large following he has gained. He has since launched another Instagram account documenting his health and fitness journey.

I have a lot of influence over millions of people, so I make sure everything I say and do is for them. Over the past year, I have realised that my content changes spending habits and food choices, so I want to always make it simple for my followers and give them my best. 

Kucina has also undergone a revamp with its new private dining concept, Kucina Privato, to expand the restaurant’s capacity as the business grew along with the request for private events, such as weddings and corporate events.

The restaurant has also launched a retail arm, Kucina Retail, following Chef Gero’s Internet popularity and brand collaborations, including Cold Storage. Its product offerings include packaged pasta, sauces, and butter, currently only sold to walk-in customers.

Aside from keeping their dishes affordable in light of rising food costs, Chef Gero has also introduced regional menus, with their Puglia menu introduced in September. “This is to showcase what real Italian food is by region as this changes drastically from each area.”

Looking forward to 2025, Chef Gero is working on a series of new plans, including a new menu and a cookbook. He also looks forward to “giving back to his strong Malaysian following” next year.

He also plans to “bring nostalgia back” to Kucina, but fans will need to keep their eyes open to what he means by that.

Featured Image Credit: Kucina