He Got Tied to a Chair Before Selling Tiramisu…

This week on Great People Only, we’re joined by Mattia Paradiso, the founder of Paradiso Tiramisu and the man behind one of Sheffield’s most distinctive independent food businesses. Originally from Puglia, Mattia moved to Rome as a teenager to study acting before eventually coming to the UK. When lockdown brought his work in hospitality and acting to a stop, he started making tiramisu from home and delivering it to people around Manchester by bike. In this episode, we talk about Mattia’s journey from Italy to the UK, how a lockdown side project unexpectedly became a business, and the decision to eventually make Sheffield his home. Mattia shares how Paradiso grew from a shipping container in Kelham Island into its own café, why crowdfunding and the support of the Sheffield community played such an important part in making it possible, and what happened when people queued outside on opening day and they completely sold out. We also get into his acting career, the director who once tied him to a chair, selling around 1,000 tiramisus at Tramlines, making a three-metre tiramisu for more than 500 people, and why his late nonna remains such an important part of what he has built. It’s a funny and personal conversation about Mattia’s life, the unexpected beginnings of Paradiso Tiramisu and how something that started during one of the strangest periods of his life became much bigger than he ever expected. Watch the full episode and discover more stories from the people who make The James what it is. Discover more from The James: Website: https://thejames.uk Instagram: / thejamesuk TikTok: / thejamesuk Follow Great People Only: Instagram: / greatpeopleonly Follow Mattia Paradiso: Instagram: / mattiaparadisofficial Follow Paradiso Tiramisu: Instagram: / paradisotiramisu #Sheffield #Podcast #Business #Entrepreneurship #Food #Italy #Hospitality #SmallBusiness #Community #GreatPeopleOnly #TheJames