AFTER quitting their jobs to start their own business eight years ago, a couple have finally realised their dream of opening a restaurant.

To the delight of owners Ben Milne and his wife Joana Anastasiou-Milne, their new Italian restaurant and deli has been hailed a roaring success after it opened in Snaresbrook last week (August 10).

After bagging the premises in Station Approach earlier this year, the Milnes decided to dedicate a third of it to their wholesale business, The Chef’s Deli, and two thirds to a new Italian restaurant concept called Bombetta.

But when they first decided to venture out into the food industry together in 2008, things did not always run as smoothly.

Ben said: “We’ve always both loved food, and based our travels on the food we love most.

“So in 2008 we decided to go into business together, which was the birth of The Chef’s Deli.

“We both quit our jobs, which I’ll never forget because the financial crash a few weeks later meant we had to sell our house and start everything from scratch.”

But luckily the couple’s exclusive collection of meat, cheese and bread from small Italian, Spanish and British farmers saw the business go from strength to strength.

The 39-year-old from Buckhurst Hill added: “What makes us special is our diversity.

“Quite often with Italian food outlets, they will only buy in food from the region they’re from and just specialise in that.

“But we buy whatever appeals to us, whether it’s from Italy, Spain, Greece or England, we’re really just about the product itself, and the history, tradition and legacy of that product.

“We will also always give the work to a small producer if we can, so when we sell stuff in the deli or serve it in the restaurant, we know it’s almost exclusive to us.”

With fresh deliveries from all over western Europe twice a week, the Milnes’ Snaresbrook deli offers three-year aged parmesan, cheese from a rare goat breed in Sicily with only 300 animals left, and good old-fashioned cheddar from Ben and Joana’s contacts in the UK.

The couples’ love of all things Italian started after they met working in Walthamstow when they were 18, when Joana went to Milan to study fashion.

After deciding it was not for her, she got a job sourcing food from local farmers, combining her native Greek language skills and developing her Italian.

Ben said: “Jo is trilingual in English, Greek and Italian, and since she got that job, she has spoken Italian every day of her working life.

“I understand most things, particularly if we’re talking food obviously.”

After a “fantastic” first week, deli worker Dario Vola, who comes from the eastern region of Abruzzo and doubles up as a music producer, says he is really enjoying working in Snaresbrook.

He said: “I love it here, people are always coming to say hi and seem to have a really passion for food, it’s great.”

Despite only thinking they would use their Snaresbrook site for The Chef’s Deli, to supply to their customers, which include Gordon Ramsay, Harvey Nichols and Goldman Sachs, Ben says the restaurant side of the business has exceeded all expectations.

He said: “My favourite region of Italy really depends on the time of year.

“In summer the best place has to be Puglia, which is where the concept for Bombetta comes from.

“When we decided to open a restaurant we always thought Wanstead was the best, most vibrant high street to open it in.

“So far the feedback has been fantastic and we’ve been way busier than expected, so we hope it continues.”

Bombetta is open seven days a week in Station Approach, Snaresbrook, while The Chef's Deli opens from 11am to 7pm on Fridays and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.