Joe Hurd

Joe Hurd is an Anglo-Italian cook, presenter and writer hailing from Hull, Via Villa San Giovanni, Calabria. Growing up in an Anglo-Italian family, Joe went to the University of Leeds where he did a master’s in the history of diet and food in the Medieval Italian hospital. His degree wasn’t as worthless as he assumed, and quickly became a presenter on Studentcooking tv, before becoming a producer and finally in charge of development.

In 2013 he moved to London and went and trained under Francesco Mazzei in the kitchens at L’Anima, before moving on to work as a Chef D’Partie at New Street Grill, The Royal Exchange, Gola and eventually working at Little Sardegna in North London alongside the inspirational Marcello Gusai.

During all of this, Joe was working for Delicious magazine, helping to update their food and video content, before being one of the researchers on Heston Blumenthal’s Great British Food. He was snapped up by ITV to present The Munchbox, before becoming a semi-regular feature on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, C5 Saturday Show, Travel Channel UK and Discovery Channel. Joe ran a number of supper clubs across London that cooked simple, old-fashioned Italian food.

He is a regular on the live cooking circuit, cooking at The BBC Good Food Show, Carfest, Jimmy’s Farm, Welcome Italia, Pizza Pasta Show, Aldeburgh, Royal Parks and Palaces. He spends a lot of time researching and writing about the history of Italian food and his favourite dish is Cavatelli with Star Pummar’o and pecorino. Joe doesn’t like pesto and has little time for coriander, cumin and cardamon.