Nick Frankgate

THE NEW LANDLORD OF THE ANGEL HOTEL

 

Past landlords of the Angel Hotel have made their mark in the community life of Bourne and Nick Frankgate has indicated that he may well follow their example.

The official opening of his refurbished hotel on Tuesday 23rd August was marked with a civic reception at which the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Judy Smith, cut a silk ribbon across the Angel Precinct, a ceremony followed by a champagne reception for invited guests, many transported to the event by a stagecoach from the 19th century.

The mayor told the gathering: "This is a momentous occasion for our town. The hotel is something which Bourne most definitely needs and after so much planning and hard work, we wish the venture every success."

Nick Frankgate

 

Nick, now 53, is proud of his ancestry, his actual name being Franchitti, and Italian cuisine will play a part in the food he serves which will feature in the hotel's Italian cafe bar. He was only three when the family moved to the area from the Isle of Rothesay in Scotland when his father, Nicola, went to work at a diesel engine factory in Peterborough but he died in Bourne Hospital in 1953, aged 45, from lung cancer, although he had never fully recovered from the privations of being a prisoner of war of the Japanese during the Second World War.

 

The family returned to Scotland for a time where Nick and his brothers were brought up by their grandfather, Guiseppe, until he was ten years old when they moved back to Peterborough and he became a pupil at the St John Fisher Roman Catholic School. Fired by his father's passion for food, he decided on a career in catering and enrolled at the Westminster Catering College in London before landing his first job as a commis chef at the Norman Cross Motel on the A1 near Peterborough. It was here that he met his wife Brigette who was working as an hotel receptionist and her experience was to prove invaluable in their later business partnership.

 

They moved to the Channel Island where Nick worked at an hotel at St Helier in Jersey, being promoted to head chef before returning to the mainland for a similar appointment at The Old House at Shepperton Studios, cooking meals for the film makers and stars such as Marlon Brando, Omar Sharif, Julie Andrews, Peter Sellers, screen writer Blake Edwards and director Fred Zinneman. Most of them knew exactly what hey wanted, no matter what the expense and inconvenience, and Nick learned  a valuable lesson about keeping his customers satisfied.

 

He opened his first restaurant at Hampton Court in London but also had spells at other eateries that have graced the pages of the Michelin and Good Food guides and Nick and his wife were also nominated for Scottish and Newcastle's prestigious Brand Managers of the Year Award in 2004, a testament to their work at the 100-bedroom Shire Horse in Stafford.

They eventually returned to Lincolnshire to run the Courtyard in Stamford and from there to Bourne to give the Angel a new lease of life where he and Brigette and their daughter Michelle, aged 24, a one-time Junior Masterchef contestant, are ready for their next challenge.

"I love the character of the building and the history that goes with it", said Nick. "But I decided that I wanted to change it but keep its essential character, turning it into a modern eatery using traditional English food from Lincolnshire dealers because there is a great supply hereabouts from both land and sea. The market has changed in recent years and more families are eating out together, especially at weekends, and people want value for money with fresh produce and good service, all at affordable prices. We have a dedicated team and the hotel has a proud past and we look forward to an equally proud future."

A FAMILY DELICACY

ON THE MENU at the Angel Hotel is an item called Spaghetti Franchitti, an old family recipe that owes its origins to Grandpa Guiseppe. It is cooked to his original instructions which insist on the use of a specific olive oil from Santa Maria Oliveto. Nick has only recently discovered the true extent of his Italian roots and always considered his family name to be Frankgate until he saw an entry on his grandfather's death certificate saying "Formerly Franchitti". Subsequent research revealed that his real name was Guiseppe Antonio Franchitti who had been sent to Britain as a child to stay with an uncle living in Sheffield before moving to Kilbirnie in Ayrshire but when asked at school to give his name, the Italian version proved to be too much for a young Scottish teacher who transcribed it to Frankgate and the name stuck with subsequent generations.
The family had originated in the mountainous Molise region of Italy where his ancestral home, the sleepy village of Santa Maria Oliveto, is situated and where he was reunited with members of the family who had stayed behind and was greeted by the mayor who presented him with a plaque welcoming him back.
Eager to share the delights of the village, Nick has revived this simple family dish to evoke memories of Italy and he has named it Spaghetti Franchitti.

NOTE: Acknowledgments to The Local newspaper for use of the photograph and
to an article on Friday 29th July 2005 written by Nick Hall.

WRITTEN AUGUST 2005

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