A pizza business which started during lockdown is flying in a new chef from Italy as demand for its food grows.

Cugini Pizza was started by cousins, Dino Clark, Connor Close and Callum Tombs, originally from their aunt Antonia Sotgiu's garden in Harwood, until a complaint meant they had to move.

The Cugini boys have since wracked up almost half-a-million followers on TikTok and are now at Edgworth Cricket Club, also taking deliveries of up to four miles.

Alardino Jarray will be joining the Cugini cousins from Rome as the team get ready to run at the cricket club as well as newly kitted out van for events.

The Bolton News:

The Italian pizza chef has already worked in the UK before, most notably with the famous Rudy’s Pizza in Manchester.

Connor said: “He’ll be part of the Cugini family when he arrives.

“He will be welcomed and coming over to the family house for Christmas.

“He might show us up and we’re expecting him to be a lot better than us.

“He’s really going to step us up a gear and help us go towards the right direction.”

The Cugini boys are excited for his arrival soon and the business will open five days a week Wednesday to Sunday.

Another Cugini cousin, Luca Sotgiu has also joined the buisness. 

Connor said: “It’s exciting and we can’t wait to get him here in Bolton.

“We’ve been expanding our team so we’re ready when the van is ready.

“We’ve now got 18 people involved in Cugini and that’s not including Alardino.

The Bolton News:

“Some of the boys from the cricket teams have joined us and we have trained them.”

Cugini is also celebrating the second anniversary of the pizza business and will host a party on the day with a charity raffle and invite anyone to join them at the cricket club for a pizza party till late on March 25.

Alongside the cricket club venue, the van and the new deliveries, the Cugini boys have set up an online shop to sell their famous Cugini hot sauce, hot honey and pizza oil among their ingredients.