Sicilian restaurateur seeks new pastures

Sicilian restaurateur Guglielmo Fumia has grasped the opportunity offered by Malta's European Union membership to expand his business outside his home country.

He is offering cuisine from Ragusa at the Fumia Restaurant on top of the multi-storey car park, in Sliema after striking a business deal with the owner, Carol Calleja.

The restaurant was officially opened by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech yesterday evening.

Mr Fumia said he had been toying with the idea of expanding his Ragusa operation for a few years and this was brought to fruition for his wife Santa and himself following Malta's membership of the EU.

He was particularly impressed with the efficiency and expediency with which his application to open locally was processed by the authorities concerned only a month after Malta joined the EU.

"My ambition to expand my business started to be realised after I met Mr Calleja and later witnessed the beautiful roof garden on top of the car park.

"The site was waiting for the right tenant," Mr Fumia said.

Mr Fumia had words of praise for the car park team for their assistance to set up the restaurant operation and looked forward to providing a service to tourists and Maltese that "matches my already successful formula in Sicily".

The restaurant will specialise mainly in fish dishes.