Sarusa International

Sarusa is SA for Salvatore, RU for Ruth
& SA for Santamaria our surname and this is our story:

We first met in one of Salvatore’s restaurants in Northern Italy in 1988 and the spark lit the flame although it would be another five years until we finally got together as a couple. Salvatore flirted, courted and wowed me over many wonderful meals and occasions shared over those years to the point of him becoming the centre of my life, my universe and holder of my heart.

Our life has always revolved around food, wine and hospitality. We love nature in its every nuance and essence. We believe Mother Nature provides us with everything we need and love honouring the abundance of fresh produce she bestows by creating great dishes with insightful enhancements. Our approach and philosophy is “ dalla terra alla tavola” (From the earth to the table) For us every single meal is a celebration of life. We’re both vibrant, passionate and adventurous about everything we do so naturally that comes through in our food and hospitality. We’re both fire signs and it shows! Our culinary and life adventures have taken us from restaurants in The North of Italy where Salvatore had already made a name for himself, to Tuscany where he grew up. Our Tuscan years saw us reach almost 80% self sufficiency with our produce. We grew our own fruit, vegetables and herbs. We bred and raised our own free range livestock and poultry whose diets were integrated with organic crops we also farmed ourselves creating a complete organic circle and food chain. The vineyards and olive groves provided us with the opportunity to make great olive oil and wines. This is how our son, Thomas grew up so it’s no surprise he went into high level hospitality himself and ultimately went on to become a nutrition Coach!

In 2014 we decided we were ready for a change and moved to England, which after 32 years in Italy was a real culture change!
I trained and qualified as a Personal Trainer & Nutritional Advisor while Salvatore went Freelance to further explore and dicover new cuisines and styles. We then set up our biggest and most ambitious project: a restaurant that married the best of British to the best of Italian cuisine with weekly specials dedicated to international influences from all over the world. We won a number of awards and recognition for our cuisine and Salvatore’s creative genius.

In April 2018, our world went crazy when I was diagnosed with cancer and we had to make some very tough decisions. We chose to give up the restaurant that had everything invested into it and concentrate on our health and living. I cured myself doing what I know and believe in, through my nutrition - what else?

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