Alberto and his son Alfonso at the Parliament Hill Fields cafe

IT is the end of an era – and while there will be tears, the D’Auria family, who are leaving the Parliament Hill Fields café, say the time has come.

The D’Aurias were unsuccessful in their bid to win a tender to keep the café they have run since the 1970s and, instead, in February, café operators Daisy Green will step in.

Its owner, Prue Freeman, says she will protect what makes the café so special – promising not only to keep the D’Auria name but include their most popular pasta dishes on the menu.

On Sunday, the family are hosting a farewell party and marking Alberto’s 80th birthday at the café.

They will celebrate – with pasta for all – what has been a landmark in north London for decades. Their story is one of our Anglo-Italian north London community.

The D’Auria family firm has been headed by father Alberto, who moved to London with his brothers in the 1960s. One of five brothers and four sisters, they come from Ravello on the Amalfi coast.

Alberto learned to chef in hotels in Venice, Vienna, Paris and then The Savoy. “The customers love what I do,” he said. “I was a top chef and learned my trade properly.”

The old D’Auria Bros sign

Alberto was working as a chef when his brother Mario suggested he join him in the ice cream van business.

The pair set up the D’Auria Brothers. “We won pitches across the city,” said Alberto.

They included Tate Gallery, Royal Albert Hall, Wembley and the White City dog track. Alberto’s son Alfonso learned the trade from an early age.

“It was seven days a week and sometimes we’d work 20 hours in a day,” said Alfonso.

“And today Dad is the same – he cannot stay at home. He comes in each day.”

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It has always been a family affair: as well as Alfonso, his brother Dino and sister Bella have put in their shifts, too.

“He ran a tight ship,” said Alfonso.

“It didn’t matter if you were family – he demanded high standards. I worked all the hours as my children were growing up and my eldest daughter, Demi, has worked here – she is heartbroken. There have been tears.”

They moved to Parliament Hill Fields in 1977 – and they won the café because of Alberto’s reputation.

Alberto had been asked to provide a banquet at the Guildhall and had been contracted by a man named Mr Pollard.

Mr Pollard was so impressed by Alberto’s culinary wizardry, he told the chef that if he ever needed a reference, he would give him a glowing one.

“This place became available and Mr Pollard recommended him,” said Alfonso.

The Parliament Hill Fields café was managed by the Greater London Council. It was a very different place to the café Daisy Green is taking over today.

“It was quite rough. There could be some dodgy characters. We kept a baseball bat behind the counter in case of trouble.”

The Lido café was empty so the family agreed to open it too, and added an ice cream van. Alfonso said: “We put in a coffee machine and the customers would say they didn’t want that – they wanted regular instant coffee, what they were used to. We started serving pasta right at the beginning and it was well received.

“We always made sure the menu was affordable – we wanted people to feel they could come in and enjoy our food. We have always felt we could offer great food at prices everyone could afford – and that has been one of the reasons we have so many regulars who have become friends.

“Back then, it was possible to do that and still have a decent profit margin. Today, it is much more expensive – from gas and electricity bills to the cost of produce, it has gone through the roof.”

Alberto’s family has run the cafe at Parliament Hill Fields for more than 40 years

Daisy Green owner Prue Freeman has vowed to keep the D’Auria name above the door – the family have kept a licence to run their ice cream van – and says they will keep the popular pasta dishes. Customers will, no doubt, compare the new chefs with the old – a tough act to follow.

“I learned to cook here,” said Alfonso.

“The day my dad told me my Lobster Thermidor was better than his was the biggest compliment I have ever had.

“But my mum’s sauces – there is none better. There’s no point in describing the recipes and the ingredients – you already know them, they are in cook books – but I have been trying to replicate my mother’s sauces for 25 years, using exactly the same ingredients and no one can get anywhere near it.

“Everyone makes their own pasta sauces, but no one makes one like my mum’s. It is all about the technique.”

The D’Aurias did bid for the new tender and Alfonso drew up detailed plans, seen by the New Journal.

“The place needs a lot of investment,” he said. “It has been hard to plan on a short lease, but the time has come to end our era. We will serve everyone a big meal for Dad’s birthday. There will be pasta, 100 per cent.”

Daisy Green co-founder Prue Freeman said: “We thank Alfonso, Alberto, Maria and the team for their support and encouragement. It is a huge legacy and we look forward to preserving and growing what they have built.

“We look forward to engaging further with the community and working together to build a café for everyone. We are listening and engaged to make everyone happy.”