Our Story

Without him, Donatello would not exist

A humble Latchford lad and owner of his own plumbing and heating company, Warmways Ltd. He purchased the shop that was to become the original Donatello, here at 75 Orford Lane.

He grafted and coordinated the work required to transform the property into a licensed restaurant. His plan, along with his wife, Jacqueline, was to help his daughter, Julie, and her husband, Khalid, set up their own restaurant here in Warrington. Business was brisk right from the start, and their efforts were not in vain.

Sadly, Jack died of multiple myeloma in 2009, and he cannot be with us to share in our next chapter at the new and hopefully much improved Donatello. Losing the original fixtures and fittings, of which he was such a part, is like losing another piece of him.

As nostalgia gives way to progress, there will always be a special place in our hearts and on our wall to pay homage to a wonderful man and pizza taster…

“Thank you, Dad, if you’re looking down on this, we hope you approve.” xx

Without her, Donatello would not exist

Julie Boujibar, the daughter of Jack and Jacqueline Bolton, wife to Khalid and mother to Sam, Adam, Yasmin and Jemel. The heart of Donatello, from the beginning in 1996 until the day she passed, 13 years to the day of her father, on the 8th September 2022, aged 54.

Julie was the driving force behind the opening of Donatello; she saw an opportunity, a building half the size of the one you see today, near the centre of the town she grew up in. A building where she envisioned her and Khalid’s dream of opening an Italian restaurant to come true.

Julie would take on many roles in this building: a waitress, an accountant, a cleaner, an interior designer, a painter and decorator, and a pot wash to name just a few of the tasks she took on. But most importantly, Julie was a friend to our staff; a conversationalist, an open ear and an extraordinary daughter, wife and mother.

If you ever got the privilege to be served by Julie in the early days of Donatello, you may have had your plates carried over to you, balanced on her pregnancy bump, or maybe she performed the classic cappuccino prank in which you would’ve been convinced that your hot drink was about to be spilt all over you! Julie would certainly bring a smile to your face and give you a big, warm welcome the moment you stepped through our doors.

Eventually, Julie stopped waitressing to care for her children. Her infectious smile was missed, but someone had to take care of the future generation of Donatello and as business grew, so did the paperwork and these jobs worked better for a busy mother.

Julie’s legacy lives on. There will always be a piece of Julie here in Donatello, no matter how many years pass.

We appreciate that life is short… so just like Julie always was, we are honoured that you have chosen to make special memories with us today.

Treasure the people at your table