Nico Ruggiero died aged 73 on February 10, at his home in Chippenham surrounded by his family.
Mr Ruggiero was well loved in the town for his pizza and pasta dishes, which local people still talk about today.
When he was 20 he moved to Chippenham from Foggio in Puglia, southern Italy in 1963.
He chose Chippenham as a place to settle after his sister told him about it and he and his wife Clara went on to raise four children.
Mr Ruggiero worked as a chef at the Angel Hotel, in Market Place, progressing to head chef before leaving in 1983.
He then opened Nico’s Café and Restaurant in New Road, word quickly spreading about his home-made pasta and pizzas.
In 2002, when he was 62, he sold the restaurant but in 2004 he began cooking at the Pack Horse in London Road for three nights a week.
The funeral will be at St Mary's RC Church, Station Road, Chippenham, at 11am on Tuesday, February 24.
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