Trademark pepper mill stolen from Italian restaurant
It was 18 years ago when Giuseppe Mascia's brother gave him a special present to mark his 40th birthday.
The present was a giant pepper mill and it quickly became a famous feature at Giuseppe's Pizza House restaurant in Hilsea, Portsmouth.
Customers would laugh and smile as they had their photograph taken with it. But now they can't.
For last month, on a busy Saturday night, someone walked out of the Italian restaurant in London Road with the mill and it hasn't been seen since.
It has left the Mascia family upset and they say the restaurant just doesn't feel the same without it.
They have now issued a plea for whoever took the mill to return it to them as soon as possible.
The family say it must have been taken on the evening of January 17, when the restaurant was busy but short of staff.
Giuseppe said: 'It is the symbol of this restaurant.
'Everybody used to love it and all the customers used to ask about it. It was a present from my brother nearly 20 years ago now, made in Italy. For me, it's got huge sentimental value and the restaurant doesn't feel right without it.'
The family suspect it was taken by somebody as a joke and think they may be too embarrassed to return it.
Giuseppe said: 'It has been more than a month now, at first we hoped it was a joke and it would be returned to us.
'We would just like to say to whoever took it please don't be embarrassed.
'We're willing to offer a small reward to anybody who brings it back.' Giuseppe's son Christian, who manages the restaurant, said: 'People still ask us to bring the giant pepper thing out but now we only have a smaller one to use. It just isn't the same.'
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Friday 25 May 2012
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