Celebrity Chef, Massimo Capra, reminds me of my childhood where Sunday dinners included nostalgic tales of my parent’s early lives in northern Italy – stories told over a golden, piping-hot plate of Risotto alla Milanese. As I sit next to the chef at his critically acclaimed Toronto restaurant, Mistura, he vividly describes the Bolognese tradition of making Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce.  My senses are so heightened that I can almost taste the creamy layers of this northern delicacy.

The successful restaurateur and co-host of the Food Network’s Restaurant Make-0verand Gourmet Escapes landed on Canadian soil from his native Italy thirty years ago only to find a country relatively oblivious to the enormity of authentic Italian cuisine.

‘I arrived from Cremona, an area near Milan, in 1982.  Most Italians here were southerners who immigrated in the forties and fifties. The culture had already blended Canadian customs in their cooking’,he says, adding ‘my northern background was so completely different’.

Before Chef Capra’s arrival Torontonians had a century-old, stereotypical perception of Italian food – generous portions of pasta with rich tomato sauce, hearty calzones and assorted pizzas.  Since then, he along with other noted master chefs, have expanded the Italian cooking repertoire by introducing northern staples such as Polenta alla Griglia (grilled cornmeal), Agnolloti al Cinghiale(pasta with wild boar) and Parma Prosciutto(dry-cured ham).

‘It was very tough to get proper ethnic products back then. But we are lucky to live in Toronto with all the different ethnicities. You can have anything you want now.’ he explains.  Chef Capra is an avid admirer of other cuisines. His series, Gourmet Escapes, has taken him to places such as Ireland, Iceland and Holland.  However, television celebrity is not his only claim to fame. He is also author of his own cookbook, One Pot Italian.

As I listen to this lively and animated Italian reminisce of his mother’s bygone culinary influence, his days studying his craft in Tuscany as well as his early years employed at several prestigious hotels in Venice, Milan, the Dolomites and Mont Blanc de Courmayeur, I am aware of his passion for tradition and culture.

‘Cuisine is an evolution of the past.  It is who we are. Italy is not a place where everyone eats spaghetti with meatballs. Italian cuisine is not just three things that you see on a menu. It’s so much more’, he states.

His restaurants, Mistura, Sopra Upper Lounge (above Mistura), Rainbow Room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls as well as Boccone Pronto/Boccone Trattoria at Pearson International Airport – where his is owner, executive chef and creator of all menus- are a testament to his all-encompassing Italian culinary vision.

So what’s next for the tireless chef?  “More shows and eventually more restaurants”, he says jovially.

This summer he is off to Italy, travelling throughout the boot exploring small villages and town festivals for ancient recipes and culinary traditions to be aired on an exciting new season of Gourmet Escapes.  Stay tuned!

For more on Massimo Capra visit www.massimocapra.com

Last month a man very dear to my heart passed away unexpectedly. Fulvio Bertolotti was my cousin. godfather and most importantly. a kindred spirit. A man with an ex~
traordinary personality he viewed all situations and people in an abstract way. l>-le was one of the most vivacious people l had ever known who saw wonderment in all things and his greatest asset by far was his gift of conversation, storytelling and theatrics.
From the moment he bowed, took my hand and referred to me as ‘your royal highness’ while escorting me down the grand staircase of the magnificent pallazzo of Isola Madre on Lake Maggiore, ltaly to our archaeological excursion in the nearby countryside – all in search of the remains of lost Roman warriors from a long ago battle with the Gauls – no one could dispute his entertaining and childlike imagination. Fulvio would have made a magnificent novelist.

Having grown up in post WWII career options for someone with such an imagination and talents was limited. He eventually went to work as a waiter in Milan, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to what became a satisfying and lifelong profession. Employed in the most prestigious restaurants and hotels as server and maitre d’, my cousin became known as one of the best his field. While gallantly serving aristocracy politicians and renowned actors he developed a passion for the culinary arts. Thanks to him i was fortunate to learn the ABCs of dining etiquette and had the opportunity to sample extraordinary dishes he prepared and mastered under the tutelage of some of the finest chefs in ltaly. Not only did he love to cook but he also enjoyed providing a detailed history behind each recipe. While on my last visit to Milan in 2012 we had debated greatly over the origins of Risotto alla Milanese – a rice dish native to our area. Bearing a strong likeness to paelfa. l was adamant risotto had been introduced by the Spaniards who had settled the region in the sixteenth century. Fulvio, on the other hand. strongly stated that it was created by our very own forefathers and delved into extensive research regarding this subject.

According to his findings, sent to me in the form of an animated letter with an accompanying recipe, the bright yellow rice dish is connected to a renowned stained glass artisan who worked on the Milan Cathedral in 1574. The artisan’s apprentice, who used saffron as a colourant for his glassworks, decided to surprise his master with an interesting gift. Upon the artisan’s daughter’s wedding to a wealthy local merchant. the apprentice added saffron to rice and had it served by valets on opulent silver trays at the reception. l will miss stories as these along with his interesting culinary surprises such as Risotto di Fraqole (strawberry rice) and his anfipasto specialty consisting of savoury port wine and prosciutto served inside cantaloupe halves. l will miss our visits to the village market and his spirited conversation with the vendors but mostly l will miss his extraordinary laughter.
Godspeed my godfather, cousin and friend.

Cheese has always played a central part of my culinary world. Back when airport security was more lenient my mother’s parents would bring carefully packaged wheels of Friulano on their visits from Italy. I remember watching Grandfather Sergio unwrap the heavy, treasured cheeses he painstakingly carried in his travel case – never understanding what all the fuss was about. Didn’t we have cheese in Canada? Grandfather said we did indeed but that it wasn’t the same! A typical old-world response, I would say to myself.

My grandfather was a casaro, or cheesemaker, by trade and when I was old enough to understand I was awestruck by the importance of his profession. His passion for cheese developed while growing up in the bustling port city of Nice, France where he was surrounded by a large number of varieties. After returning to Italy as young man his parents sent him to study cheese making at a school in the Veneto. It was during this time that he learned the art of curdling, ripening and storing while further mastering his skills by apprenticing at one of the largest cheese factories in the region. Owned and operated by his cousin he would tell me this experience was perhaps one of the most exciting of his life.

Following his retirement when I matured and began travelling to Italy, I came to realize that his skills and management of the local latteria, the dairy shop located his hometown of Friuli, was an essential service. Known from far and wide as the very best in his field grocers, farmers and residents from nearby towns would tell me that he could transform milk into cheese with golden alchemy and that his cheeses, a necessary culinary staple especially during wartime, graced every table in the community.

Cheese is an ancient food predating recorded history but scholars believe it originated circa SOOO BC when cows became domesticated. Although there are countless varieties made by traditional and modern methodologies, the production process includes basic principles. Fresh milk produced by dairy animals is extracted and placed in tempera-
ture-controlled stainless steel vats where it ferments. During fermentation the bacteria in milk changes the milk sugars into lactic acid. This acidity makes the milk coagulate, or curdle, into solid clumps. These curds are then removed from the vat, drained and subsequently shaped or placed into molds. The cheeses then undergo curing and aging.

Some are wrapped in wax and others bathed in salt and depending on the variety or desired taste the ripening process can take anywhere from several weeks to years. I clearly recall this final process as Grandfather would take me to his cheese cellar high in the Alps where he would brush mold off the surface of his cheeses even inserting a metal cylinder and removing a small sample so I could have a taste. Passing years ago, his passion lives on through his descendants who continue to savour its goodness.

If there’s one dish that’s taken the world by storm, it has to be pizza! How can you not be hypnotized by this tantalizing and dreamy comfort food? Fa st and easy, it’s not only a fa-
vourite at the kitchen table but also at parties, festivals and sporting events. First made famous by the Neapolitans of central Italy, this dish has been embraced by all cultures.
We Canadians prove to have the heartiest appetite for pizza, breaking a world record for the biggest and longest delivery ever made. In 2003, from a distance of over 10,000 kilometers, Canadian peacekeepers stationed in Afghanistan received over 2, 200 medium-sized pizzas. Mainstream culture has also played a pivotal role in its popularity. How can anyone forget Dean Martin’s referral to “pizza pie” in his lyrical rendition of Thats Amore or Julia Robert’s groundbreaking lead role as pizzeria waitress in the Hollywood film, Mystic Pizza? From Italian traditional and thick-crust American to Japanese sushi pizza, there’s no denying its colossal success.

The precise origins of pizza are somewhat obscure. Some say its name comes from the ancient Greek pitke, or fermented pastry, while others give a high-five to the Romans who referred to their flattened bread as pinsa. Howevei; no one can dispute that the pizza so adored today was born in the bustling streets of Naples, where simple flat bread sprinkled with oil and spices was the chosen edible of the pooi: This inexpensive food took on new form following the discovery of the Americas. Italia ns were weary and suspicious ofthe newly-arrived tomato and considered it poisonous. Eventually, after a little trust and experimentation, a perfect marriage between this novelty fruit and flat bread was made. Legend has it that the original pizza and it’s most famous, La Margherita, was made in 1889 to honour the much-admired Italian queen consort, Margherita of Savoy.
On a trip to Naples the queen and her husband, King Umberto, were presented with a pizza showcasing the colours of the Italian flag. Created to symbolize Italian unity as well as recognize the royal couple, the chef sprinkled basil and tomato toppings for effect.

Since then hundreds of varieties have been kneaded, rolled and tossed in the air -from La Diavola (spicy) and Quattro Formaqqi (a four-cheese combo) to the rustic potato pizza and although different cultures create their own unique versions, the European Union has recently recognized and safeguarded Neapolitan pizza by giving it the stamp of Tra-
ditional Specialty Guaranteed Dish. According tothe History Channel’s, Hungry History, pizza made its American debut in New York in 1905 following the influx of Italian immi-
grants. Today Americans purchase three billion pizzas a year with its popularity escalating to soaring heights as pizza shops continue to open at every corner of the country. So, if you’re scrambling about and have no clue what to make the family for dinnei; delectable and satisfying pizza is right at your fingertips!