ISSUE Nº3WINTER 2012

Featured Region

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

TWO BROTHERS, AND TERRONI VETERANS, BRING A FRESH TAKE ON NOURISHING FOOD TO QUEEN ST. W.

What's eating Albion Macleod? Who cares: he looks l ike Johnny Depp

Two Terroni junior executives take a meeting with the Cake Boss.

Plus, belly buttons, Venus and tortelloni. Oh my!

TTERRONIMAGAZINE

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Shawn AyersShawn is a lifestyle journalist from Vancouver with a passion for pop culture and fashion. He’s done on-camera reporting in Toronto, and dished with celebrities for Life & Style magazine in New York. He can also be found quipping to customers at Terroni Queen St. where he’s been a server since 2009. In his spare time, Shawn flexes his comedic muscle at Second City – when he’s not at the gym, of course. Follow him on Twitter: @Shawn_Ayers

Rick and Sandra KangRick Kang writes ads, draws album covers and makes comics. He’s also sin-gle—and desperate, apparently. Peep his stuff at kangski.tumblr.com. Sandra Kang is the Art Director of V Magazine. She also draws comics and makes great lunches (cuz how else you gonna compete with the lunch spots in Manhattan?)

Per KristiansenPer Kristiansen is an advertising and fine arts photographer whose com-mercial work appears regularly in print media across North America. A personal project on Lake Ontario's break wall in West Toronto showed at last year's Contact Photography Festival, and enjoyed a formidable reception. Per continues to expand on the break wall project in Toronto, were he lives with his wife and daughter.

Gianna SamiGianna is one of Terroni's more recent imports from Los Angeles. Starting as a manger at the now relocated Balmoral location, Gianna now works at Cavinona, Terroni's exclusive wine supplier, where she gets to think about wine all day—and get paid for it! When she's not thinking about wine, she's probably thinking about food.

Publisher Elena di Maria

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Allen

Design Small

Staff PhotographerStephanie Palmer

Assistant Editors Tara Downs Natalie Urquhart

Copy Editor Elizabeth Pagliacolo

Columnists Giovanna Alonzi Max StefanelliNatalie Urquhart

Contributors Quinn Danielis Irene Dongas Rick Kang Sandra Kang Per Kristiansen Kio Reid Gianna Sami Mark Venturi

Admin. Managers Patti Shaw Karina Watsone

Many thanks to Stephen Alexander, Bella Alexander Nic Carlino Simon Gadke Dale Heslip Sol Korngold Albion Macleod Anna Mammoliti Cosimo Mammoliti Vince Mammoliti Cosimo Pagliacolo Jacob Sharkey Pearce Lucas Sharkey Pearce Carla Sorbara

T Magazine Headquarters 720 Queen St. W. Toronto, M6J 1E8

For inquiries and comments please email: jessie@terroni.ca

Follow us on Twitter (@terronito)

and Facebook(Terroni and Terroni: Los Angeles), and don’t forget to click “like”.

CONTRIBUTORS

Printed in Canada Paper : Rolland Enviro 100 Paper

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Percentage of wine vs. other alcoholic beverages consumed by Italians:

73% vs 13%§

Litres of wine Italians consume in a year: 98

+Litres of wine consumed at the

Terroni Halloween fundraiser: 38‡

Number of grape varietals found in Italy: 800 +

×Number that have been catalogued by

Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry: nearly 400

~Grape varietals represented on

Terroni wine lists: 60‡

Countries represented on Terroni wine lists: 1

+Countries represented at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival:

over 60~

Number of films screened at TIFF this year: over 300

×Number of tortelloni handmade by Terroni

for the Pop-Up Grey Goose Soho House during TIFF: 3,438

§Lives changed after consuming said

lobster-stuffed tortelloni: 1 (Gossip maven Lainey Liu)

‡Italy’s vs. Canada’s rank on the World Bank’s list

of “ease of doing banking with”: 87 vs. 13+

Rank of Namibia: 78×

Terroni’s rank in Now Magazine’s 2011 Best Italian Restaurant list: 1

~Winners of this year’s World Top Restaurant

awards that are located in Italy: 3§

In Canada: 0

Years Berlusconi held political sway over the Italian Republic: 17

×Years Mussolini ruled Italy: 21

§Year that an Italian company designed a mattress for sex rather than sleeping: 2009

~Number of times a week Berlusconi’s

doctor said he’s physically and intellectually fit for sex: 6

×Number of non-confidence

votes Berlusconi has survived since 2008’s general election: 51

~Number of times he’s been

interrogated (his own count): 577+

Nickname of Macintosh’s LC series of desktop computers first launched in 1992: Pizza Box

‡Amount of RAM included in the first LC:

2 MB~

Amount of RAM included in a 2011 iMac: 4096 MB

§Metric tons of extra-virgin olive oil Italy

exports in a year: 80,000×

Percentage of this that arrives at Terroni annually: .035

§Average number of olives that go into

making one liter of Terroni olive oil: 1,375~

Number of Craig’s List Missed Connections that have occurred this year at Terroni: 2

×Year that Italy celebrated its

150th anniversary: 2011‡

Year that Terroni will celebrate its 20th anniversary: 2012

+Number of Terroni

employees in 1992: 3~

Number today: 400

THE TERRONI INDEX

COME AND GET IT

Compiled by Jessica Allen & Tara Downs

by Shawn Ayersphotos by Stephanie Palmer

HOW WE MAKE LASAGNA ALLA BOLOGNESE

ON an autumn afternoon, the prep kitchen in the depths of Terroni

Adelaide, a former courthouse, feels more like a venerable old Italian home than a restaurant. Stone walls and low ceilings sur-round large stoves laden with simmering pots where several cooks are preparing the family meal for staff. One of them is actually singing an Italian love song, seducing me like a scene from a Fellini film. Meanwhile, two chefs  —  Theva and Valentina  —  begin preparing lasagna alla Bolognese. And like most great recipes, this one is a labour of love. Terroni has been baking the tradition-al dish from Emilia Romagna for years now. They begin by making spinach pasta dough specific to the authentic version that are rolled into large, thin sheets and boiled with great care, so they don’t fall apart. Next, they prepare the Bolognese sauce: fresh ground beef and various cuts of pork, including prosciutto, are added to a sofritto of onions, celery and carrots. The ragù is finished off with tomatoes, red wine and a touch of nutmeg and left to simmer for over five hours. Then they make the béchamel sauce and after it all cools, the layering begins: the chefs work in tandem like a well-oiled ma-chine, laying down the pasta sheets in large baking trays and then delicately covering them with a coating of the Bolognese and then the béchamel, plus a dusting of freshly grated Grana Padano cheese. Béchamel and small jewels of the ragù top the fifth and final layer. The trays are delivered to the other Terroni locations where they’re baked for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Preparing one tray would be a feat in itself, but the team knocks out six to eight of these at a time, using 12 sheets of pasta per tray, a few times a week. It’s a gastronomic sympho-ny to watch, and even more exciting to eat. (I had a piece for lunch!) If it’s on the specials menu next time you’re in, follow my lead and sit down with a piece and a big glass of red wine. Be warned though: you could very well fall in love.

4SOMEONE’S IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE SHARKEY PEARCE BROTHERS

On a recent Friday night, the boys, who cut their restaurant chops at Terroni, cooked up a four course feast for a dozen wise–cracking eaters, including Cumbrae owner Stephen Alexander and his wife, Bella. The setting? Cosimo’s kitchen, of course.

<< Jess >> (to Lucas) I need to talk with. What the hell’s going on? There’s a restaurant opening up where Bar One used to be, and you and your brother are behind it, correct?<< Cosi >> And tonight we are deciding the name of the place.<< Jess >> (to Lucas) Are you comfortable with that?<< Lucas >> I’m fine with it. I like the name Bear Cub. It’s actually not a great restaurant name but it’s the nickname of the chef.<< Cosi >> You have to tell everybody at the table tonight as much as you can what the place is about and then at the end of the night we’re going to all write a name from your shortlist on a piece of paper. And if we don’t come up with something, I’m going to call it Casa della Mamma.<< Lucas >> I wanted to call it Mother Bear or Bear Cub. Those are all “idea” names. But the short list is partly historical  —  names that have meaning for whatever reason, and are connected to us or the place. And there are names that are connected with the food but I don’t want it to be something you have to “get”. I just want it to be a word.<< Cosi >> I like the sound of a one-syllable name, like Ter–ron–i. Just one syllable. Nice and simple.<< Jess >> laughing<< Lucas >> I like simple. You don’t have to get what it means to say it and remember it. We were going to put a constellation of Ursa Minor on the front wall and not have any name. You know Jacob’s nickname is Bear Cub. But that image might be there re-gardless of the name. What we do know is that what we’re putting on the plate is not exactly normal, but it’s very classic.<< Jess >> What is it that’s not exactly normal?<< Lucas >> We want to share what we’ve learned over the last five years. We’ve been working with professional athletes, patients in hospitals, very poor people, very, very rich people and mostly we found that they’re in the same situation: that there are dietary factors that you can’t control. We feed them things that are right for their needs but without stepping on their practical or emo-tional concerns. We don’t want to come up with a diet plan for you. But technically in the kitchen the methods are very reduced: what’s the maximum temperature that we

CHEF JACOB SHARKEY PEARCE HAS RISEN THROUGH THE RANKS OF TORONTO KITCHENS AND SINCE 2006 HE AND HIS BROTHER, LUCAS, HAVE RUN THEIR OWN FOOD CONSULTING BUSINESS, TWO BROTHERS INC.

① “When you meet our general manager, Kosta Ket-silis, you’ll be so happy with him. He loves people. He’s a real master of servants. He’s been doing this for 16 years. He worked at Centro with Jacob in 2003 and he’s worked for Marc Thuet for five years. Every time, he gets promoted to head waiter by default because he takes care of everything. He’s that guy. He loves ev-erybody and knows every-body. And all the big owners in the city have known this guy since he was in grade 8. He’s a natural.” LUCAS

can take something to? How long can we cook it? So we’re picking our techniques and processes very carefully and then trying to provide as much nutrient-dense foods as possible. << Cosi >> All right. Is everybody in the house? << Jacob >> I’ve already had five glasses of wine. That was not a good idea. I would like to welcome everybody to what should be a delightful dinner. It’s a bit of an expres-sion of what we’re going to be doing at the restaurant in three to seven to nine weeks from now (to laughter). Although we’re not talking about it, unless people ask, part of the philosophy of the restaurant is going to have a really conscious focus on nutrition. So we’ll have 10 to 14 items on the menu that will change seasonally. But the tast-ing menu, which would otherwise be called “your specials,” will be focused: something green and probiotic, something live and raw, some controlled protein portions. Ev-erything is done with a lot of intention and artistry. It’s going to be beautiful, but still a little bit soulful, accessible. I think you will enjoy it, once you sit down to eat it.

First Course: soup with five varieties of wild mushrooms, kombucha (fer-mented tea), chestnut agnolotti del plin and shavings of black truffle.

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② The shortlist of restau-rant names included ones with profound meaning for from Jacob and Lucas, including: Ursa, Ursa Minora, Ursa Minor, Stonebow, Tablelands, Car-bon, Balsam, Balsam Fir, Bear Cub, Little Bear and Apis. But dinner guests threw a few suggestions of their own into the mix, in-cluding: Birkenstock, Oye, Bros’ Hardware Store, and this goldie: Sol’s Jewish Deli and Knish Emporium.

<< Cosi >> First of all, thank you guys. Thanks everybody to a great future together. Cheers!<< Jess >> So Cosimo, what are your earliest memories of Jacob and Lucas?<< Cosi >> Well, Lucas started working for us in 1997.<< Lucas >> October 1997. I was just turning 18 years old. I was 17 actually and turned 18 there.<< Cosi >> Now I remember. He was a poet, okay? A po-et! That’s all he did. You know what? He wrote me a poem once that was really beautiful and I put it in a book and un-fortunately I don’t look at books very often and I don’t know where it is. It was for my birthday.<< Elena >> And when Matteo was born he made a mobile out of Japanese papers and every piece of paper had a poem about Mat-teo. The poems are so beautiful. It’s almost like Lucas knew him before he was born. << Cosi >> And then he left us and when he came back he’d started wearing a turban on his head and cutting down trees for a living. His brother Jacob was working for us then.<< Ele >> But Lucas was the first one of the kids to work for us.

Second course: a root vegetable salad dressed two ways  —  in a walnut vinai-grette plus kefir dressing, with pick-led walnuts

<< Jess >> How long has this restaurant been in the works?<< Cosi >> Every year, the boys call me up and we have a meeting and I find out where they’re at and they’ve got their hands in a million little things and they’re trying to develop themselves. And this year, final-ly  —  because I wasn’t doing much  —<< Ele >> Yeah! That’s right, he was looking for something to occupy his time.<< Cosi >> So I said to them, You know what guys? Enough is enough. I always knew that they needed to open up a restaurant but they’re into this nutrition stuff and being chefs for these athletes like, Chris Bosh, and I was like whatever. So I said I would try to help, but beware: If I open up another res-taurant my wife will fucking cut my balls off.<< Ele >> No, no: you can keep your balls. I would just leave you. Go ahead and have fun with your balls.<< Cosi >> So a property came up and people approached me about it but I couldn’t do it. So I sat them down and said, Guys, I think this is the perfect opportunity and the perfect time to take over this space. It has a liquor li-cense, you can do your renovations and you can open up a lot easier than starting from scratch. And they needed to be convinced a little bit. They had all kinds of people pull-ing them to do different things and, you know, I just wanted to quietly help them do

③ “I started in 1998 and I remember one of my earliest memories of Lucas was of him leaning up against the dish pit. Back then, you washed the dishes right beside the espresso machine, and it was one position: you washed dishes and made the coffee. And you were leaning up against the dish pit and you were reading Plato’s Republic. I remember thinking, Who the f—k is this asshole with Plato’s Republic washing dishes? And then, within five minutes, I knew you were the real deal. It wasn’t just a show for the ladies or anything. You were earnest about it.” JESS

⑤ “It’s the right time and the right place. And you know what? It’s hard to get an opportunity to do something. When I started off it was a different way. And I’m not comparing the two. They have a lot more training than I had, techni-cally. They’ve done their homework.” COSI

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this. You know what? This salad is great!<< Bella >> You know what I think is crazy? That this stuff is all so nutricious but it can taste this good. It’s unbelievable. This can-died beet? Unbelievable.<< Stephen >> But I hope you guys have some fat coming later.<< Cosi >> Oh, it’s coming baby.<< Stephen >> I mean, don’t get me wrong: I love this stuff, and my wife is thrilled, but I need a little fat. Still, this is the best salad I’ve ever had, by far.<< Cosi >> Bravo, guys. << Jacob >> It’s all just roots: celeriac, pars-nip, carrot, candied beet, raw beet, radish, burdock root. And some are dehydrated, some are compressed and some of them are raw. It’s all really simple. << Jess >> I love that everyone has finished their salad course  —  look at everyone’s plates. They’re spotless. So, Jacob, this has been a long time coming, right?<< Jacob >> You bet. It’s the right time. I’m much happier, I’ve had a little time to ma-ture. It’s an opportunity to bring together my experiences, my techniques and all I’ve learned. My two chefs [Jay Moore and Robbie Hojilla] have just incredible cred-ibility  —  two of the most talented chefs I’ve ever witnessed and the fact that we’ve all come together is just amazing. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and we

wanted to really push the boundaries of cuisine. Between us we’ve done molecular gastronomy, traditional cuisines—<< Jess >> Who did the molecular gastrono-my?<< Jacob >> Robbie. And Jay has worked with Kaji for quite a few years now. He’s the only white person to have ever worked with him. He’s super. His knife work is just incredible. Our first menu meeting, we went out to the farm where we’re growing a lot of our pro-duce, out in Meaford, and we sat down over two days and what came out was kind of scary. Because we thought, Can we hold onto this? Can we attain this? Our forth chef has also been cooking everywhere. His name is John Lucas… the Viking… Big John. He’s six foot five. And now we’re trying to find some female counterparts in the kitchen.<< Jess >> Why’s that? To balance things out?<< Jacob >> 100 per cent. They’re calmer un-der stress and they bring different sensibili-ties to the plate. We need to balance all that testosterone.

Main course: wild boar four ways (sous vide of shoulder, loin and bel-ly, plus chicharrones: dehydrated and fried skin) with sautéed kale, bull berry mustard, cipollini onions, Jerusalem artichokes, plus a polenta of amaranth, quinoa and corn. 

SOMEONE’S IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE SHARKEY PEARCE BROTHERS

④ “Everything we do is with purpose: from making our own mustard from bullberries, the last berries of the season, that we’ve foraged, to dehydrating the kefir probiotic yogurt ele-ment of the root vegetable salad to give different textures.” JACOB

⑥ Sarah Sharkey Pearce, Jacob and Lucas’s older sister, also put in her time at Terroni as a coffee maker. Now, she’s a filmmaker.

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<< Stephen >> This belly is sick. It’s some of the best I’ve ever had. << Jess >> Cosi, have you been blow away at their level of maturity? These are not the Jacob and Lucas of yesteryear.<< Cosi >> Let me tell you something I love these guys from years ago and I know some of their techniques and stuff and I’ve heard them talk but to be honest with you, I’m not really that knowledgeable about what is go-ing to go on their plates. I’m more going on instinct: by how I feel about them and how my relationship is with them. Tonight is the first time I’ve tried their food, other than them catering Terroni Christmas parties. I’m very happy. And very excited. << Lucas >> It’s a relationship based on trust and intuition. There’s nobody in the city we’d rather work with. We turned down a lot of lucrative opportunities because the level of intuition wasn’t there. You can’t create a re-lationship. It has to be lived. There’s nobody in the city who could have showed us an ad-dress and said ‘now is the time’. We were try-ing to dodge it for a long time. Restaurants are expensive. Restaurants mean long days.

Intermezzo of nutraceutical cranberry sorbet.

<< Bella >> Karla is going to leave Sol to-morrow for Jacob and I’m leaving Stephen.

[Carla and Sol, two of the wise-cracking regulars around Cosimo and Elena’s dining room table.]

Dessert: sweet whole milk ricotta with Rosewood Estate honeycomb, Leatherwood honey, quince, a wild rice cracker, served with a shot of warm lavender-scented whey. 

<< Stephen >> Beautiful, so good. That honey is crazy. << Sol >> I can say in all honesty that there’s no place I’d rather be right now. Grazie.<< Elena >> Stephen, what about you?<< Stephen >> Ditto to Sol. You boys are off to a flying start. Visit Jacob and Lucas at Ursa, 924 Queen St. West.

by Jessica Allenphotos by Dale Heslip

8TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

Emilia – Romagna: even the name draws you in. And if it doesn’t, the wine, food and Ferraris certainly will. The delicacies of this north-eastern region is legendary: think fresh lasagne, tagliatelle Bolognese, creamy polenta, handmade tortelloni, prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano and gnocco fritto  —  a fried dough so light and billowy that it could float out of your hand. Consid-ered to be Italy’s centre of gastronomy, Bo-logna, the capital, is endearingly called La Grassa, or the fat. And it boasts one of the highest qualities of life in all of Italy.

The region begins at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and sweeps inland, cov-ering a hefty belt of land. The area’s richness wasn’t lost on the Etruscans, Gauls, Romans or Byzantines, who all made this region a base at some point in history. As the name suggests, it’s comprised of two sub regions: Emilia to the west of Bologna and Romagna to the east. Although they like to flaunt their differences, they share a cultish passion for two things: wine and food.

The only thing that could possibly eclipse Emilia-Romagna’s cuisine is its wine. From bubbly to big bold reds, they’ve got it all, but Lambrusco reigns supreme as their sparkling contender. It can be either slightly sweet or dry, though the locals pre-fer the latter. The light frizziness and dried cherry notes go perfectly with a plate of thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma. And, while you may have put Lambrusco onto a “do not imbibe” list after its sweet version exploded in North America in the 70s, have no fear: the new Lambrusco has come a long way from that sticky sweet stuff you remember. Trust me, it will be the wine you toast with at your next holiday party.

Like everything else in the region, white grape varieties flourish beautifully. Head over to Romagna and you’ll get Italy’s first white DOCG classification: albana di Ro-magna, a dry gem with almond undertones. Emilia, on the other hand, has a more aro-matic cast of characters, like malvasia bian-ca (look for Tasto di Seta on the Terroni list) from Colli Piacentini; a hill known for its production of pleasantly perfumed wines. For those with a worldly wine cellar, you’ll be happy to know that chardonnay and sauvi-gnon blanc do well in Romagna, as we found out with our producer, San Patrignano’s Au-lente bianco, a lovely crisp blend of the two varietals.

Now for that glorious red  —  the crown-ing jewel of the region  —  otherwise known as sangiovese di Romagna. The varietal sangiovese might have actually originated in the Romagna region, where it’s known for being plumper, softer and juicier than its other incarnations, rather than in Tus-cany, which lays claim to it. Regardless of its origins, this is seriously good wine that varies across the region: as you travel from the lower lying marine plains you’ll find a more fruit-forward style. But as you climb up to the hillier northern sites, the sangiovese grows bigger and more tannic. Look for the Avi on the Terroni list, once again from pro-ducer San Patrignano. It’s a red so elegant and memorable that you may be tempted to book a flight to the motherland. But if that’s not in the cards, visit us instead.

by Gianna Sami

BUCKLE UP: OUR VERY OWN GIANNA SAMI TAKES US ON A LAP AROUND THE REGION THAT GAVE US ITALIAN CLASSICS; FROM FOOD TO FELLINI TO FERRARIS.

9 TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

MAX STEFANELLI RAISES A GLASS TO A VINEYARD THAT NOT ONLY PRODUCES TOP NOTCH WINES

BUT ALSO MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO CRAFT THEM.

SAN Patrignano is one of Italy’s largest rehabili-tation centres for recovering addicts. It wel-

comes young men and women who have serious drug abuse problems, regardless of ideology, social back-ground, or religion, and puts them to work. The resi-dents do everything from graphic design to carpentry to winemaking. What’s more, it’s completely free of charge.

While San Patrignano may represent one of the most unusual ventures in the Italian wine world, wine-making was among the organization’s earliest initia-tives and has become this rehabilitative community’s best-known and most successful endeavour.

Former residents Federico, Simona and Piero now run the wine program at Sanpa’ (which is what the residents of San Patrignano call their temporary home) and Co-simo and I meet with them once a year at Vinitaly and we go to eat at l’Oste Scuro in Verona, one of the area’s best fish restaurants. To us, they are like family: we talk about everything, including life, love, business, food and, of course, wine. They are not shy about sharing their past experiences with us, especially now that it’s over. These are passionate people and, not surprisingly, they make passionate wines.

① Aulente, Bianco Rubicone, IGT (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc) This white is pale, straw-yellow in the glass and the nose opens with subtle, pleasurable hints, which change ac-cording to the vintage’s particular personality. Some-times there are the nuances typical of sauvignon blanc with its delicate grassy notes, or the vintage may be distinguished by chardonnay’s rounded, flavourful per-fumes and its overtones of green apple, grapefruit peel and elderberry. It’s aged in steel for about four months. It’s excellent with maltagliati and artichokes, gnocchi or grilled fish.

③ Ora, DOC, Superiore (sangiovese di Romagna)The soft ruby hue of the Ora is typical of sangiovese. The nose is ample and intense, with notes of red currant, raspberry, plum and aromas of leather, liquorice and un-dergrowth. The palate reveals freshness and elegance, and well-balanced tannins. The grapes are handpicked at their perfect ripeness, usually in the middle of Sep-tember, and are aged in large oak barrels for the right time to its appropriate maturation. Further bottle ageing before sale. Ora can be paired with various courses of Romagna’s traditional cuisine, like tagliatelle with ragù, sheep and goat cheeses, roasted and grilled meats.

② Aulente, Rosso Rubicone, IGT (sangiovese)An intense ruby red colour gives way to fruity and flo-ral notes in the Aulente Rosso. It’s approachable and has character, but also demonstrates how delicate a sangiovese can be. It’s pleasant and smooth, without a trace of aggressiveness. The nose reveals hints of rose, cherry and sweet spices. The palate is fresh, medium-bodied with rounded tannins and a remarkably long finish. The wine ages for a short period of three months in tonneau already used once or twice.  Pair this one with fresh egg pasta and meat sauces, eggplant parmi-giana or grilled meat.

④ Avi, DOC, Superiore Riserva (sangiovese di Romagna)The wine wishes to represent the highest expression of the indigenous Romagna grape variety, sangiovese. Its elegance and expressivity do not hinder, but rather increase the appeal of this wine with its richness and soft, pleasant taste and fruity bouquet. The name is a nod to tradition, and more importantly to the commu-nity’s founder. Avi, in fact, means “A Vincenzo,” that is “To Vincenzo,” the founder of San Patrignano. Long months in the cellar, plus being bottled-aged for at least 18 months, enhance its qualities. It’s a powerful ruby red with a garnet rim and the well-developed nose has over-tones of violet, plum, clove, nutmeg and cedar wood. The palate reveals the wine’s elegance, succulent ex-tracts and a full structure of smooth tannins. A vibrant richness of flavour leads to a finish with attractive hints of wild berries and sweet spices. Perfect with T-bone steaks or hare with truffles.

by Max Stefanelli

① ③② ④

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DAVIDE FROM

ROMAGNA

FABIO FROM

EMILIA

TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

TERRONI CHEF GIOVANNA ALONZI PROFILES TWO OF HER

KITCHEN COLLEAGUES.

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ON any given day, you are likely to find in Bar Centrale’s tiny kitchen

its two chefs, Fabio Moro and Davide Della Bella, hard at work creating dishes that re-flect the rich flavours of their home, Emilia-Romagna. This, after all, is the land where Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, culatello and balsamic vinegar come from. Fabio and Davide have worked together for nearly a year but they move with the security and ease of an old couple. Out of their kitchen come delectable little lasagne, tortelloni, passatelli, cappelletti, succulent porchette, braised meats, tartars and elegant fish compositions. Fabio is old-er, serious and concentrated. He has a pas-sion for tradition and dedication to detail; he has two children and (full disclaimer) is my fiancé. While Davide, a single perennial partier, is younger and gregarious, but also imaginative and enthusiastic. They come from different ends of the region, Fabio from Emilia and Davide from Romagna.

I remember learning the difference be-tween the two regions of Emilia Romagna a few summers ago. I had heard the myth that you could tell the border of Emilia and Romagna by knocking at a stranger’s home and asking for a glass of water. If you got water you were in Emilia and if you got wine you’d be in Romagna. I thought it was just a folk tale but I can still remember the way that glass of warm red wine tasted on that disgustingly hot summer day in Romagna. It was mid-August, just after noon, and I’d been running for an hour and a half in 34 degree weather and was dying of thirst. I was in Marina di Ravenna and had made my way along the sunflower fields, grape vines and fruit orchards that lined the journey from the coast to the interior. I had left the beach restaurant where Fabio, whom I’d just started dating, worked, with just a bit of money tucked in my socks and no water bottle. My intention was to run a couple of hours, stop at a piadina truck along the road, fill up on a couple of piadine (see page 15 for recipe) and a beer and then return to the beach resort to dive into the sea. I was forced to take a break along a path leading to the

front of an old house sitting at the heart of a peach orchard. There I found two old farmers sitting down to lunch in the shade of a gorgeous grape vine. Exhausted and barely able to speak I managed to mumble that I desperately needed a glass of water. They looked at me as if I was crazy but were quick to say, “Acqua? Ma scherzi? Prenditi un bicchiere di vino!” I felt like I was dream-ing. I was sweating profusely and could barely stand so they did give me a glass of water. Still, they insisted I have some wine. I needed to regain my strength, they said. I drenched myself with their garden hose and after having sipped the wine, they even offered to drive me back! I was baffled by their kindness. When I returned to the restaurant and told people my story I got some interesting reactions: all the people from Marina said, “You’re lucky you were in Romagna. Probably in Emilia not even water they would have given you.” The couple of Emiliani that were there could only say, “Yes, it’s true. Only in Romagna someone would think of offering you wine under those circumstances.” So I realized that it was true: Emilia and Romagna are two worlds, representing two very distinct cultures within one beautiful region.

I met Fabio almost six years ago at the old Terroni on Queen St., after the first expansion. He was brought over to help us make the transition from pizzeria to restau-rant a little easier. And he came armed with worldly experience, Italian chef jackets and scarves. I was still proudly wearing Terroni t-shirts with phrases like, “We don’t do that here.” Needless to say, we didn’t take a lik-ing to each other at first. Fabio was actually begging not to work with me. I was messy, didn’t follow recipes and I had gone to university  —  not culinary school. Somehow, we actually hit it off  —  not only in the res-taurant, but also as a couple. Authentic tagliatelle alla Bolognese, tortellini and la-sagne were just a few things I learned from Fabio. Leading by example he taught me how to be a chef; how to look at the whole picture and consider every aspect of the kitchen; how to really realize the execution

① Many speculate as to why the people of this dual-region are so tem-peramentally different. The sun in Romagna is warm and ever-present, thus Romagnoli are considered warm and extroverted. Also, many earn their living working in beach areas on the coast, which makes them passionate and forward. Emiliani come from the interior and have been characterized as more reserved. Sort of like Fabio, the Emiliano and Davide, the Romagnolo.

② Ever wonder how Ravenna, a city in Emilia-Romagna, acquired arguably the world’s finest collection of early Christian mosa-ics? Easy. It was the seat of the Western Roman Empire from 402-476, until the empire fell leaving Constantinople in the east the capital of the Roman world. Even though Charlemagne looted the city for its treasures three times during the early 9th century, you can still find glorious mosaics at the Basilica of San Vitale, the mausoleum of Galla Placidia and the Arian baptistery, to name but a few. he wants.

THEY’RE AN UNLIKELY DUO, BUT WHEN THEY COOK

TOGETHER MAGIC HAPPENS.

TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

12

of a plate from beginning to end; how to focus my energy on the right things; how to be strict when need be.

Fabio always knew that he wanted to be a chef. At 13, he asked his parents if he could go to culinary school. “I was raised in my family’s restaurant. I remember going with my mom to work and drying cutlery in the kitchen. I liked the environment and it seemed that I was good at everything I tried in the kitchen.” After starting out in his fam-ily’s restaurant, he made his way throughout Italy and France. At 23, he was working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, then Rome. Remembering what he calls his most important experience at Bacco, a well-regarded restaurant in Barletta, he recalls: “The chef there was Cosimo Cassano, who was amazing and quite famous at that point. It was particularly great because in the kitchen there were just four young guys and the chef. I worked 16 hour days. I tried really hard to impress him and it worked because he increasingly gave me more responsibility and would even leave me in charge when he traveled. That gave me great satisfaction.” Fabio continued along his path making his way through places like Dubai and Kazakhstan before ending up at Terroni.

Similarly, Davide decided that he wanted to be a chef at around the age of 13. His best friend wanted to be a cook and his parents were restaurateurs. “They had a res-taurant on the port in Riccione that served mainly fish. I remember hanging out with

fishermen and going out on the boat with them.” I met him about three years ago dur-ing the opening of the Osteria Ciceri e Tria. He was one of my line cooks and he was this funny, crazy, young Italian kid who per-formed impressively at all the stations of my kitchen. He was already fantastic at making roasts and stuffing anything with pork, but I knew him as the one who might spontane-ously burst out in a verse of Romagna Mia (a popular regional folk song and anthem.) at any given time. I also remember Davide for the way he appeared like a tiger in a cage anytime a pretty girl sat anywhere in that small restaurant. He returned to Terroni last spring after working a year in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Venice. He now seems a different person; older, more mature and determined.

When I asked Fabio about him he said, “It’s been great to find that Davide has grown so much and has new ideas and new experiences to draw from. He has great integrity; we hardly ever disagree. In my his-tory at Terroni I think he’s one of the guys with whom I’ve worked best. With me, he’s always calm, relaxed, and in a good mood.”

After chatting to the two of them in-dividually I felt like I was speaking to two contestants on Love Connection. Davide, on Fabio: “Fabio and I work well together, mostly because it’s fun. We got along from the start. We found balance and the jobs di-vided themselves between us. For instance, lasagna training is Fabio’s. I train people on

③ Emilia-Romagna’s very name summons up a boat load of history: in the 2nd century B.C., Mark Emilio Facetious, a Roman consul, had a road named Aemilia built in his honour that connected Rimini to Piacenza. The region ended up taking on the same name. By the 6th century A.D., the Lombards and the Byzan-tines, who respectively called their territories Lombardia and Romania, controlled the area. By the time Italy unified, the region went back to its original name of Emilia. Finally, in 1947, Emilia-Romagna was assigned.

TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

13

salads, stuffed meats are mine and braised meats are his.” The camaraderie doesn’t stop there: “We have very similar palates: we love fatty, greasy things and we are very pas-sionate. Plus, we are both in tune with new trends and cooking methods, and we both love learning and trying new things. We just work well together.”

Perhaps it’s because Fabio and Davide are so different and yet so alike that they make such a harmonious pair. I dug deeper and discovered more affinities: the first thing they want to eat when they return to Italy is piadina. It’s a street food from Romagna whose tastiness is tied to the experience of eating it. And it’s the first of the recipes featured in this issue! “Piadina is the first thing I want when I get home,” says Davide. “I have tried to make it here but, honestly, I get very upset when people call it tortilla. I start with one stuffed with prosciutto, squacquerone and arugola and I usually eat two. Of course, that’s dinner for two people.”  Similarly, Fabio melancholically says that, “Being at home in Italy for me means being off of work, going to the beach and leisure. My passion was beach volleyball, so play-ing for 10 hours, having a piadina, drinking, smoking and even sleeping on the beach. Piadina is what I crave because it is the food that you don’t make for yourself.”

The second dish reflects their child-hoods, being at home and growing up in such rich culinary tradition. “We have the same memories of handmade pasta:

cappelletti for me and tortellini for Fabio,” says Davide. The passatelli featured in this recipe, rich in parmigiano and bread crumbs and served in a capon broth is a classic Romagnolo dish. The second recipe they chose is bollito parmigiano from the Emilia region. It is a simple dish requiring only time, patience and prime ingredients. This is a formula that the two often apply to their dishes. Fabio elaborates: “I am very tied to my tradition. Here in Canada, we are bearers of quality. We know the original taste; we know what things in Italy taste like, and we search for an alchemy to reach the best results with primary ingredients that are not like what we’re used to finding in Italy. And of course in our minds they are the flavours of childhood.” Davide agrees, saying, “I don’t like making pairings that are too extreme and that can become off-setting after a while, like you can’t have more than a bite of a particular dish. Those dishes are not enjoyable. I want to create something that after you have the first bite you also want the second and third forkfull. You don’t think of it just as a great experience; you think, wow, it’s good and beautiful.”

For our dessert they chose something that speaks to our heart, a fried tortellone stuffed with Nutella and served on zaba-glione. I hope you enjoy bringing a bit of the richness of Emilia-Romagna home.

by Giovanna Alonziphotos by Per Kristiansen

④ Federico Fellini was born and raised in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna and not surprisingly, many of the director’s memories of the seaside village seep into a number of his films. Today, Fellini, his wife, Giulietta Masina, and their son, Pierfederico, are all buried in the Cemetery of Rimini. The city even named its airport after the director.

⑤ Emilia-Romagna is not just the culinary capital of Italy; it’s also the auto-motive industrial hub, too. We’re talking Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati, people.

TASTING EMILIA -ROMAGNA

14RECIPES

Ingredients:100g all-purpose flour 20g olive oil 80g warm water Pinch of salt

Method:Make a mound of flour on a board and add oil and salt in the middle. Add water a bit at a time, all the while whisking with a fork until you have a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into 80g balls, wrap them in plastic and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Roll out balls

La Piadina Romagnola

Ingredients:2 small carrots 2 celery stalks 2 white onions 20 pepper corns 2 bay leaves 2 cloves 1 hen 500g beef brisket 1 veal tongue 200g oxtail bones Salt to taste 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method:Divide the carrots, celery, onions, pepper corns, cloves, bay leaves and olive oil into two pots. Gently sauté the vegetables until soft. Cover the vegetables in each pot with 5 litres of water each and boil for 30 minutes. Add the hen, brisket and oxtail in one pot and the tongue in the other. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for about four hours. Serve the meat hot with salsa verdé on the side.

Bollito Parmigiano

Ingredients:250g all-purpose flour 250g Nutella 1 egg 50g orange juice 10g icing sugar 10g melted butter 15g Grand Marnier Pinch of salt

Method:Mix all the ingredients, except the Nutella, together and knead for at least 8 minutes. Cover in plastic wrap and rest the dough in the fridge for half an hour. Roll out the dough and cut out 12 3 x 3 inch squares. Place a tablespoon of Nutella in the centre of each square. Seal two opposite ends of the square to form a triangle and twist,

Ingredients:6 egg yolks 6 tbsp sugar 10 tbsp marsala Pinch of salt

Method:Whisk all of the ingredients over a bain-marie until you reach a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius. Remove from heat and continue whisking for a couple of minutes. Serve warm.

Tortellone di Nutella Zabaglione

Salsa VerdeIngredients:100ml extra-virgin olive oil 100g parsley 1 boiled egg yolk 40ml vinegar 3 anchovies 1gr capers 1 garlic clove 70g bread crumbs Salt and pepper to taste

Method:In a mixer, purée all ingre-dients until it resembles a cream.

PassatelliIngredients:300g bread crumbs 300g Parmigiano 50g flour 1/2 tsp nutmeg Zest of one lemon Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:Mix all ingredients until you obtain a smooth dough.Cover in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for one hour. Re-knead the dough for about 10 minutes and allow to rest for another 15 minutes. To make the passatelli, press the dough through a handheld potato

masher directly into boil-ing broth (you can use the bollito broth from the previous recipe!). When the passatelli rise to the top, serve with more hot broth and Parmigiano.

into circles about 20 cm in diameter. Heat a non-stick pan until very hot and cook the piadina, flipping it only once (they’re cooked when dark, caramel-coloured bubbles appear). Fill them with whatever you please but chef Davide suggests stracchino cheese, arugola and prosciutto.

sealing the base of your triangle around your finger (if this is too complicated, a ravioli shape works as well). Deep-fry in vegetable oil for three minutes and dust with icing sugar. Serve on warm zabaglione.

FABIO MORO

DAVIDE DELLA BELLA

THE BERKSHIRE “COLLECTION”

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY

AT TERRONI

16EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

ALBION MACLEOD

17 EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

“Have you seen that Facebook photo of him? The one where he’s got no shirt on in Jamaica?” Kari Watson, controller of all things Terroni, is upstairs in the office of the restaurant’s Queen Street location on a re-cent Friday night, and she’s blushing. “Once in a while I just go and look at it because he’s so f—king cute. It’s just such a pick-me-up.” The shirtless wonder to whom Kari’s referring is Albion Macleod, one of Terroni’s managers, who started as a coffeemaker ten years ago, was fired after missing two shifts in a row on account of being drunk, was hired back five years later, and worked his way from location to location before finally returning to Queen Street in 2010. He has been sober for nearly three years.

Albion is behind the bar dealing with a take-out order. His dirty blond hair is pulled back into a sort of makeshift bun, he’s sporting what looks to be a week’s worth of facial stubble and his collared shirt is unbut-toned dangerously low. A former bartender, Nathan Jesionka, coined a nickname many years ago for his boss: “Chocolat”  —  as in Johnny Depp. And just like his jeans, the nickname fits.

As he makes his rounds throughout the restaurant  —  scanning tables for empty glasses, picking up stray napkins off the floor and greeting regulars  —  the 29-year-old carries a set of keys behind his back. You can hear him coming a mile away. He walks with a real sense of purpose, stopping to talk to a couple of regular customers, a busboy and a host: in each instance he looks at them square in the eyes while he speaks and gen-tly rests a hand on either their shoulder or the small of their back.

A server approaches him and says that a customer upstairs has asked if they could turn down the music in the back room. “Yes, of course we can do that for him,” he says. A San Giorgio pizza that’s en route to a table momentarily distracts me. When I turn back, Albion is gone. In his place is Meagan Albrectson, a Queen Street server who’s picking up a drink order from the bar. “He’s always watching,” she tells me. “and al-ways very calm. And then there’s the Albion stare. Have you seen it?” I have, and it’s intense. “And he’s so graceful walking with his hands behind his back with those keys. Oh, and he loves reggae.” And just then, like it was scripted, the music changes to Bob Marley and Albion makes his way from the restaurant’s iPod dock back to the bar. Max, a pizzaiolo-turned-bartender, tells Albion, who keeps tabs on the restaurant’s alcohol inven-tory, that they’re down to one bottle of Arche, a croatina from Piemonte. “Perfect,” he says

as he touches Max’s shoulder. He turns to me and whispers, “Max tries real hard, and he’s very fast  —  not like I used to be. I would have been half-drunk back there.”

Albion started at Queen Street after graduating from high school. “You were probably the first person who ever talked to me. You took my resume,” he tells me. I have no recollection of this. “I was either going to be a coffee guy or a deli guy. I just wanted a job. I ended up getting the coffee position and I just loved it. Do you remember how I never wanted a day off? You made the sched-ule and I just wanted to work seven days a week.” I ask if that was on account of the money. “Yeah, sure, because I was partying every single night. I’d just turned 19 and now I had a good-paying job. I would get smashed. But it was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed working here. It was like a family. It was quite sweet.” He pauses. “Do you remember cutting my hair at the bar?” I wish I did, but again, I can’t recall the moment. “Yeah, it must have been four in the morning. And you cut my hair off. I begged you to do it.”

He worked for a good year and a half before being let go in August of 2002. “I got fired because I got so drunk before a shift that I just didn’t show up. I think it was Vince’s birthday and he had to stay and work,” he recalls. “Cosi Junior fired me. But we have a great working relationship now.”

Cosi Junior, otherwise known as Cosimo Pagliacolo  —  and the employee of the month in the last issue  —  couldn’t agree more, sort of. “He’s very stubborn,” he says, “but he’s a fucking joy to work with. You can count on him. You ask him to take care of something and he does it.” Cosimo walks over to a shelf in the upstairs office and grabs an old photo of the Terroni crew circa 2001. They were posed in front of the restaurant for some sort of Toronto Life shoot. “That’s him,” he says, pointing to a baby-faced boy with a crew cut. “That’s the first guy I ever had to fire.” I tell him how Albion recounted the story to me. “Yeah,” Cosi says, “he hadn’t shown up for a second shift in a row and I knew that if I took a walk to the park I’d find him there sleep-ing. He had a habit of doing that. But before I went, he showed up and told me what had happened. It’s hard to remember the details. It was tough. I do remember pouring him a beer, and one for me, too, because I was so nervous.”

Albion went on to work at other estab-lishments over the next five years, manag-ing his addiction along the way. Then, in 2005, Anna Mammoliti  —  GM of the former Balmoral Terroni and just opened Price Street  —  hired him back. “It was an easy

Just a 19 year-old kid when he first worked at Terroni, Albion has been around the block. His old friend and colleague Jessica Allen finds out just how far he’s come.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH 18

transition,” she says. “He could always do the job  —  there was never any doubt about that  —  and he was very honest about what he was going through. He was reaching out almost, wanting people to know and want-ing to be held accountable.” Anna’s brother, Terroni owner Cosimo Mammoliti remem-bers being apprehensive about rehiring him. “But I also had a lot of faith in the people that wanted to hire him back,” he explains. “If they believed in him and wanted to give him a second chance then I was behind it.” From Balmoral, Albion moved on to the old Victoria St. Terroni (now Osteria Ciceri e Tria) and played an integral role with the opening of Terroni on Adelaide in 2007, where he soon became head bartender.

The irony of managing the alcohol in-ventory at Terroni Queen St. where he used to be a bartender with a drinking problem, is not lost on him. “It was challenging for sure. When I hit rock bottom and was still bartending, I knew it had to end.” He had his last drink about three years ago at an airport in Vancouver, after visiting his mother in Victoria. It was also the trip where he met his father, for the first  —  and only  —  time. “He was less than an ideal father, sure. But I’m happy we had that moment,” he says. Albion looks down at his shoes before continuing. “Then I got to the airport and my flight was held up so I got smashed. And that was that.” His father died not too long after Albion met him. He pauses, and looks up towards the ceiling as he considers the date. “A year ago tomorrow, actually.” I’ve known Albion for nearly a decade and while I’ve spoken with him before about some of these times in his life, I’m floored over his recounting of how these momentous events unfolded, in succession. Before I can open my mouth, he moves on.

“If you want to hear my life story though, you should really come to a meeting.” Albion started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on January 18, 2009. After a year, he worked up the courage to speak. Now, he often speaks at treatment facilities and has talked in front of large groups where he shares his story and spreads a hopeful word about this affliction. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he explains. “AA teaches us to make peace with the past, however difficult, and grow into our future.” I ask him if he still feels the need to attend regularly. “Oh yeah. I'll always attend. It’s a place of love, of kindness.” Another pause. “The essence of the program is to teach you to be a better person.”

Despite starting work at eight in the morning, Albion shows no sign of slowing down at the 12-hour mark in his shift. “This

is my long day of the week,” he says. “But I don’t mind. That way I can take my week-ends off and be a family man.” He grins, and I notice that although his face is now chis-eled, he hasn’t lost his dimples. Family is his partner of four years, Lesa LaPointe  —  a former Terroni sommelier who’s gone on to build the wine lists at Libretto, Enoteca Sociale and Parts & Labour  —  and the baby girl growing in her belly. “You know, she’s 23 weeks today,” he says. “It’s pretty crazy, huh?” Albion pauses, and then proceeds to tell me about a little heart-to-heart he’d had recently with Vince Mammoliti, head of Terroni on Queen, who recently became a father. “He said to me, ‘You know what, Albion? It’s so nice to be thinking about this, rather than all the bullshit you wasted time on before.’ I really liked that. All that nonsense that’s so easy to get caught up in. I’m so happy to be thinking about this.”

At 10:30 pm there’s still a line-up but things are under control, which means that Albion can go upstairs to the office to do some administrative work. Laid out in a neat grid in front of a computer are a series of neon green and pink sticky notes covered in handwriting. “It’s very old-fashioned,” Albion says when he sees me chuckling. “Some people might need a computer but I need to write everything down because I’ve learned that the most important thing in this business is accountability, because if some-one asks you to do something a couple times and you forget, then they lose trust in you.” I’m certain that he’s not just referring to his Terroni responsibilities. There’s also a black leather Moleskin on the desk, with “Big Al” printed out from a digital label maker stuck on top. It’s busting at the seams with wine lists, grocery lists, business cards, a list of restaurants to eat at, ideas for an upcoming staff meeting and a list of people to call. His mom is at the top of that one. “You can count on me if you need something done,” he says.

As we get up to go back downstairs, I ask him about the tattoos that run up his left arm. But first he opens up his shirt to show me Lesa’s name inked over his heart. Around his wrist are the middle names of his three brothers. And just above that is a pair of spar-rows. “Prisoners used to get them tattooed when they were freed. So I got them when I gave up booze.” Higher still, on the side of his bicep, are elephants. “Because there are some things I never want to forget.” And be-side them is the head of a lion, “just because they’re strong.” He looks me square in the eyes. “And I’m starting to feel that way.”

by Jessica Allen

“Albion is a fantastic story. I’m very proud of that guy.” Cosimo Mammoliti

What:Terroni Yonge St.

Where:1095 Yonge St.

When:Sunday to Wednesday11:30 to 22:00Thursday to Saturday11:30 to 23:00

Who (who made it look so good, that is): Giannone Petricone Associates, Small /Andrew Di Rosa & Bartosz Gawdzik, Commute.

Why: Because uptown Toronto needs a little Terroni. (Sorry for the long wait, Balmoral regulars. We missed you.)

20

A comic by rick & sandra Kang *seedy

**pig

…An’ the maiale** innkeeper, he spies on her-but all he see is her navel…

Then he run to the kitchen, full of inspiration an’ make

the first tortellone…

Yeah? I heard it was

actually this small town in Castelfranco Emilia, and the broad

was Lucrezia Borgia...

Tortelloni, eh? You

know, they’re modeled after Venus’s belly

button…

Great- so can I eat now or what here?

But tortelloni? You stuff how

you like-asparagus, cod, squash... Simple

sauces-butter, a li’l parmigiano

an’ sage…

Don’ ask me why, but somewhere between

Modena an’ Bologna, she check in at some

malfamata* inn...

No, no, no. They’re actually

based on the turtle-shaped

architecture of 17th century

Modena-which reminds

me, I’ll have the squash tortellini…

Actually, tortellini you stuff with veal, prosciutto crudo,

mortadella, parmigiano and a touch of nutmeg, served with broth

or cream.

SAPEVI CHE by Rick & Sandra Kang

21

Alexander Seuuecke, a German businessman of few words, has rarely missed a lunch at the Adelaide bar. He is the first to arrive and leaves to start his workday before the majority of pa-trons ask for butter on their bread. He swears we have the best cappuccino in the city. So naturally when asked what dish he most looks forward to during the holidays, his answer was short, savoury and to the point: ox tail, a slow-cooked hearty dish, similar in style to an osso buco.

Local market commentator and robust personality Wolfgang Klein has a veritable stockpile of obser-vations and opinions, which he is always bursting to share with eager listeners. Yet, upon arrival for lunch, he’s the one doing the inquiring about what food-wine pairing he will most enjoy (99 per cent of the time he settles on spaghetti canna a mare and a couple of 3oz glasses of nero d’Avola.) There was no shortage of answers when asked which dish he most anticipates during the holidays. But his mother's Christmas sugar cookies top the list.

Dennis Jun is a humble young professional whose life is tethered to computers. He joins us every morning as soon as the doors open, for a cappuccino and a side of tech-talk. Asked for his fave holiday dishes, he takes a moment, then admits, "I'm not really a holiday guy. Soup?" Dennis represents those disinterested about the frantic season: those who take simple solace in a warm bowl of homemade soup. And on Christmas Eve, when our doors are open, he will arrive for exactly that.

Simon Chong is a warm, super friendly half-Chinese Brit businessman who arrives at Bar Centrale just as our doors open at 8:00am and sits solo with a coffee and a frit-tata. He looks forward to two meals during the holidays: Christmas Eve, his family traditionally does Indian fare, which includes chicken vindaloo, bindhi bhaji, and two

veggie offerings for his vegan relatives. The Christmas dinner is a traditional roast with all the mouth-watering accompaniments.

Ted Pearce is a mellow man with serious love for history and languages. And just as soon as he’s asked about his family’s holiday food traditions, he starts talking about a traditional Dickensian dinner of goose and other fowl. The family got sick of bird after a while and has moved on to beef, which is roasted and served with the classic sides cour-tesy of the dinner’s host, Pearce’s daughter.

Stephen Kitt, a client services lead for Aveda and one of Toronto’s best dressed gents, has patron-ized the Terroni Queen St. bar nearly every Saturday for the last decade. Depend-ing on his mood, he either orders the Smendozzata pizza or the San Nicola di Bari. What’s he looking for-ward to eating this holiday season? “Plum pudding. Es-

pecially when you burn it and bring it to the table flam-ing. It’s like fireworks.”

Our two special guest reporters, Olivia Mammoliti and Lilah Heslip, are also our youngest. And this pair of eight year olds got up close and personal not with a Terroni regular, but with the Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro, who was in town recently to promote his new book, Baking with the Cake Boss. What’s he most excited about eating this holiday season? Turns out he likes his turkey at Thanksgiving and, “for Christmas,” he tell the youngsters, “my wife makes frittelle  —  these fried calzones, which are really wonderful.”

EXTRA, EXTRA! YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, FOLKS.

OUR CUSTOMERS DISH ON WHAT THEY’RE MOST EAGER TO EAT

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

DISH IT OUT

by Quinn Danielis, Irene Dongas, Kio Reid and two special guest reporters

22PAST TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

① May 19 Terroni was in good culinary company when we participated in the an-nual Empty Bowls charity at The Gardiner Museum, which helped raise over $15,000 for Anishnawbe Health. Ladling home-made soups into beautiful potted bowls were some of our favourite chefs, includ-ing Suzanne Baby from the Gallery Grill, Jamie Kennedy from Gilead café and Keith Froggett from Scaramouche.

» October One of our wine producers, Beppe di Maria of Carvinea (along with superstar oenologist Riccardo Cotarella) won the coveted tre bicchieri from Gam-bero Rosso for his “Frauma,” a blend of aglianico and petit verdot. You can try it, along with other wines from Carvinea, exclusively at Terroni. And did we mention that Beppe happens to the be father of this magazine’s publisher?

② June 30 When the Fellini Exhibition opened this summer at the TIFF Bell Light-box theatre, Terroni was on hand to help cater the gala reception at the Consulate General of Italy.

③ October 30 Terroni staff helped raise close to $14,000 at a Halloween-themed fundraiser for one of their own: Vladimir Fialio Fernandez (October 2, 1965 to December 12, 2011.)

× September 9 – 11 Terroni teamed up with the folks at the pop-up Grey Goose Soho House, to help feed, well, basically every celebrity alive during TIFF.

④ November All-star Terroni bartender Ian McGrenaghan, who left us for meatier pastures at The Black Hoof, has opened his own spot, along with fellow Hoof alumnus, Colin Tooke. We’ll be drinking bourbon and downing tacos at Grand Electric seven nights a week! 1330 Queen St. W. photo by: James Di Donato

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23 PAST TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

⑥ November 8 Two Terroni represen-tatives, 13-year-old Alessia Mammoliti-Morin and 10-year-old Matteo Mammoliti, received the award for the city’s best Italian restaurant from Now Magazine for 2011.

⑤ November 4 Is that Max Stefanelli checking out a new space in downtown Los Angeles? It sure is. Stay tuned!

⑦ Our former office sweetheart, Tara Downs, is one of the founders and operators of Tomorrow, a west-end gallery dedicated to bringing international contemporary art to Toronto. They’ve got works from the young Swiss artist Tobias Madison coming in February 2012 and Anna de Vries from the Netherlands in March. 163 Sterling Road

⑧ Server extraordinaire Hanna Puley from Terroni Queen is the production de-signer for the sketch comedy troupe Tony Ho (visit tonyho.ca, for links to their videos and upcoming shows.) She’s also hand-crafted all the incredible props, including this amazing paper gannet, for Heligoland Follies, a free show at U of T’s Hart House held on the first Thursday of every month, until March.

⑨ Nicholas Carlino, a Terroni employee since 2003 (not to mention a cellist, sculp-tor, cyclist, barrista and restaurant manag-er) has co-hosted a monthly hip hop night with Jeremy McRoberts (a former Terroni deli master) on the second Sunday of every month since 2009. Sweaty Betty’s, 13 Oss-ington Ave, from 10pm until 2am.

‡ Choir! Choir! Choir! Meagan Albrechtson and Caitlin McConkey-Pirie, both servers at Queen St., are members of this Toronto-based singing sensation that started in February 2011 and boasts over a thousand Facebook members. Every Tues-day night, the group gathers to sing their guts out. Visit choirchoirchoir.com for videos and more info.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

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Dear Terroni,Ok. So I know your menu says no substitu-tions, BUT I really, really hate mushrooms cuz they are GROSS, so if you could take them off the San Giorgio and hook me up with some pineapple action that would be sweet. What happened to the customer is always right? Cuz Pizza Pizza agreed with me on that one. Stuffed crust, yo!,

Justin LeDrew Ryerson Student, 1st Year, Media Studies

P.S. That hostess is hotter than Adriana Lima.

Dear Terroni, I'm a little annoyed. I came up from the States on business. IMPORTANT busi-ness. I took my clients to Terroni because I had heard rave reviews, but when I ordered my meal I was told you do not have Caesar salads with chicken. I am on the Atkins diet and it is my go-to food at an Italian restau-rant. Why don't you have Caesar salads?

CAESARLY pissed off,

Todd Chambers Sales Rep for D.P. Pharmaceuticals

Hot Hostess Oh I can't have Caesars. I drank too many once and threw up in my hair. Have you ever tried washing Clamato out of extensions? Disaster. Wait...what? It's a salad? Hold on, because you are blowing my mind. With bacon and anchovies? Sommelier Please, the Caesar is so 80's. The only time I want to see a Caesar salad is at the airport in a wrap when there is nothing else to consume, and even then you might want to think twice. The Caesar salad is named after Caesar Cardini, who owned a restau-rant in Tijuana in the 1920's. He created the salad out of left-over in-gredients in his kitchen when he needed to feed his hungry guests. Years later, the salad is still mistaken as a classic Italian recipe. Al-though the man who created the dish may have been born in Italy, it is not traditional Italian fare. You will find that our menu stays true to the authentic Italian experience.Mamma What? You want the anchovies? Okay. I make you the pasta with the anchovies. What? You don't eat the carbs? Okay, is no problem. I make you the pizza instead.

Dear Terroni, How is anyone who doesn't speak Italian supposed to understand your menu? As soon as I saw all of those Italian words I panicked! I just pointed at something and nodded when my server came over! What is a non-Italian speaker supposed to do?

Heather Smith Yonge and Lawrence

Hot Hostess Oh, I never read menus. I just let my dates order for me. Sommelier Just like a wine list, a menu can sometimes be a bit intimidating. For wine, you can always rely on your sommelier to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, and food should be no different. Ask your servers what something is and how it should be pronounced. That is what they are there for. And don't let their tattoos and weird haircuts scare you! I promise that under those shaggy bangs they are friendly, helpful and they know the menu backwards and forwards. Don’t be shy. Your server certainly isn't—just look at that outfit!Mamma Madonna, ma stiamo scherzando? Volete che vi imboc-chi pure? Minchia! Gli ingredienti dopo tutto sono scritti in inglese, usate un po' d' intuito invece di starvi a lamentare. E che cazzo!

Hot Hostess What are you doing here? I told you that you have to stay at least 10 feet away from me in public. Text me later, though.Sommelier Sigh. I don't even know where to begin. Wait, yes I do. Turn your hat around. Actually just take it off. Okay. Here it goes. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. In fact, we don’t want to reinvent or interpret classic dishes. We simply want our customers to have the experience of eating those dishes in the same way that they’ve been enjoyed for generations. That is why there are no substitutions or modifications. So why not trust us for one evening? Mamma What? You don't like what I make you? But I make it with my whole heart. So you are breaking my heart. Is that what you want to do? Take off that hat.

THE MAILBAG

by Natalie Urquhartphotos by Stephanie Palmer

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