Meet Canada’s Panettone Masters
By Cassandra Marsillo
We’ve all been there: that internal groan when a guest walks in with the familiar box or when you start picking out the candied fruits one by one. Panettone has a bit of a bad rap. It’s the regift you pull out when you don’t want to show up empty-handed—underestimated, misunderstood. But here’s the truth: the problem isn’t panettone itself.
In the past decade, panettone has seen a surge in popularity with more options hitting store shelves. We’re not just talking about different flavours, but a wider variety of brands, quality levels, and price points. Even local coffee shops are jumping on the trend, offering curated selections imported from Italy. Sandro Carpenè, chef and owner of Arte & Farina in Montreal, has witnessed this first-hand.
“There’s been a huge change in the panettone scene here since 2012,” he says. With rising demand, more bakeries and shops are stocking this Italian staple, and customers are getting savvier. “People now understand the difference between artisanal and industrial panettone,” Carpenè explains.
He’s among the Italians leading this shift, bringing freshly made, traditionally crafted panettone to Canadian consumers.
Panettone, with its origins in 16th century Milan, evolved into its current form in the early 20th century. But it wasn’t until the 1990s, even in Italy, that artisanal panettone really began gaining traction. Carpenè saw this trend grow and, upon moving to Montreal, recognized a gap in the market. At Arte & Farina, he honours traditional Italian methods while incorporating local ingredients like Canadian flour, maple syrup, and berries. For his panettoni, he also sources Sicilian PDO oranges and Calabrian PDO cedro from the Diamante area, blending the best of both worlds.
In Living Colour
A citrus-themed winter holiday in Italy
By Silvana Longo, Travel Editor
I am sure you have heard about the post-holiday blues. The month of November is my prelude to that; I call it the pre-holiday slump.
Sure, we may have the festive month of December that happily distracts us with all the parties, tree-trimming, baking and general merry-making, however, as soon as the decorations come down and those last pieces of panettone are consumed, there’s no denying that it’s just plain old Canadian winter now. Whether it turns out to be a mild, moderate or a dreaded record-breaking, snow-falling, polar-vortex one, it’s really just the blah, seemingly unending grey days of winter that take their toll.
What if we were to counteract the imminent drab season, and wander to places where a vibrant, colourful, and bountiful nature pervades the landscapes and delights the senses?
In this issue, ‘tis the season to take a deep plunge inside the Mediterranean garden offering some much-needed zest to winter. From north to south, we explore the various fragrant citrus fruits in bloom that add a burst of energy and a healthy dose of vitamin C to combat the cold season.
Contributor Maureen Littlejohn takes us to the most northern point in Italy where lemons grow. While up north, take part in fruit festivals or an aromatic stroll in a citrus park…and if you’re in Ivrea just before Ash Wednesday, take cover from an annual three-day battle of the oranges.
As we venture south, instead of heading to the usual places, such as Amalfi for the lemons or Sicily for the oranges, I take the road less travelled and head to Calabria in search of a citrus trail that will reveal some unique, unparalleled fruits all the while discovering the beauty of an untapped region. From the beloved bergamot and citron to fruits I had never even heard of before, the winter season is prime time to embark upon an Italian holiday bursting with colour and flavour.
Northern Italy’s Lemon Legacy
Unlocking the region’s secret to stocking Europe with Vitamin C
By Maureen Littlejohn
Every bite of citrus fruit brings a burst of sunshine, no matter where you are in Italy. And that’s true, even in the North. Despite a climate cooler than the citrus-producing south, places like Cannero and Limone sul Garda historically had terraced groves of the fragrant fruit. Go there and you’ll see that sites of citrus heritage have been revitalized to become prized tourist destinations.
Today you can breathe in the fresh scent of lemon groves, walk through the ruins of ancient limonaie, and learn about a once thriving export industry. Plus, at one citrus carnival, you can get your ya-yas out by bopping your opponent with the juicy fruit.
Explore Limone sul Garda’s lemon groves
Visit Limone sul Garda and you’ll be in one of the world’s most northerly towns where lemons were grown for commercial purposes. Located on the western shore of Lake Garda, the town’s name surprisingly doesn’t come from its connection to the yellow fruit. Various sources say it is a derivative of the Latin word limen, meaning border or threshold. Geographically this would make sense since the town is located at the edge of the Italian Alps. But citrus was key to the town’s agricultural growth. Lemons were introduced in the 13th century by the friars of San Francesco convent in Gargnano who brought them to Lake Garda. Cultivation later expanded to neighbouring areas of Maderno and Toscolano.
The secret to the region’s lemony success? Limonaie, or terraced greenhouses, were first built in the 17th century to protect the plants and fruit from the winter cold.
“These ingenious structures were made of walls, pillars, and beams covered by wooden boards and glass,” explains Matteo Segala, a marketing officer with Visit Limone sul Garda.
Cultivation peaked in the 1800s when the fruit was in high demand in Germany, Poland, and Russia. Unfortunately, by the early 1900s, a series of events led to the industry’s demise. These included disease, competition from the south, and the introduction of manufactured citric acid.
Lasagna with Potatoes and Mushrooms
Recipe from the book La Cucina di Elena (Trécarré) / Photograhy by Patricia Brochu
Ingredients (Serves 8):
400g fresh lasagna sheets
400g Golden potatoes
400g frozen porcini mushrooms
4 tbsp, divided olive oil
150g cup diced butter
500ml chicken or vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
400g thinly sliced brie cheese grated
100g Parmigiano
salt to taste
Dining with the Michelin-starred chef, Carlo Cracco
By Vittoria Zorfini
Carlo Cracco, a Michelin-starred chef from Creazzo–near Vicenza–made his entrance into contemporary cuisine thanks to his iconic marinated egg yolk. His restaurants Cracco in Galleria (one Michelin star) and Camilla in Segheria remain two must-visit destinations in Milan to this day. But for many, he is known as one of the the strict judges on the popular TV talent show MasterChef Italia (2011-2017), along with Bruno Barbieri and Joe Bastianich.
Despite the chef ’s hectic schedule (he opened a new restaurant in London in October and plans to open one in Rome in 2025), we were able to catch up with Carlo Cracco during his visit to Montreal. He was in town for a gala organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce at the recently restored legendary Art Deco restaurant Le 9e, at Eaton Centre. The chef cooked with the ITHQ (Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec) offering a night of culinary excellence.
How has your presence on TV influenced Italians’ relationship with food?
That was a long shot, as at that time no one really knew whether or not MasterChef would be successful in Italy, since the general consensus was that Italians already knew a lot about cooking.
They all have a mother, a grandmother, a father, or someone else who cooks at home. Compared to many other places, like North America for instance, Italian culture is very different.
However, MasterChef Italia has further solidified that notion. Many people threw themselves into it headlong. Some people have switched careers; others have started restaurants. The response was very favourable.
You studied hotel management before moving to Milan at age 21 to work with Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy’s first chef to receive three Michelin stars. What was that experience like and how was the culinary landscape changing at that time?
When I started at 15, the “3 Ps”–panna, prosciutto e piselli (cream, ham and peas)–were still the norm. Our kitchen strictly banned the preparation of pasta with cream mixed with all the other ingredients used to give a sense of abundance and richness. We only ever used cream in baking. I witnessed the evolution of cuisine, from a bourgeois-like style to a re-imagined one that valued oil, ingredients and then preparation, which could vary according to location. It is obvious that the flavours in Sicily take things to the next level.
