- Story by Gail Johnson Photography by Lia Crowe
Restaurants come and go, and then there are those that, like a fine wine, only get better with age. Giuseppe 香蕉视频直播淧ino香蕉视频直播� Posteraro opened in Yaletown in 1999, and it香蕉视频直播檚 been on all the 香蕉视频直播渂est香蕉视频直播� lists ever since, including the best Italian restaurants outside Italy by 50 Top Italy香蕉视频直播攁nd that was before its recent $2 million renovation.
Big names have dined at Cioppino香蕉视频直播檚 over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Bono, George Lucas, Jennifer Aniston and Al Pacino. Elvis Costello and Henrik Sedin are local fans. To celebrate Canada香蕉视频直播檚 150th birthday celebrations, Pino cooked for the Italian president at the top of Grouse Mountain.
In response to the pandemic, the legendary chef has been rolling with the restrictions; he started doing takeout, posting family-style menus on social media in the morning and regularly selling out by 4 pm. Other chefs refer to him as the master. All this from a father of four of humble beginnings who nearly didn香蕉视频直播檛 pursue cooking at all. His success comes down to his passion.
香蕉视频直播淚 cook every single day,香蕉视频直播� Pino says. 香蕉视频直播淚 love it. When I香蕉视频直播檓 not cooking at the restaurant, I cook at home. It香蕉视频直播檚 inside my veins.香蕉视频直播�
He adds, 香蕉视频直播淏eing a successful restaurateur and chef doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean being on TV every day. It香蕉视频直播檚 doing your job day in, day out, trying to be the best you can be as a human being, and being loyal to people.香蕉视频直播�
Pino grew up in Lago, a rural area in Italy香蕉视频直播檚 Calabria region, in a family of eight. His mother was the only daughter of a baron; as a young woman, she was sent to study with professional chefs in Naples and Rome香蕉视频直播攏ot to become a chef herself but to acquire skills for the day she would have a family.
Although though their family was not wealthy, Pino says, they ate extremely well.
香蕉视频直播淢y mother knew how to turn the simplest of ingredients into a masterpiece,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淪he would take plain items and make something delicious.香蕉视频直播�
He began helping his mom in the kitchen before grade school. They had a garden, chickens and pigs. Pino recalls the celebratory ritual of the pig slaughter, always on a Friday. His mom would use the blood to make pudding with chocolate and pine nuts. They would clean the pig in the river then stuff it with peppers that the family had cured a year before. Together, they would slice the meat by hand, using different cuts for various purposes: some for sausage, others for soppressata, capicola and prosciutto. This was true head-to-tail dining; there was no such thing as food waste.
Although he loved everything about food香蕉视频直播攇rowing, harvesting, preparing, and cooking香蕉视频直播擯ino nearly became a doctor. He spent two years in Sicily attending medical school. What changed his mind was working with people who were very sick; he found it too heartbreaking香蕉视频直播攈e wanted to see people happy.
Food was the way to do that. He worked at Michelin-star restaurants around the world and taught at George Brown College, before making his way to Vancouver via Toronto.
More than a way to bring happiness to people, food is a way to share his culture. For this, Pino has been named a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, an award designated by Italy香蕉视频直播檚 president. The knighthood recognizes individuals who promote Italian prestige and relations internationally. Pino received the distinction in 2018, the first chef in Canada to do so.
香蕉视频直播淚 never thought I香蕉视频直播檇 receive this award for doing what I do every day,香蕉视频直播� Pino says. 香蕉视频直播淎t the end of the day we are cooks, but if we promote Italian technique and traditions in Canada, it香蕉视频直播檚 an accomplishment. For more than 30 years, my motivation has been to promote Italian culture to the local community, introducing Italian gastronomy to a new generation of Canadians.香蕉视频直播�
Pino is extremely particular about the ingredients he uses, with a demand for perfection that results in consistently superior dishes.
The chef prioritizes local foods such as sustainable wild Pacific salmon, buffalo mozzarella from Vancouver Island, veal from the Fraser Valley and fruit and vegetables grown on nearby farms. He also imports speciality items from Italy that are ethically produced by small artisans, such as saffron from Calabria, Sardinia and Abruzzo.
He won香蕉视频直播檛 use foods with preservatives or genetically modified ingredients. He makes all of his own salami and other types of charcuterie, such as organic air-dried bresaola, from scratch. Pino brings in organic pigs from Salt Spring Island and Chilliwack, slicing them by hand, never by machine. He has the seasoning down to an exact science. Making fresh pasta is his go-to if he香蕉视频直播檚 having a bad day.
It香蕉视频直播檚 not just cooking Pino has mastered; he also knows as much about wine as many top sommeliers. He personally creates the wine list at Cioppino香蕉视频直播檚, which has a collection of approximately 45,000 bottles, including many hard-to-find and rare vintages. Part of the restaurant香蕉视频直播檚 recent overhaul, which saw a dividing wall come down making the entire room more open and airier, was the addition of a spectacular central bar complete with a 50-bottle, temperature-controlled, by-the-glass wine dispenser and preservation system.
The chef also brought in two state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line ovens from Germany, and the new patio is an urban oasis that his wife helped design, with greenery like golden and Irish yews.
Whether he香蕉视频直播檚 boxing freshly made lasagne to go (the same kind he enjoyed on Sundays with his family in Italy) or serving celebrities at safe physical distances, Pino is at home in the kitchen. Italian Heritage Month in June is significant to him: 香蕉视频直播淚t means reinforcing a strong tie with the motherland and bringing it to a wider public attention,香蕉视频直播� he says.
It all goes back to his singular mission.
香蕉视频直播淵ou do it because it香蕉视频直播檚 a passion,香蕉视频直播� he says, 香蕉视频直播渁 passion for food and cooking and for people.香蕉视频直播�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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