L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 4 FRANCESCA BEZZONE NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P anettone: soft, fragrant, with its m e l t - i n - t h e - mouth texture, it i s p e r h a p s t h e most popular cake we eat at Christmas. Traditional with candied fruit and sultanas, or reinvented, with chocolate, fruit, nuts, and creams of all t y p e s , i t h a s s e v e r a l c o n - tenders across Italy, from pandoro to panforte, but you can't say it's Christmas unless you have one on the table. Everything else can go, but panettone stays. This year, panettone will, likely, taste even sweeter, because we'll manage to cele- brate an "almost normal" Christmas, with our families and friends. Or so we hope. And because it's going to be such a special celebration, we should pay more attention to t h e p a n e t t o n e w e b r i n g h o m e , b e c a u s e l e t u s b e clear: not all panettoni are born equal. Famous produc- ers may have the fancy boxes and commercials, but it's the artisanal creations of local bakeries across the country you want to try: you won't only support local business- es, which have been suffering incredibly during the pan- demic, but you'll also discov- er how quality ingredients and the recipes of our tradi- tion truly make the differ- ence. T h i s y e a r , f o r i t s Christmastime interview, L'Italo-Americano had a chat with maestro pasticcere G i u s e p p e Z i p p o , o f L e Mille Voglie Pasticceria, in Specchia (Lecce). Zippo is k n o w n e s p e c i a l l y f o r h i s award-winning panettone, which also received the prize of best traditional panettone in the world. With him, we discuss culinary art, tradi- tion, how he discovered he wanted to become a pastry chef, and the importance of excellence and tradition in Italian patisserie. It was love at first sight between Giuseppe and the art of pastry making, but nothing of it was planned: "It all began by chance, really. I was a pretty vivacious kid, always ready to get into trou- b l e . M y f a t h e r w o r k e d i n Switzerland back then, while mom had remained in Italy, in Specchia, with me and my older brother. With me, she had her hands full! So, when I was 8, she decided to send me to a bakery after school to learn the basics: that would be impossible now, with all the rules and laws we have today (Author's Note: chil- dren cannot work in Italy if t h e y a r e o f c o m p u l s o r y schooling age, that is, under 16). That's how it all began. O n c e I h a d t o g o t o h i g h school, I decided to attend t h e S c u o l a A l b e r g h i e r a , and… here I am!" A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g f r o m high school, Giuseppe knew even better what he wanted to do in life: become a pastry chef. So, he didn't waste any time and left for Sharm El Sheik, on the Red Sea, to w o r k a n d t r a i n a t t h e Domina Coral Bay Resort. After this international expe- rience, Giuseppe came back to Puglia and took up a posi- tion as pastry chef assistant in a renowned bakery near home. Sometime later, he moved to Florence where he worked as a pastry chef at P a s t i c c e r i a N a n n i n i . These are important years for Giuseppe, which he uses to hone his skills and develop his creativity. Giuseppe, though, missed Puglia, his homeland. Puglia is a region filled with tradi- tion and beauty, and home to some of the most delicious desserts our country offers: pasticciotti and cartellate, mandorlacci and vincotto di fichi, fruttone and boconotti, only to name a few. Giuseppe wanted to go back home and put to use the experience he had acquired abroad and in Tuscany in a traditionally Apulian culinary context; he wanted to bring together tra- dition, skills, and creativity to make something new. But, as he told us, patisserie is not only about creativity at all: "Physics and chemistry are more important. And you need a lot of patience, too." Moved by his desire to succeed, Giuseppe bought the bakery where it had all begun when he was a child a n d , o n t h e 1 2 t h o f A p r i l 2003, at only 19, he opened h i s o w n s t o r e . W i t h h i m Federica, his girlfriend, who is today his wife and close collaborator. The business grew exponentially, so much Continued to page 6 Giuseppe Zippo's traditional panettone won the prize for best panettone in the world (Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Zippo/Pasticceria Le Mille Voglie) Giuseppe Zippo: the best traditional panettone in the world comes from Puglia

• Cover