Finally the sweet tooth of Sicily got the attention it deserves – even on Netflix. The last version of Chef’s Table, indeed, reserved one of its episodes to Corrado Assenza. An artisan of Sicilian pastries and owner of the historical Caffe Sicilia in Noto […]
I would die for a Cannolo Siciliano and I’m a big fan of Chef’s Table. That is why this episode is just what I needed to convince myself to head back to Sicily this summer. Again. I’m a sweet tooth and I love to hear people talking about food as a passion. Sicilian pastries, however, have a special place in my heart and the way Mr Assenza talks about them is simply romantic.
Quality PRODUCTS and childhood memories
Throughout the show you see those colourful images of gelato, granita, cannoli siciliani, cassata and frutta martorana, but it is a bittersweet torture only if you ever tasted them. You see Corrado and his collaborators working only with quality Sicilian products. And that is when they transform almonds, pistachios, lemons, apricots, fresh ricotta in divine pastries.
Corrado speaks Italian with a soft Sicilian accent, but switches to Sicilian dialect when talking with his collaborators. Although he is a middle aged man with a white beard, his eyes are lively like those of a child. It is impossible not to love his facial expression on the mulberries scene, when he is caught on camera eating from a tree in his stroll within the Nature Reserve of Vendicari.
With his hands stained with the juice of the fruits you see that he is genuinely happy. Happy like the child he wants you to remember with his pastries. Because this is his final goal behind those fragrant cannoli and rich gelato. Corrado wants to bring you to a blissful childhood spent in the fields of Noto’s countryside. And while Corrado lead you down his memory lane, Netflix shows images of carefree landscapes. In this moment you finally grasp why anyone in his shoes would devote his life and skill to recreate what that childhood tasted like.
Thank you Netflix for this dreamy episode!
WHERE TO STAY:
- Casa Falconara: in Noto countryside apartment in Capo Mulini;
- Casa Coco: by the sea in San Lorenzo and at 1 km from the Nature Reserve of Vendicari;
©photos Joris Doesburg ©intoSicily all Rights Reserved