T Magazine No. 6

T 19

92

TERRONI MAGAZINE

Featured Region:

PUGLIA

(molte grazie)

Rock Royalty GEDDY LEE ON WINE Rock Reformer DRAGONETTE'S MAR TINA SORBARA AND HER SIS TER BIKE AROUND PUGLIA The lowdown TERRONI OLIVE OIL CARVINEA WINES Terroni staff styles, HOLIDAY EDITION Plus GIOVANNA ON FOOD ALBION ON FAMILY MARK ON LOVE

ISSUE Nยบ6

CONTRIBUTORS At the crack of dawn on a typical day, Giovanna Alonzi rides her bike to Sud Forno where she's been baking up a storm for the last couple of months.

She's been with Terroni for 12 years, has worked at all the locations and is their executive chef. She spends her free time running around the city, swimming and hanging out with her three-year-old son, Mattia. She and her husband live in Toronto and are expecting their second child in July.

Publisher Elena di Maria Editor-in-Chief Jessica Allen Design Small Director of Photography Stephanie Palmer

When Terroni Queen veteran Cindy Galvao is not working, she's either writing content for her seven-year-old fashion blog True North Style, travelling around North America, blasting music way too loud, reading anything fantasy or supernatural-related or, naturally, shopping. You can find her online, everywhere.

Copy Editor Michael Barclay Columnists Cindy Galvao Gianna Sami Giovanna Alonzi Rick and Sandra Kang

Albion Macleod spent his adolescence dreaming of becoming a boozesoaked writer and dark, cultural icon, like Charles Bukowski. He only ever got really good at being booze-soaked. He also 'got good' at restaurants, gave up the bottle and fell in love with Terroni. He has been working with the company for 10 years and is now the general manager at our Queen Street location. He is also the extremely proud father of an angel named Willow. And he finally got published, right here.

Contributors Albion Macleod Mark Venturi Christine Ama Admin. Managers Patti Shaw Karina Watsone

Gianna Sami is the wine import manager for Cavinona Inc, Terroni's exclusive wine supplier. She loves eating, drinking, travel, summer, and experiencing all those things at the same time.

Many thanks to Geddy Lee Serena Ranieri The Mammolitis Paolo Lo Monaco The Sorbara sisters

If Rick and Sandra Kang guest-starred on The Simpsons, they would've appeared between Seasons 4 and 11. She lives in Manhattan; he lives in Toronto. She prefers the San Nicola; he favours the Puzza. They both love the Funghi.

T Magazine Headquarters 720 Queen St. W. Toronto, M6J 1E8 For inquiries and comments please email: jessie@terroni.ca

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti"— Sofia Lauren… and to the Pentax K-1000 Stephanie Palmer discovered in her mom's closet back in the '80s.

Follow us on Twitter (@terroniTO) Facebook ( Terroni and Terroni: Los Angeles)

Mark Venturi is a freelance writer, film director, photographer, visual artist and Dharma bum. He is trying to "do the right thing."

Printed in Canada

2 MANCU LI CANI

Compiled by Jessica Allen

Estimated population of Puglia: 4.1 million § Estimated number of olive trees: 65 million + Estimated types of pasta: 200 ‡ Number of provinces in the region: 6 × The number of fig varieties grown in the Giardini di Pomona near Cisternino: 283 ~ Year that construction on the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari was started: 1087 ‡ Percentage of Puglia's population that is of Italian descent: 98.34% + Percentage of Pugliese who voted for Silvio Berlusconi in the April 2008 election: 51.54% × Number of years Bari has been run by Mayor Michele Emiliano: 9 § Number of years Emiliano was deputy prosecutor of an anti-Mafia directorate: 8 ‡ Number of lb. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford lost when he went on a diet in 2012: 17 × Number of lb. he came up short of his goal weight: 33 ~ Number of pages of the affidavit released by police in November 2013 on Rob Ford: 474 + Number of phone calls Rob Ford made to Alexander Lisi in the 45 minutes before Gawker broke the story about him allegedly smoking crack: 10 ‡ Number of phone calls between the two in the next 44 days: 349 § Percentage of Olympic figure skaters at Sochi whose outfits were adorned with sequins: 100% ~ Number of sea urchins species: approximately 950 × Number of species that Pugliese eat (often raw) along the Adriatic coast: 1 § Area of Terroni Los Angeles downtown in square feet: 6,000 + Number of Beatles who ate there after the 2014 Golden Globe Awards: 2 ‡ Oldest reference to the Taranta, a southern Italian folk dance: 1100 B.C. × Last time Toronto had a winter as cold and miserable as this one: 1994 ~ Number of Toronto water main breaks in 2013: 1,500 § Number repaired this year in January and February alone: 772 + Percentage of days this winter spent dreaming of doing the Taranta, eating raw urchins and sipping on Carvinea's Merula Rosa while biking along the coast of Puglia: 100%

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IN C ONVERSATION WITH GEDDY LEE

THE CANADIAN ICON, WHOSE BAND RUSH IS IN THE MIDST OF PLANNING A 41 st ANNIVERSARY TOUR, SPOKE WITH JESSICA ALLEN ON HOW HE CAME TO COLLECT (AND DRINK) WINE, UNDERAPPRECIATED VARIETALS, OTHER ROCK STAR OENOPHILES AND IMPROVING WITH AGE.

IN C ONVERSATION WITH GEDDY LEE

How long have you been collecting wine?

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I kept them safe and sound. At first I acquired a taste for Bordeaux but after many years of trying different I was trying to think about that this morning actually, wines, I discovered Burgundy and it changed my life, because I knew you'd ask me. I started collecting wine my palate and I completely crossed over to the other probably in the mid '80s but not in a serious way. It side—the pinot side. wasn't until the late '80s that I got more serious about it.

Was there a particular eureka moment? Do you reI read that you built a modest cellar in your home but member where you were? your collection quickly outgrew that one so you had to construct a second. Has your collection outgrown I do. I was travelling with a friend in the south of your cellar space or is it still hovering at around France, in the Rhône Valley, actually. In fact it was at 5,000 bottles? a restaurant near Condriueu in northern Rhône called Le Beau Rivage, I think. We were going to a friend of I don't like to talk about how much wine I have [laugh- ours who is a well-known winemaker in the northern ing] but I have surpassed that. I also spend a lot of time Rhône who makes syrah and we were going there for out of the country so I have wine in those places, too. a big tasting that afternoon but we just stopped for a quick bite beforehand. On the wine list they were havWas it love at first sip or was a taste for wine some- ing a sale, which in this country would never happen. thing that you acquired over time?

And one of the wines was a 1978 musigny by the Comte du Vogüé, a very rare and amazing Burgundy. This was Well, what happened with me was when I was touring probably almost 15 to 18 years ago now. And so my in the late '70s, we were starting to get a little success- friend, who was a much more experienced taster than ful in America and promoters would always ask our I, said, "We have to drink that wine, especially because manager, "What can I buy the guys and leave in their it's on sale." I said, "But we're going for an afternoon of dressing room?" So Alex, my guitar player/partner, he tasting! Aren't we going to be three sheets to the wind was always into wine before I was so he would always before we get there?" He said, "Don't worry about it. say, "Great wine. Great Bordeaux." So we would get We have to drink this bottle." And we drank it and it these great bottles left for us. He would drink his and was amazing. From then on, I was completely hooked I would take all mine home because I wasn't really fa- on Burgundy. You always remember those great, great natical about wine yet and I had a little wine fridge and bottles. You can't forget them.

photos by Stephanie Palmer

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IN C ONVERSATION WITH GEDDY LEE

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you what your favourite Is there a bottle in your cellar that you're saving for a Italian varietals are. particularly momentous event?

I love the wines from Piemonte. I'm a big Barolo and Barbaresco lover and have been for quite some time. I also like the wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, primarily the whites. They're making some really interesting wines and a fantastic food culture exists there. My wife and I just spent 10 days in Friuli this past fall trying wines and driving around and eating well. Basically, indulging ourselves. It was fantastic.

For me, opening wine is a momentous occasion. So whenever I have a fellow Burgundy lover I'll open anything in my cellar. I save my best Burgundies to drink with other Burgundy lovers but it doesn't have to be a special occasion; it just has to be that they're there and willing. I do keep certain bottles from my children's birth years that I want to share with them on momentous occasions for them, so that's a little thing I do. And I collect wines from my birth year to try but they're getI've read that you're an avid traveller. Is sampling lo- ting a bit long in the tooth now, as am I. So it's time to cally produced wine, if the country you're in indeed drink them up. produces it, important to you?

Are your kids interested in wine?

Yes it is. I'll give you an example: last year my wife and I spent a month in New Zealand. And I'm not a big New My son enjoys wine. He's not a fanatic but he keeps a World wine fan but seeing as we were going to be there few bottles at home and whenever he visits dad he goes for a month I thought, well you know, I should try. So away with a little variety pack. He does love to come every night I made it a project to try a different pinot out with myself and a few of my older wine geeks and noir. I came away from the country with about four or he loves that experience of eating good food and sharfive New Zealand pinots that I absolutely love. It was ing the wine—I think he loves the experience and the good for me, helping to lose that French wine snob- bon amis of that situation. Part of being a wine lover bishness that I happen to have. New Zealand makes, in is the ritual of the meal and the good atmosphere of my view, the best pinot noir outside of France. being with three or four of your favourite drunks and sharing good food and good wine. My daughter is 19 Now bear with me here, but Louis Pasteur once said, and she definitely has an interest in wine and when “A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all we're out together she likes to taste but she's not in a the books in the world.” And Rush lyrics are famously price bracket where she can afford good wine yet. She's philosophical. Any chance that you imbibe in wine to still in university so she's happy with a good glass of help fuel the writing process? something that I will suggest for her.

Absolutely not! [Laughing] I imbibe in wine to forget Is there a grape varietal that you feel has been overthe writing process! I drink coffee to inspire the writing. looked? And unsung hero?

Do you know of any other rock stars who are oeno- Well that's an interesting question. I think in Friuli philes? they're producing friulano and I think that's a grape varietal that not many people are aware of. And riesling Oh yeah! Maynard [James Keenan] from Tool is a huge gets categorized as a lesser grape varietal to many peowine lover and a wine producer. He owns vineyards in ple, except for real wine lovers. They really appreciate Arizona where he's growing and producing wines. He the diversity of that grape, in particular Austrian riesalso buys wine from California and brings them in. He ling. It's among the most delicious wines you can drink goes to wine shows and pours wine for people. He's a right now in terms of whites. In terms of red wines, fanatic. Les Claypool, my good pal from Sonoma—and there are so many varietals I don't know if there's an the bass player from Primus and other many idiosyn- overlooked one. I would say that great Beaujolais cru— cratic projects—is also a winemaker. He has his own not Beaujolais Nouveau—but great Beaujolais is a very vineyards in Sonoma and makes pinot noir. And he's underappreciated and flexible wine that is inexpensive claiming he's making one of the greatest rosés on earth and in the first five to seven years of its life, it's really right now and if it weren't for the LCBO he'd be ship- delicious. And it's quite interesting to drink. ping them up here for me. When I get together with him in California we go out for dinner and share wine Is there a Rush album that you feel was critically together. He's trying to convert me to California pinot overlooked? because he knows I love Burgundies—and he loves Burgundy—but he believes that there are a lot of small It's hard for me to have perspective on that. Most of our producers that are doing more Burgundian-style pinots work is critically overlooked. Our fans have sustained in California these days. After my experience in New us all these years and as time goes on we've become Zealand, I'm open to it. more critically accepted. So, either we're getting better or our fans have become critics, one or the other.

Anyway, it's all gotten better over the last 20 years. For some reason we seem to be improving with age.

HEAR T BREAK AT 720 QUEEN S T. WES T

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MARK VENTURI ON FINDING LOVE, AND LOSING IT, AT THE RESTAURANT

720

Queen. Ten after 1:00 p.m. on a cold, snowy day in January. But I don’t feel the chill from where I stand. The heat of the oven and the sound of a busy restaurant invite warm smiles and casual conversation that give way to daydreams better suited to the night.

The marble bar rolls out in front of me, leading to a blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty reading Fitzgerald. The book takes me back to sometime in high school when I used to sit quietly in class and dream of what it would be like to date Danielle Costello, a small-chested and lithe girl who sat a few rows in front of me. Fridays and that cheerleading outfit really lit me up. She’d cross her legs and I’d sigh with a heavy heart. She’d ignore me so hard in the hallways that I’d feel invisible for the rest of the day. I didn’t stand a chance back then, but things are different now. I remember the book well. How I remember the book! And Danielle comes blazing back to give me the opportunity I didn’t have back then. An opportunity that feels more like an hallucination out on Interstate 15.

“You see that?” I say to Seymour, who’s busy scouring dishes and coffee cups like Bruce Lee slashing his way through flying kicks and furious fists.

“See what?” He uses the back of his hand to wipe away the last hour of work from his brow.

“That Hitchcock blond at the end of the bar.”

“Yeah,” he says, and I can tell he’s seen her before.

“She’s got Gatsby in her hands,” he says. “She’s had him all week.”

“Well, I know something too! I had Gatsby in my hands once you know.”

“Then go make it happen, Hemingway," he says with storm in his eyes and a Cheshire cat smile.

It’s late enough to make a casual move, show some interest but I wait instead. Two months later I lie next to her in bed wondering if she’ll be that green light at

the end of the dock. A year later I’m saying goodbye to her for the last time.

Now this second story is different. But don’t be too sure. You’ve changed your angle, perhaps your point of view. So has the restaurant: it's bigger and grown in locations by one or two. The marble bar is now a square and the people who gather round remember years when they weren’t there. But the spirit of the place is still very much the same. The midday light hits the front door as it did once before. The ghosts that slide up and down still share a glimpse of what’s to come. And the love you breathe belongs to you and is yours to share. Tables, chairs, mirrors and stairs. And working are Sordi, Troisi, Belmondo and Quinn. Just ask and they may let you in.

Seymour and I talk one story to another, about the girl with platinum hair and faraway eyes, Tokyo sex shops, the perfect, victimless crime, and why, why we had to go and fall for the same damn girl! Was it the rasp and smoke in her voice? Her short raven hair?

Maybe. I think it had more to do with the way she used her hands when she explained something to you. It looked like she was landing a plane at JFK or signing in case you were hard of hearing.

Seymour fell further than me this time, hitting every stair along the way. I got it the last time out, so it was really his turn. He had the look of a man who had been attacked by a pack of bloodthirsty hamsters seeking revenge for all those nights on the “wheel to nowhere”. Clumps of hair missing, bloodshot airport eyes and clothes right out of the goodwill of others. In a few more weeks she was gone just as quickly as she came, leaving Seymour to take refuge behind dirty dishes, coffee-stained cups, Charles Bukowski, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. When he hit the bottom it really showed. Months later he crawled back out from the well of broken hearts and just like Lawrence of Arabia, he was ready to go.

“Damascus. No prisoners. No prisoners,” he cried.

And to the hospital Seymour went, to recover from his bout with love.

To this day Terroni remains a place where people meet, get their hearts singed over the coals of love.

There is something about it that is easy and free. The room is full of magic and the staff are smart, young and beautiful. I will always be grateful for the relationships I have with employees and patrons. Many who have met here have stayed together. Many have not. Seymour and I have had good times with better women. When Seymour was in the hospital, I remember him saying something that has stuck with me all these years later.

“Try hitting three homers on three straight swings off three different pitchers. And it’s the World Series.

That’s how it feels," he said, "to be in love.”

Seymour waves for me to come closer. I lean in. He whispers in my ear: “Only on a lavender and your cosmic destiny."

And here we go again.

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HOMEL AND

Deanna Zunde & Edward Lynds She started at Queen in 1994 as a server. Five years later, she helped launch our Balmoral location. He started in 1998 as a deli cook, and eventually became one of our top barristas. Together, these two Terroni expats joined forces in 2006 to open up Dark Horse in Riverdale. Today, they own and operate four bustling locations across the city.

Giovanna Alonzi & Fabio Moro

Stephanie Palmer & Larry d’Andrea He started in 1994, as one of our first managers. She started in 1998 as a server. Today, Larry oversees all building and construction for Terroni and Stephanie is the general manager at our Adelaide location. In their spare time, the two married and had two sons, Giacomo and Luca, born in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

Jacob & Lucas Sharkey-Pearce, Sonya Verma

PAST AND PRESENT TERRONI COLLEAGUES HAVE NOT ONLY BIRTHED THEIR OWN BUSINESSES BUT —GET THIS— ACTUAL BABIES: HAVE A LOOK AT OUR EXCEPTIONAL (AND ADORABLE) FAMILY TREE

Brothers Lucas and Jacob started at Terroni on Queen St. as teenagers, in 1997 and 1999.

After many years at Terroni and working in the restaurant industry at large, the SharkeyPearce brothers opened a Queen West haunt of their own: Ursa. Younger brother Jacob also met Sonya Verma at Terroni, who started as a server in 2002. 2006 was when they “first made out beside the dough mixer.”

They are now married, with a son named Elias, born in April 2010, and a daughter is on the way.

Ian McGrenaghan Started at Queen in 2007 as a bartender/ server. Five-and-a-half years later, he moved on to help manage the Black Hoof. In November 2011, he gave birth to his first business; the immediately popular Grand Electric restaurant. Less than two years later, in March of 2013, Ian and business partner Colin Tooke opened their equally popular BBQ haunt, Electric Mud.

Albion Macleod & Lesa Lapointe Albion started as a Terroni barrista in 1999 when he was 18. He worked as a bartender at all of our locations throughout his youth. At 26, he fell in love with (his then boss) Terroni sommelier Lesa Lapointe, hired in 2007.

The two are engaged to be married, and are proud parents of Terroni-made-baby, Willow Macleod, born in March of 2012.

Executive chef Giovanna Alonzi, who started in 2001, met Chef Fabio Moro in 2007 in the middle of, well, right in the heart of Terroni: the upstairs kitchen at Queen Street. The two now have a beautiful boy named Mattia, born in October of 2010.

And Mattia will have a baby brother or sister come July, 2014. With parents like these, our fingers are crossed that both kids will follow in the footsteps of their folks.

Jennifer Ziliotto Jennifer started working at Terroni on Queen as a server in 1993—just one year after it first opened. She travelled abroad for many years, and came back to the company in 1999, working at our Victoria Street and Balmoral locations. After establishing her own fashion label (even making some of the first Terroni T-shirts), Jenn opened her own store, Ziliotto, on Queen West in 2007. She’s since opened two more Ziliotto stores, on the Danforth and Bloor West, featuring her signature designs.

Compiled by Albion Macleod

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TAS TIN G PUGLIA

I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE (IN PUGLIA, MOLTE GRAZIE) B a ri 1 7

2Mo no po li 6

4 3

Ost uni 5

Flew to Bari 1. Took a train to Monopoli and had hotel there. Rented bikes in Monopoli 2. Rode from Monopoli to Cisternino 3, then to Noci 4, then to Ostuni 5, then to the Masseria "Il Frantoio" (between Ostuni and Savaletri) 6, then to Polignano al Mare 7 and then back to Monopoli again.

What happened when the Sorbara sisters — Martina, the lead singer from Dragonette, and Carla, a registered midwife and perpetual grad student — took a week in April to ride bikes through Puglia?

Plenty, including traversing mountains, exploring ruins and eating like queens.

And "even though we were always lost," says Martina, "we were never not lost. It doesn't really matter where you are. It was perfect."

Why Puglia?

on a bike trip in Puglia and didn't want to go alone and that we had to leave on April 9. I said yes, wrote three 20-page-long papers in two weeks, an economics exam and got on the plane. I'm just not going to say no to my sister.

Why April? <<Martina>> I was on tour in March in the U.S. and it was miserable. It was a hard tour for so many reasons, and I found myself impinging my happy place and my happy place were these roads that I'd driven along in a car. And all I wanted to do was go back. I would close my eyes and be on those roads.

It was going to be the antidote to the tour.

It was all spur of the moment. That first day, I've never had that kind of dream come true.

This is my dream and I am doing it right now. Nothing was taken for granted.

<<Martina>> The first time I went to Puglia I was just Googling places that I've never been. And then I saw this picture of food and it led me to a website of a masseria. I just wound up flying there and ended up in the most beautiful place in the world: Il Frantoio. When I came back I ran into Cosi [Mammoliti] at Terroni and he said, "that's Most important piece of gear? where we used to buy our olive oil from." We basically organized this entire trip around <<Martina>> Our padded pants, which I the night they make food at this masseria. didn't think we needed, until I saw what happened to my butt. We actually took a <<Carla>> My sister said she wanted to go picture of it because I needed to know what

② Don Ferrante: www.donferrante.it

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① Masseria Il Frantoio: www.masseriailfrantoio.it

TAS TIN G PUGLIA

was going on down there. We wore big "va- After lunch, we just wanted to get back on gina" pants. It was never so bad that we our bikes and explore the countryside. The couldn't bike. It was always worth it. countryside and the fields and the adventure of not knowing where you're going had <<Carla>> Tina got these bright yellow so much more allure than the typical Eurovests, which we wore even when we were pean exploration of cathedrals and musegoing to really fancy restaurants. But you ums. We've all done that before. It wasn't can rent everything, even a GPS. We ended about shopping. It was about, get me back up renting helmets. onto this road.

Mantra? <<Carla>> Tina said to me, "Carla, if there's something we don't want to do, we just won't do it. If we spend five days drinking white wine and not even riding the bikes, that's okay. But by the end, we were more powerful and we didn't get off to walk our bikes. It became about the riding. Meals served a function. We weren't expecting that. Every day we booked something that was farther away because we wanted to ride.

Best aperitivo?

<<Carla>> Il Frantoio, which serves very typical, regional dishes and the husbandand-wife owners prepare everything historically. When you arrive there's this courtyard where they meet you—and remember, people come on that night because that's the night they make that special meal. So it's buzzing. They bring us this drink with peach and mint that was so good—they said they'd have to kill us if they told us what was in it—and a plate full of traditional things, Lesson learned? like taralli and almonds from their trees, salted. We sat in the courtyard and thought, <<Martina>> Not to drink wine at lunch. how can this be?

We did it the first day. But then lunch became functional: put the food in the body.

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TAS TIN G PUGLIA Best digestivo?

or 70 km. Sometimes it was only 30.

<<Martina>> We had homemade almond milk, but alcoholized, after a meal in Noci.

The almonds are all grown there, and they're in everything. I think that's what so unique about being there: everything you do and eat is unique to the season. If we went in the winter, it would have been entirely different. Everything is tied to the seasons.

Biggest distraction? <<Carla>> The ruins. With every single crumbling wall, I had to stop Tina from going to explore it because we had destinations to get to!

Best distraction?

Best meal?

<<Martina>> The ruins. You just throw your bike on the side of the road and walk into <<Carla>> Il Frantoio again! We were sur- a building that was made 400 years ago. It rounded by a walled orange grove and al- was amazing! Also, we peed behind a lot of mond trees and gardens. They cook with ev- stone walls. erything from their gardens and groves. We had potatoes with lots of butter and thyme Favourite place? from the oven. We had a beautiful piece of fish, which must have been branzino. We <<Martina>> I feel like I love Monopoli. I had a pasta with peas, fava beans, olive also love Ostuni, but it's more touristy. Mooil and parmigiano. There was a chocolate nopoli is so beautiful and you really get a theme that night so the pasta had coco in it. sense of living there, and it's right on the It was the best thing we ever tasted. water. You can just tell that it's a city where the sea is a part of its culture. The seafood Hardest ride? places are so good. I call them fish bunkers.

They are so ugly—like mobile homes—but <<Carla>> That time we accidentally went the food is the best. They are so crowded. up a mountain on the first day trying to get The cars are parked down the street. to Cisternino. At one point, when we left Monopoli, Tina was in such denial. I said, Sum it up.

"If our map is correct, then we have to ride over that mountain and our city is on the <<Carla>> The combination of spontaneity, other side of that mountain." Tina was like, the beauty and the food and being alone "No. There's a split and it's just in between was amazing. Sometimes we'd talk about there." Tina kept saying it's not a mountain heavy things and other times we'd be silent and I would look at her and be like, is it a or running into a trulli. When I got back to mountain yet?

Toronto, you couldn't touch me. I was so happy. At one point my kids were bugging Biggest splurge? me and I was like, "Guys, you can't piss me off. You can try but there's nothing you can [Martina]: Our night in Monopoli, we do that can make me angry. I feel so much stayed at Don Ferrante. Normally in high love for the world. For everything." It was season, it's really expensive. But in April, it something I'd never felt before, feeling like was totally affordable. We had a good web- that after the trip. site (Venere.com) that gives you discounted rates. We paid 160 euros, which was the <<Martina>> I had to go straight to the Jumost we spent on accommodations. nos in Regina. And they just had the snowiest winter. We presented for the first time. I Word of advice that you wish someone carried my happiness, for sure. Soon after, had told you?

I went to the Venice Biennale at the end of <<Carla>> Remember what we said? If we May with my other sister, Ginger. But the did this again, we'd do it exactly the same freedom of being on the bicycle kind of way! ruined just staying at a hotel and walking around and looking at art. I needed a bike Typical conditions? to explore. I had a lovely time. But it was like, "Oh wait, I don't want this Italy: I want <<Carla>> The roads, for the most part, are this other Italy. I want my Freedom 55 Italy." completely empty. Imagine just riding side by side, completely deserted, with olive groves, ruins and lettuce fields all around you. The most we biked in one day was 60

③ Bike rentals in Monopoli: www.pugliainbici.com

④ Bonus!

Great meal in Savelletri: www.latavernadisantos.it

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TAS TIN G PUGLIA

RESIDENT TERRONI CHEF GIOVANNA ALONZI SHARES HER STORY ON HOW SHE STUMBLED UPON A REGION FULL OF CULINARY SURPRISES.

TAS TIN G PUGLIA

On

a late summer night my boyfriend Fabio and I started our 850- kmdrive from Ravenna (in Romagna) to Puglia aiming to see the sunrise over the Ionian Sea from a beach in Santa Maria di Leuca, Lecce. We drove all along the Adriatic coast in a pitch-dark night, unaffected by the crawling traffic that normally plagues this drive during the day. We made our way to the beach trying not to kill ourselves as we climbed through huge rocks and trees in complete darkness. We ended up falling asleep to the sound of the sea and waking up at 11:00 a.m. to a blistering sun and screaming children.

We were in the southernmost part of Puglia—the heel, if you will, of the heel of Italy—an area known as Salento. In a panic we realized that we were late to meet our friend Matteo, our Salentino host in his hometown of Surano. Matteo waited for us in one of the town's only two cafés. We had a perfect espresso and then were welcomed in the traditional Salentino way. This meant tons of little ceramic plates filled with an array of local delicacies. Things like olives, pickled and grilled vegetables, focaccia, octopus, seafood and rice salad, salami, cubed mortadella and chunks of local cheese quickly appeared on our table. I remember that I drank a couple of aperitivi in silly happiness and was unable to concentrate on conversation as my mind kept wondering about what kind of earthly paradise I had stumbled upon.

From Surano we drove north along the coast—Puglia has 865 km of stunning

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coastline—and then headed inland through enchanted olive orchards. We continued our drive and found the home Matteo had selected for us, a traditional rocky house surrounded by fig and peach trees and with cactus pears growing everywhere.

Once we settled in, we were ready for some serious eating, drinking and sunbathing. We counted on Matteo to show us his Puglia. Of course, I didn't arrive completely unprepared: I was armed with a list of culinary destinations courtesy of Terroni owner Cosimo Mammoliti.

Our days usually started at whatever time we woke up, except for the day we tasted puccia, a hard traditional bread made of semolina and pitted olives that Matteo said had to be tasted early in the morning or it would be hard as a rock by evening. The buns were fragrant, redolent of olive oil, and coupled with freshly made mozzarella.

They are still one of the best things I have ever eaten.

At night, in a place that was literally a hole in the wall, we sampled gnomereddhi, grilled lamb offal wrapped in cull fat and bay leaves. They were deliciously fatty and juicy. Matteo also took us to an osteria where a man asked us to choose between a dish of "bits of horse" or "horse braciola" or vice versa. We laughed but then realized he was serious. We chose both and were stunned by how sweet and tender the horse meat was. At that osteria, we witnessed a six-year-old bussing tables. We offered him a 20-euro tip, which he refused because he said his mom was already paying him

① Ristorante Da Tuccino: Via Santa Caterina 69, 70044, Polignano A Mare, Bari, Italy (tuccino.it)

③ Ristorante il Castelletto: Strada provinciale 34 Via Stazione 1, Carovigno, Brindisi, Italy (casaleferrovia.it)

photos by Stephanie Palmer

② Ristorante Alba Chiara: Strada provinciale 90, 72015, Savelletri, Bari, Italy (ristorantealbachiara.it)

④ Osteria giá Sotto L'Arco: for a Michelin star experience in Puglia,Carovigno (giasottolarco.it)

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and she would get mad and besides, it was way too much. We asked him if he went to the beach during the day and he said he couldn't because he had to get up at 5:00 a.m. to help his mom start the sauces for the meat before the flies come around and ruin everything. Puglia has historically been one of the poorest regions of Italy but its people are resourceful and manage to carve out a happy existence.

Cosimo's wife Elena (and this magazine's publisher) is from Puglia and their list of must-see destinations included many of their favourite places to eat and hang out.

There was a spot on the beach called Alba Chiara in Savelletri, where I ate at least 30 raw sea urchins, downing them only with falanghina. (I was told I could have bread, but only if I really had to have it. Basically I'd come across as an unappreciative wimp if I took it.) We then had to finish everything off with sgroppino: lemon sorbet whipped with prosecco and vodka.

My favourite recommendation was a place right on the sea called Da Tuccino in Polignano. I knew the name because we had a seafood dish at Terroni named Tuccino.

All the fish they served was hand-picked by the restaurant owner, Pasquale, every single day. After the maître d' saw our excitement at the splendid fish counter near the entrance—and sensed our celebratory mood— he had us select some of the fish for our crudo and Champagne even before we sat down. Our appetizers were perfect in their simplicity and freshness. All the fish was clearly cleaned and cut to order by a master.

TAS TIN G PUGLIA

It was served completely on its own, with only olive oil and salt if you wanted to add it yourself. Every course that followed seemed to top off the previous: chitarra with scampi, zucchini, and bottarga; spaghetti alle vongole; and fritto misto di pesce all exceeded anything we'd ever tried.

Fabio and I also found a favourite spot all on our own—a little caseificio, a creamery, where we bought warm, just-made mozzarella and burrata. The mozzarella was squeaky, milky, salty and sweet. We ate them with our hands, milk dripping downs our wrists and faces. This is still one of my favourite memories.

At the end of our trip we visited Alberobello and rented a trullo, a traditional and ancient Pugliese house. Luckily, not far from there in Carovigno, we visited Elena.

She took us to Castelluccio; a lovely restaurant with a beautiful garden where we had the freshest ricotta imaginable and the lightest, most flavourful eggplant gnocchi we ever had. They were tossed with fresh tomato and spicy ricotta squanta and were an amazing example of the innovative things that some of the Pugliesi chefs are creating out of traditional ingredients.

The recipes we feature in this edition are some of our favourites from a region of Italy that we all hold very close to our hearts. We got together at Cosimo and Elena's house and made them all for friends and family; this made a cold winter night a very warm one in the way that only Puglia can.

I hope they do the same for you.

RECIPES

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Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa Easy - Serves 4

Zucchine alla poverella – Serena’s style Very Easy and Fast - Serves 4

Ingredients: 400 g orecchiette (handmade, dry, Italian packaged ones are the best, but brands such as DeCecco will work.)

8 anchovy fillets 1 bunch rapini 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves salt to taste

Method: Wash and cut the rapini, removing the stem. Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it and add the orecchiette. Bring back to a boil and add the rapini. Cook pasta according to package instructions, leaving it very al dente. In the meantime, slowly heat the olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic and the anchovy fillets in a large pan. Remove the garlic when golden brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to melt the anchovy.

Remove from the heat and mix with the strained pasta and rapini. Note: This pasta does not require Parmigiano.

Ingredients: 4 medium zucchini 2 eggs 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves 5 chopped mint leaves salt and pepper

Method: Wash the zucchini and cut into thin rounds. In a pan sauté the garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add the zucchini, salt and sauté for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the the 2 whole eggs in a separate bowl and then add them to the zucchini about 3 minutes before they are done. Turn the heat off and scramble the eggs with the zucchini allowing them to cook with the residual heat from the zucchini. Add the chopped mint leaves and serve.

Fave e Cicoria Easy - Serves 4 Ingredients: 400 g dry, peeled fava beans 1 bunch dandelion 1 medium-size potato extra virgin olive oil salt to taste julienned red onion (optional)

Method: Carefully wash the fava beans. Place them in a pot with the peeled potato and cover with water about 1 1/2 inch above beans. Bring to a boil, add salt and reduce heat to low. Skim the top of the water to remove the foam that is produced as the fava beans cook; (top up with a bit of water as it dries up, enough to just cover the beans). Fava beans will be cooked in under 2 hours (you will

notice that they will start mashing up on their own when ready.) Once they are cooked, add 2 or 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and purée the fava beans and potato with an immersion blender until smooth. In the meantime, wash the dandelion, remove the bottom part of the stem and boil in salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain and dress with extra virgin olive oil.

Serve by spooning some of the fava bean purée into the centre of a plate, add blanched dandelion and drizzle some more olive oil to finish. "Fava e Cicoria" is usually enjoyed with julienned red onions dressed with salt and extra virgin olive oil.

For the pastry dough: In a mixer, blitz the flour with cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface, add the yolks, sugar and vanilla and mix everything quickly until the dough is homogenous and elastic. Allow dough to rest for about a half-hour.

Lightly grease 15 tart shells about 7 cm in diameter. Roll dough out with a rolling pin until it is about a 1/2 cm in thickness. Cover all the

tart shells with this dough pressing it carefully along the sides. Fill them with a couple of teaspoons of pastry cream. Re-roll the remaining dough to a 1/2 cm thickness and cut out disks to cover the tarts.

Beat the egg yolk with milk, brush the top of the tarts and dust with granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees Celsius (180 Fahrenheit) for 30-35 minutes.

Pasticciotti Leccesi Medium - Makes 15 tarts Pastry dough: 500 g pastry flour 250 g flour 250 g butter 4 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla 200 g icing sugar Pastry cream filling: 50 g all purpose flour 500 ml milk 6 egg yolks 1 vanilla bean 150 g sugar 1 egg, plus some milk, for glazing

Method: For the pastry cream: slowly heat milk with vanilla bean split in half, bringing it to a boil. In the meantime, beat the egg yolks with sugar and flour. Gently add the milk whisking it in slowly and being careful not to scramble the eggs. Put mixture on a double boiler and stir until cream thickens.

Place bowl in ice to cool off and cover with plastic wrap so a skin doesn't form on the cream. Refrigerate once cooled.

www.niagarafoodspecialties.com Online Shopping and Delivery To Your Door.

Hand crafted quality, naturally.

TAS TIN G PUGLIA

16

TERRONI WINE PRO GIANNA SAMI SHINES THE SPOTLIGHT ON PUGLIA

Puglia

must have something really special going on if the likes of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel deem it worthy for their star-studded nuptials. Never mind celebrities, though, because Puglia's beaches, heat, dreamy food, elaborate hand gestures, dialects, history and the wine are plenty enough to make us swoon.

Unlike the hilly, mountainous areas in northern Italy, Puglia is the flattest of all the regions and it's brimming with fertile red clay soil and warm Mediterranean weather. Sneeze too hard and an olive tree sprouts up.

The Greeks, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Turks and Venetians all seemed to know a good piece of land when they saw it. They took turns cultivating this agricultural gem from the 4th century B.C. to 1861, when Puglia finally joined the kingdom of Italy. (Great score, Italy.)

While Puglia has long been famous for their produce, olives, bread and seafood, its wine has only recently stepped into the international spotlight. Case in point: I bet you've noticed a bottle or two of Pugliese reds at your local LCBO—and with good reason. In the past, Puglia generally made more quantity than quality, but a new era of winemakers are proving that this region is a heavyweight contender. Take the primitivo grape, for example. This deep purple and fruit-forward varietal is actually the genetic source for California's zinfandel (both of them stem from the Croatian grape, crljenak), displaying the plush, rich, fruity qualities zin fans love.

Tenute Rubino produces two primitivos that will make North American palate's sing. Check out the 2010 Punta Aquila Primitivo IGT Salento for an easy drinking barbeque wine. For a bigger punch, the 2010 Visellio Primitivo IGT Salento has more body, complexity, and oak than its counterpart, lending itself well to your favourite cut of steak.

Puglia’s climate and soils are so perfect for grape growing that trendsetting wine producers have started planting non-native varietals with splendid results.

Why restrict montepulciano to Abruzzo or aglianico to Basilicata and Campania when you can have it all in Puglia? Carvinea, with a lending hand from rock starstatus oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, is setting the bar for these outside of the boot – I mean box – style wines.

If montepulciano is your vice, try the 2007 Merula. The 100 per cent montepulciano grapes partnered with the hot Pugliese sun give the Merula an intense, velvety depth that can be hard to find in Abruzzo. If more robust and powerful reds are your thing, the 2009 Sierma Aglianico delivers with notes of licorice, chocolate, and dark berries (hey, cab lovers, this is your new favourite wine). Carvinea must be doing something right with aglianico since they just snagged the prestigious Italian Tre Bicchieri award from Gambero Rosso for their Sierma.

Let’s not forget negroamaro, the king of all red grapes in Puglia. The name alone tells you plenty, literally translating to “black and bitter.” It’s known for producing deeply coloured, tannic wines that have the perfect structure for long-term aging. Look to the DOCs of Brindisi and Salice Salentino for great renditions of this grape. Case in point: mix up negroamaro with the softening qualities of montepulciano and malvasia nera and you get Tenute Rubino’s 2010 Jaddico Brindisi DOC – a perfect food-pairing wine with notes of cherries, plums, chocolate, black pepper and leather.

From classic negroamaro and primitivo to thriving transplant grapes, like montepulciano and aglianico, Puglia's wines not only showcase the south's limitless potential, but they're also good enough to compete on the world's wine stage.

www. cavinona. com

Cavinona has handpicked nearly 50 wine producers throught the Italian peninsula, which are unavailable anywhere in Ontario.

Our wines are distributed exclusively to the Terroni family of restaurants and privare consumers through our webiste.

You can call us too.

C ARVINEA by Jessica Allen

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR FAVOURITE WINE PRODUCER

Carvinea is sweetly situated near the sea in Carovigno, Northern Salento, Puglia. They produce only 35,000 bottles a year. But that was enough to get the attention of Gambero Rosso, who has awarded three Carvinea wines the coveted Tre Bicchieri. The 12-acre vineyard, however, has been on our radar well before that, and not just because producer Beppe di Maria happens to be Cosimo Mammoliti's father-in-law (although that did help to get our attention.) It's because Terroni knows a good thing—specifically five fabulous reds and one Provencal-style roé—when we taste it. Here, daughter (and this magazine's publisher) Elena di Maria dishes on how her dad, a car industry veteran, decided in his 60s to get into the wine game.

In Italian we have an expression: "un sogno nel cassetto," which means like a dream in a drawer. My dad's was to buy an old masseria and renovate it. He did just that in 2002 when he purchased a run-down farm house that used to belong to a prince. There were parts that were completely abandoned and the original parts—the stone and the clay it's made out of—were all covered up with paint. So he had to bring the real bones back to life.

He likes to do things super well or he doesn't do them at all. He didn't use one drop of cement—just materials that were true to the time—and he brought it back to its original splendour by using the same methodologies they did back when it was first built in the 1600s.

What did your mom think about this venture?

Do you remember your dad being interested in wine when you were little?

My mom tried to stop my dad! He's kind of like Cosimo in that way: he always has a new project! And my mom, He's always had a passion for wine and it's always been is kind of like me in that she was maybe not looking a part of every meal. I wouldn't say he was a connois- forward to the commitment of yet another project. seur when I was a kid but he certainly grew into one.

How the heck did rock star oenologist Riccardo CoDid he just wake up one day and decide that he want- tarella become involved? ed to be a wine producer?

Like I said, my dad never does anything halfway. So he re-

19

sorted to Cotarella knowing that he was one of the best— if not the best—in all of Italy. And also, Cotarella used to buy Porsches from my dad, so he knew the family. They sat down, talked and my dad showed him the property and the land. Luckily, Cotarella was really excited about the project and was happy to work with him. It was actually Cotarella's idea to grow non-indigenous grapes—montepulciano, aglianico and petit verdot—in Puglia because it was a challenge: it was exciting to do things differently.

Tough one: What's your favourite Carvinea wine?

C ARVINEA

sort of annoying in that they eat the grapes but they also sing and he's used to having them around so he decided to embrace them. And Lunachiena means "full moon."

What about Carvinea: where does that come from?

The masseria is in a little town called Carovigno. And in Latin, Carvinea means "from Carovigno."

How often do you get to visit the masseria?

Every summer I spend a few weeks there and occasionI really like the Sierma, which is 100 per cent aglianico. ally during the Christmas holidays. During the sumThe palette manages to be harmonious with lots of dif- mer we spend it mostly outdoors. But in the winter, ferent nuances of taste. we're inside under the big vaults and staying warm by the fireplaces. It's really, really cozy. They are two very The six wines have beautiful names. Can you tell me different experiences, but both are amazing. more about them?

Do the wines taste better when you drink them at the Sierma means, "my dad" in dialect, Frauma means "my masseria? brother," Sorma means "my sister." These are the three people in my dad's family that have passed away so he In a way, yes! When I'm at the masseria, I really appreciwanted to dedicate these wines to them, especially his ate it: it's like the wine that I'm drinking really belongs. dad because he had a real connection to agriculture and But of course, I love drinking it here, too, because it's wine. Merula is dialect for "black bird," and these birds are like drinking home.

20

TERRONI-S T YLE

TERRONI STAFF STYLE Photographs by Stephanie Palmer

Edited by Cindy Galvao

The Terroni Christmas party is one of the most anticipated nights of the year—at least for the staff, who get to toss aside their aprons and kitchen whites and dance the night away in festive fashions.

Here's a look at the standout trends from our most recent revelry. ① Party makeup doesn't have to be over the top: a bold brow and lip give you all the drama you need, plus it holds up after a long night of dancing. ② Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't have fun with colour. Try a pastel or jewel tone to bring a little warmth to the party—and your skin tone. ③ If you'd rather wear black, go sexy with mini-lengths, open backs and exposed midriffs. Because if you've got it, flaunt it.

And besides, it's a party—not the office. ④ We're always a fan of plaid at Terroni. It's a winter weather classic, whether you go full-on lumberjack or just add a touch of tartan.

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TERRONI-S T YLE

THE HOLIDAY EDITION

⑤ Get

down in a button-down! Sheer panels, blazer mini-dresses, rhinestones and bunny ears take this office staple to another level. ⑥ Be unexpected, let your back be the focus of your outfit. ⑦ Certain staples, like sequins and metallics, are holiday classics for a reason: they look great and they put you in the festive spirit. These are the night's standouts. ⑧ Dress up your favourite denim with a sweater or a blazer and you'll be looking good—and feeling even better when the dance floor heats up. ⑨ Dresses with lace or embroidery work double-time as jewellery and they draw the eye up to your lovely face.

Simplicity is good, too: sometimes all you need to look your best is a smile!

When in doubt, Christmas sweater!

PAS T TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

22

WHERE WE’RE GOING (AND WHERE WE’VE BEEN) Garner Kinmond (1965–2013) × Garner Kinmond was a beloved regular who frequented every Terroni location, including Los Angeles, since our humble beginnings nearly 20 years ago. He will be deeply missed by the Terroni family, near and far. Garner, you are in our hearts and our memories.

June 17, 2013 Customers, staff members and tequila-lovers alike circled the bar of the Price Street patio to witness the creative mixology of Terroni’s best bartenders. The objective: create a perfect summer cocktail with Tromba Tequila. Judges included master sommelier Bruce Wallner and Adam Hijazi, executive chef at 7 Enoteca.

Kio of Queen Street (far left) brought home the grand prize with 'Blanco e Nero,' his fusion of Tromba, Averna and espresso on ice, which became a staple drink on the Queen Street cocktails list.

July 2013 × Bartender and painter Alli Melanson can often be found crafting meticulous chalkboard designs for Terroni Price Street. Her superior study of painting and drawing at OCAD has won her endless praise, including an exhibition of her series Back in the Swim on the courthouse walls of Terroni Adelaide. The exhibit featured brightly coloured underpaintings covered with layers of black, which were then scraped away to reveal strikingly emotional human forms.

September 2013 In the short film Noah, which takes place entirely on the set of a young man’s computer screen, actress Caitlin McConkey-Pirie of Terroni Queen Street depicts a modern girlfriend caught in the distorted world of social media. The film showed at TIFF, was mentioned in The New Yorker and has since been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. Way to go Caitlin!

November 2013 × The radiant Pamela Armitage of Price Street recently applied her seven years of yoga practice into a serious business venture. Calm Unity Centre, an untraditional yoga studio at Yonge and Davisville, specializes in a fun and spontaneous approach, founded by Armitage and co-taught by fellow Terroni-ite Michalina Piatkowska. Go to calmunitycentre.com for class times and “find inner peace in the pulse of the city.”

December 2013 Price Street server June Yates is known for her radical style and savvy people skills. No surprise she has put these qualities to good use with the launch of an online clothing boutique, Gypsy Darling, which features wildly wearable clothing, both new and vintage, as well as her own handmade jewellery line. Get it on and check it out at gypsydarling.com!

January 28, 2014 The elusive “Tips for Jesus” dream customer struck again, this time at Terroni West Hollywood. This mystery man is known for leaving astronomical tips in restaurants across the country. This time, lucky Christine of Beverly Boulevard was left a whopping $3,000 on a bill for $871. Talk about server appreciation!

23 February 2014 × One perk of having a location in LA are all the celebrity sightings (although our staff knows better than to completely melt in their presence!). On the night of the Grammy Awards, the legendary Paul McCartney hosted a private party at Terroni Los Angeles. Guests included Ringo Starr, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Nine Inch Nails and the Foo Fighters.

A star-studded cast! I wonder if any of them asked for balsamic vinegar?

× Top notch Terroni alum Ally Martin gets profiled in TorontoEater.com for her savvy cocktail skills.

March 2014 Federico Fellini meets Wong Kar-wai in Mark Venturi's latest short film dedicated to our bakery, Sud Forno. It's both visually stunning and mesmerizing.

But don't take our word for it: Watch it—and the Terroni Queen Street veteran's other films, where our staff invariably make an appearance—on Vimeo.com.

× Did you read that great piece by Jill Riley on TorontoEater.com? The Terroni Queen St. all-star server detailed her close encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Julia Roberts nearly four years ago. And our very own Cosimo Pagliacolo was also profiled on the site in the same month. (Thanks, Nobu!)

April 2014 × David, Cosimo, Max, Anna and Gianna make their annual visit to Vinitaly in Verona in order to track down new wines for Cavinona and Terroni.

PAS T TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

May 2014 Managers Tim Reed Manessy and Ruth Torres will be sorely missed at Terroni Price Street. After investing years into the company, the dynamic duo is heading off for an overseas Italian adventure to explore food, wine and the beloved country that is the root of the Terroni legacy. Buon viaggio, guys!

Summer 2014 × Quality is the name of the game for Terroni and no one exemplifies this more than Cumbrae’s, the source for our delectable selection of local, farm-raised and handmade meats. This summer, customers can look forward to a new Cumbrae’s location right next door to Terroni’s Sud Forno bakery on Queen Street West.

Grocery shopping just got a whole lot tastier.

Photo by James Di Donato

By Christine Ama

Trevor Edward Cuddy (1986-2014) Per sempre nei nostri cuori.

SAPEVI C HE

24

by Rick & Sandra Kang

What have I done to offend you so that you don’t serve me the balsamic vinegar wit’ my olive oil?

Don Corleone…

Godfather, allow me to reason with you…

Reason - an offer even I can’t refuse. But make it good...

Did you know?

It starts with hand-picked Coratina olives from Acquaviva and Sannicandro in Puglia.

It takes about 5 kg of ’em to make 1 kg of olive oil because it’s hand-pressed - no machinery, no heating!

Terroni Adelaide...

Gadfadda, you want I should whack him now…?

No, Luca…

Keep talking

Er... so, uh, the paste that’s created is separated twiceonce from paste to liquid;

To be extra-virgin means less than one percent acidity -max. It means zero defects - no odours, no bits of tree, no nothing.

then the oil is separated from the water-and that’s how you get 100% pure extra-virgin olive oil!

Lemme shoot ‘im! I’m smaht!

Our friend Paolo Lo Monaco owns about 2,000 trees, and we import about 25,000 Litres of his olive oil a year.

Let him finish…

You’re right. It’s pungent, has a real bite! It would be a shame to ruin this olive oil with some generic balsamic vinegar.

A lot of folks -and restaurants - reserve this kind of oil for serving on its own, but we use it for everything: dressings, cooking, marinating, everything…

Luca, this one sleeps with the Yelpers...

Kinda like casting Sofia instead of like, anyone else…?

With all due respect (and apologies!) to Mario Puzo & Francis Coppola.

5003 Piatra Grey

Introducing four new stunning supernatural designs