Since traders didn’t want to invest in almonds, he cut out the middle man and once again developed relationships with farmers. Like many Ones, Assenza was activated by a sense of mission and led by example to correct this problem. More than just the product, Assenza saw a purpose for himself in preserving the land. He set out on a personal campaign to bring back the almond. “That’s ignorance.” He noticed that some of Italy’s best products, including the almond, were being lost to commercialization. Calling the shopping centers around him, “fake cities,” where you “don’t buy fresh, you buy preserved,” Assenza resents many of the developments of modern life. Assenza has a palpable distaste for the modernization taking place around him and the negative effects that it has on the people and products of Italy. He encourages his friends to support these local artisans as well, favoring the serious, rigorous among them.įocus on how something is and how it could be. I have to find farmers who understand quality in their work.” When he does find these farmers, Assenza rewards them with his loyalty and marketing ability. Assenza tells us that there is “no quality in the ingredient if there is no quality in the person. This man works an ungodly number of hours milking his goats by hand and then processing the fresh milk to make cheese. He relates how impressed he is with the work of a local goat farmer whose cheese he uses for his ricotta ice cream. He has developed relationships with local farmers who source his ingredients and has a high regard for those who demonstrate an intense work ethic and passion for quality. Assenza’s passion for quality extends beyond the confines of his laboratory. Assenza and his son attack the task with precision and skill, ensuring perfectly identical, high-quality cannoli with their “signature” evident in the final product.įocus on the process level for achieving quality. This is a time-consuming, painstaking process in which hundreds of dough discs must be rolled to an identical shape and thickness. They use a very particular technique to prepare the dough, then roll each cannoli out by hand. In one scene, he and his son make cannoli.
#Caffe sicilia noto how to#
“It’s not special to produce quality,” he says, “but it’s what we know how to do.” Flavor, tradition, consistency are all part of Assenza’s strong ethic. He sources high quality ingredients to use in his specialties. But his desire for quality doesn’t stop there. In nearly every voiceover, every encounter with someone else in his episode, Assenza describes his drive for creating a quality product. Some behavior patterns that point to Corrado Assenza as a One are: He spent hours observing the processes and techniques the former chef used, memorizing them and then practicing them until he could perfectly imitate the master. No longer was the kitchen a playroom, it was the engine of a business and Assenza had a lot to learn to keep the business afloat.
The laboratory was a major lure for him when faced with the decision about whether or not to move home, but he found that the chef was a less willing teacher to him as an adult. Assenza chose tradition and moved back to Noto.Īs a child Assenza loved spending time in the kitchen, known as the “laboratory.” It functioned as his playroom – a place to experiment and to observe the chef devising new recipes. Give up the life he loved in Bologna and return to Noto, or see his beloved family restaurant sold to an outsider. But when his aunt was ailing and no longer able to tend to her restaurant, he was faced with a choice. He got married, became infatuated with the art of beekeeping, and built a life for himself in this new city. He left the small town of Noto to study agriculture in Bologna. Though he comes from a long line of restauranteurs, Assenza set out to have a different life. The quality ingredients I use… and soft creamy texture leave my customers wanting more.”Īnd indeed his customers crave his wares, but gelato was not always Assenza’s priority. In an early voiceover he effectively states, “If tourists want gelato from a cart in the middle of the street, let them have it. His disdain for anything less is evident. Assenza is a One on the enneagram, and his perfectionist personality demands he serve only the best.
Four generations of his family have run his patisserie, Caffe Sicilia, offering tourists and locals fresh, high quality desserts. Sicily,” Corrado Assenza has been satisfying the sweet tooth of his city for nearly three decades.
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