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Da Gianni & Maria Trattoria
- Globe & Mail - Corriere Canadese - Tandem - Toronto Life -TorontoNight -FPmoney - Metro - Civiltà Della Tavola
Italian Academy Cuisine
Gianni and Maria keep genuine recipes alive in T.O.
by FRANCESCO RIONDENO
___________________The name Accademia was not casually chosen when men attracted to every kind of elevated culture decided to found Accademia Italiana della Cucina, in response to journalist Orio Vergani's painful outcry uttered in the 50s regarding the state of Italian cooking: 'Italian cuisine is dying.' These men immediately understood that as representatives of the Italian elite of the period they were faced with the task - almost a moral obligation - of taking immediate action to protect an important cultural patrimony. They were protecting of the Italian Gastronomical heritage, which went, and goes, hand in hand with the history, tradition, new trends, and identity of a people."
Thus reads the Website of Accademia Italiana della Cucina, an organization that was founded to preserve the tradional Italian values involved in The Art of Eating Well, which were outlined in Pellegrino Artusi's book bearing this title. This organization has expanded over the decades, taking roots all over the world, including Canada.
Today, the Accademia is busy "promoting and favouring the national and international knowledge" of good cuisine. In order to do this, it promotes a convivial culture that reaches its apex with the Symposium, a dinner organized in accordance with very specific guidlines. The Website is once again helpful: :The minute prperation of this event by the Symposiarch [a member chosen to run the event] - who chooses, approves, and tests the menu in advance, also illustrating its philosophy - and the thorough
cuisine is built on foundations of fresh, quality ingredients. The lesson was duly learnt, and is now being masterfully translated in the dishes served at his trattoria.
Gianni and Maria believe that going to a restaurant is not only about eating, but about the entire expierience around the meal. That's why they coddle their customers with attentive and caring service, never intrusive and especially never rushed. :Our customers should ask for the bill, as we never bring it of our own accord as a way of emptying the table," they proudly expain.
For the Symposium Gianni presented a Northerner menu; beginning with tagliolini with truffles (whose strong, characteristic flavour had been judiciously restrained, not to overwhelm the palete), he served ossobuco with cremolata (vegetables cut in chunks in order for their taste to harmonize in the sauce while still being separately identifiable) and ended up with traditional zabaglione, something that an Academy member said was worthy of patenting, perhaps forgetting that it's recipe was born centuries ago.
The only note of disappointment in the dinner came from the choice of wine ("that was their choice," clarified the chef): a classic Tuscan Chianti drank with dishes belonging to the purest Piedmontese culinary tradition.
and responsible evaluation of the latter by the participants, constitutes [...] a commitment demanding keen attention and valorization of the work and skills of the restauretuer. Likewise, it constitutes a stimulus, for public catering, to pay even more attention to quality in the widest sense of the word."
The Symposiarch selects a restaurant and builds a feast of good cuisine with the chef and/or owner of the establishment.
Da Gianni e Maria Trattoria, a restaurant on St. Clair Avenue West, was chosen for the latest Symposium held in Toronto. The restaurant has the esteem of the city's gourmets in the short time it has been open.
Gianni is a chef with deep sense of tradition, well aware of his skills and strong points. If he's not comfortable with a dish, he won't propose it to his clientele; but if something is found on his rich menu, you can rest assured that there will be no dissapointment.
Gianni's cuisine mainly comprises dishes from Lazio and Piedmont, the regions where he lived and understood the culture and social links between land and food. His father, a famous Roman confectioner and gourmet, started him on his path to gastronomy, and Gianni did the rest, studying combinations of flavours and learning that good
