I first met Emilia by complete chance one rainy day when a friend and I took shelter in her deli. I was immediately struck by her welcoming nature and the enticing food she had on display. After a few slices of her signature pistachio cake and numerous cups of Italian coffee we had discussed her love for her Sicilian heritage, her solo trip around Sicily which re-ignited her passion for its home grown produce and her decision to break away from a traditional path as a patisserie chef. I knew from that initial conversation that we would be friends, Emilia is a talented and truly inspirational person.
Strazzanti is a celebration of Sicily’s local artisans and premium produce. Emilia and her two sisters have created a variety of Sicilian culinary experiences through pop up residencies, supper clubs and my personal favourite - the Sicilian bakery. All of their ingredients are cultivated by Sicilian families who have been growing naive produce for generations. Stazzanti’s products whether produced in Sicily or handmade in London, are crafted in small batches for optimum freshness. My favourites are their pecorino and honey tortelloni with Sicilian pistachio pesto and the Sicilian pistachio and lemon cake, both of which you can order for home delivery.
Emilia and I met up to catch up over some coffee and pistachio cake.
Where did your love of cooking begin?
My first memories of baking were with my grandmother from Naples when I was five years old. My two sisters and I were baking a cake with her in the kitchen, I remember licking the back of the spoon with the raw cake mixture and thinking it tasted incredible. What made me fall in love with cooking was the process of baking a cake together with my grandmother and sisters and creating these memories.
“What made me fall in love with cooking was the process of baking a cake together with my grandmother and sisters and creating these memories.”
The scent of a freshly baked cake always reminds us of our grandmother and those special times that we shared with her. For me this is what cooking and food is about and the reason behind why I became a chef; to create memories and feelings of nostalgia through a recipe or a product.
When was the moment that you knew you wanted to start your own venture?
I learnt a lot about baking and cooking from my grandmother from Naples, after she left us at a young age it was my other grandmother and grandfather who taught us about our Italian heritage and the classic recipes from our beloved Sicily. Almost every day after school was spent with my grandfather making the family dinner and learning about the food of our heritage.
“...I immediately knew that my purpose in life was to celebrate the food of my grandparents legacy that they passed onto us. Through Strazzanti, cooking from the heart with the ingredients of our land is the best way that I can express that.”
I knew that I wanted to start Strazzanti during my travels to Italy and specifically Sicily. I moved to Sicily to fully immerse myself in the culture and way of living. Sicily instantly felt like home, I loved living there and learning more about the local produce. After we lost my grandfather, I felt like I had lost a part of myself and I immediately knew that my purpose in life was to celebrate the food of my grandparents legacy that they passed onto us. Through Strazzanti, cooking from the heart with the ingredients of our land is the best way that I can express that.
You source ingredients from special partners, please could you share a little bit more about that process?
When I worked in Milan and Sicily in Michelin starred restaurants the quality of the ingredients were immense. After we lost our grandfather I realised how much our heritage is connected both to the land and the ingredients that he used in our everyday family recipes. The quality of ingredients he used was not something exclusive to high end restaurants but something commonplace in Italy. It took me on a journey to meet with local farmers in Sicily
“I knew that I wanted to partner with these incredible authentic artisans as their passion for their produce represented our business ethos.”
One visit led to another and along with educating myself about local produce I began to import pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts for the bakery. I knew that I wanted to partner with these incredible authentic artisans as their passion for their produce represented our business ethos. What was even more special was that the new generation of land owners were also third generation Sicilians like we were and whose purpose in life was to continue to nurture the land and spirit of Sicily just like their grandparents had.
How has your business evolved over the last few years?
We have evolved in so many ways over the last few years, running your own enterprise is a challenge in many ways however we are grateful that we share these challenges together as a family.
Strazzanti has evolved from selling our handmade cakes in our deli to selling them to Selfridges! We are currently in the process of creating our Sicilian range of pesto and sauces with our bespoke recipes. We have partnered with local farmers as our goal is to use ingredients from Sicily to support the community and our kitchens are in close proximity to maintain the ultimate freshness.
“We have evolved in so many ways over the last few years, running your own enterprise is a challenge in many ways however we are grateful that we share these challenges together as a family.”
We are continuously developing our London offering including our pasta range and Il Piccolo Pacchetto (“The Little Parcel”); a weekly delivery of a 4 course Sicilian supper club menu or alternatively “Stuzzichini” lots of Sicilian treats which are all inspired by the parcels our relatives used to send us when we were children.
You can find out more about Emilia’s bakery and Il Piccolo Pacchetto at https://strazzanti.co/order-online/
Photography courtesy of Strazzanti
