- Story by Gail Johnson Photography by Lia Crowe

Restaurants come and go, and then there are those that, like a fine wine, only get better with age. Giuseppe 91裸聊视频淧ino91裸聊视频� Posteraro opened in Yaletown in 1999, and it91裸聊视频檚 been on all the 91裸聊视频渂est91裸聊视频� lists ever since, including the best Italian restaurants outside Italy by 50 Top Italy91裸聊视频攁nd that was before its recent $2 million renovation.

Big names have dined at Cioppino91裸聊视频檚 over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Bono, George Lucas, Jennifer Aniston and Al Pacino. Elvis Costello and Henrik Sedin are local fans. To celebrate Canada91裸聊视频檚 150th birthday celebrations, Pino cooked for the Italian president at the top of Grouse Mountain.

In response to the pandemic, the legendary chef has been rolling with the restrictions; he started doing takeout, posting family-style menus on social media in the morning and regularly selling out by 4 pm. Other chefs refer to him as the master. All this from a father of four of humble beginnings who nearly didn91裸聊视频檛 pursue cooking at all. His success comes down to his passion.

91裸聊视频淚 cook every single day,91裸聊视频� Pino says. 91裸聊视频淚 love it. When I91裸聊视频檓 not cooking at the restaurant, I cook at home. It91裸聊视频檚 inside my veins.91裸聊视频�

He adds, 91裸聊视频淏eing a successful restaurateur and chef doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean being on TV every day. It91裸聊视频檚 doing your job day in, day out, trying to be the best you can be as a human being, and being loyal to people.91裸聊视频�

Pino grew up in Lago, a rural area in Italy91裸聊视频檚 Calabria region, in a family of eight. His mother was the only daughter of a baron; as a young woman, she was sent to study with professional chefs in Naples and Rome91裸聊视频攏ot to become a chef herself but to acquire skills for the day she would have a family.

Although though their family was not wealthy, Pino says, they ate extremely well.

91裸聊视频淢y mother knew how to turn the simplest of ingredients into a masterpiece,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淪he would take plain items and make something delicious.91裸聊视频�

He began helping his mom in the kitchen before grade school. They had a garden, chickens and pigs. Pino recalls the celebratory ritual of the pig slaughter, always on a Friday. His mom would use the blood to make pudding with chocolate and pine nuts. They would clean the pig in the river then stuff it with peppers that the family had cured a year before. Together, they would slice the meat by hand, using different cuts for various purposes: some for sausage, others for soppressata, capicola and prosciutto. This was true head-to-tail dining; there was no such thing as food waste.

Although he loved everything about food91裸聊视频攇rowing, harvesting, preparing, and cooking91裸聊视频擯ino nearly became a doctor. He spent two years in Sicily attending medical school. What changed his mind was working with people who were very sick; he found it too heartbreaking91裸聊视频攈e wanted to see people happy.

Food was the way to do that. He worked at Michelin-star restaurants around the world and taught at George Brown College, before making his way to Vancouver via Toronto.

More than a way to bring happiness to people, food is a way to share his culture. For this, Pino has been named a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, an award designated by Italy91裸聊视频檚 president. The knighthood recognizes individuals who promote Italian prestige and relations internationally. Pino received the distinction in 2018, the first chef in Canada to do so.

91裸聊视频淚 never thought I91裸聊视频檇 receive this award for doing what I do every day,91裸聊视频� Pino says. 91裸聊视频淎t the end of the day we are cooks, but if we promote Italian technique and traditions in Canada, it91裸聊视频檚 an accomplishment. For more than 30 years, my motivation has been to promote Italian culture to the local community, introducing Italian gastronomy to a new generation of Canadians.91裸聊视频�

Pino is extremely particular about the ingredients he uses, with a demand for perfection that results in consistently superior dishes.

The chef prioritizes local foods such as sustainable wild Pacific salmon, buffalo mozzarella from Vancouver Island, veal from the Fraser Valley and fruit and vegetables grown on nearby farms. He also imports speciality items from Italy that are ethically produced by small artisans, such as saffron from Calabria, Sardinia and Abruzzo.

He won91裸聊视频檛 use foods with preservatives or genetically modified ingredients. He makes all of his own salami and other types of charcuterie, such as organic air-dried bresaola, from scratch. Pino brings in organic pigs from Salt Spring Island and Chilliwack, slicing them by hand, never by machine. He has the seasoning down to an exact science. Making fresh pasta is his go-to if he91裸聊视频檚 having a bad day.

It91裸聊视频檚 not just cooking Pino has mastered; he also knows as much about wine as many top sommeliers. He personally creates the wine list at Cioppino91裸聊视频檚, which has a collection of approximately 45,000 bottles, including many hard-to-find and rare vintages. Part of the restaurant91裸聊视频檚 recent overhaul, which saw a dividing wall come down making the entire room more open and airier, was the addition of a spectacular central bar complete with a 50-bottle, temperature-controlled, by-the-glass wine dispenser and preservation system.

The chef also brought in two state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line ovens from Germany, and the new patio is an urban oasis that his wife helped design, with greenery like golden and Irish yews.

Whether he91裸聊视频檚 boxing freshly made lasagne to go (the same kind he enjoyed on Sundays with his family in Italy) or serving celebrities at safe physical distances, Pino is at home in the kitchen. Italian Heritage Month in June is significant to him: 91裸聊视频淚t means reinforcing a strong tie with the motherland and bringing it to a wider public attention,91裸聊视频� he says.

It all goes back to his singular mission.

91裸聊视频淵ou do it because it91裸聊视频檚 a passion,91裸聊视频� he says, 91裸聊视频渁 passion for food and cooking and for people.91裸聊视频�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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