The story starts…
In their very young ages. Cesare and Nina grew up in Ottawa, Canada with very strong Italian influences who moved to Canada from Italy during the second world war, passing on all their traditions . They taught Cesare and Nina the importance of family gatherings; whether large or small each one is special. Cesare and Nina grew up in the kitchen and loved every second of it. They found that there was something incredible in Italian cuisine. They understood that Italians think of food more than just for its need to provide, but for the way it gathers families, for the way food passes an evening with friends enjoying an apertivo, and then eventually finding your way home for dinner. Food is the passion in every celebration.
Their story starts at home in the kitchen and that is why it was essential for Farinella to bring it back home to Ottawa to share with all of you!
Cesare and Nina spent many summers visiting family in Italy, where not only did their love for Italian cuisine grow, but they quickly fell more in love with the Italian mentality towards food. From there they had their hearts set on moving to Italy to learn as much as they could. And they made that possible in 2014 and 2013. Nina, in 2014 headed to Perugia, Italy to enroll in a gelato making course at the Universita dei Sapori, and Cesare headed to Rome in 2013 for a 5 day pizza training course with the world renowned baker Gaberiele Bonci.
Nina
Cesare
After Cesare completed his course he spent 9 months looking for an apprenticeship in any restaurant, bakery, cheese making factory, butcher shop or even a farm. It wasn’t until he contacted a friend of a friend of a friend who then put him in touch with Antico Forno Roscioli in downtown Rome, ultimately changing his life.
In September 2014 Cesare showed up at the bakery with no place to live, and virtually no money. He was given a maximum of 2 weeks to shadow in the pizzeria. It turned into a two month stay to him working full time in one of the oldest bakeries in the city where he then worked for the next three years. Starting as a pizzaiolo’s assitstant, Cesare worked his way up from simply opening cans of tomatoes to running the baking program. Roscioli gave him the opportunity to encounter some of the greatest chefs and bakers in the world. Cesare had different potential opportunities, but turned it down to return home in September 2017. This is when he teamed up with sister to open Farinella.
Quickly after Nina finished her 6 month course she began to search for opportunities in Perugia. In May 2014 after a difficult search Nina found herself at one of the cities most popular establishments, Menchetti.
Menchetti was not only a gelateria but also a pizzeria, coffee shop, restaurant, bakery and bar. Nina began as a Gelateria, working long hours. She was thrown into a fast paced environment with intermediate Italian speaking, forcing her to learn quickly. At 19 years old, after six months of working for Menchetti, she was promoted to head gelatieria and general manager. Nina worked hard for the next 3 years at this establishment.
After 3 years, Nina decided that it was time for the next step to return to Ottawa in October 2016 to begin plans of opening her own business.
After much growth and opportunities Cesare and Nine both decided that in 2017 the time was right. They had achieved what they had set out to learn and it was time to return home from their respective journeys in Italy to take the next steps that they had always had their heart set on and always planned to take. And finally Farinella came to be!
Farinella Opens
