Sicilian-born Chef Carmelo Sortino has been cooking since he was 14 years old, starting in his uncle’s pastry shop where he became fascinated with baking and making marzipan. Two years later, he moved to Milan to work for the Ricci Company before being offered a place at Giuseppe Ciocca’s culinary school, training to be a chef 3 days a week while still working part time. He stayed in Milan for the next 25 years, emigrating to Vancouver in 1966. Without contacts in the food world, Carmelo stuck with his love of baking by working at Safeway as a cake decorator. In 1980, he launched ‘Carmelo’s Pastry Shop’ on Commercial Drive where he made his claim to fame four years later when Prime Minister Trudeau’s Secretary walked into his pastry shop and invited him to deliver a pastry basket to Pierre Trudeau at his Vancouver hotel. Many accolades later, Carmelo opened his first restaurant ‘Carmelo’s’ in West Vancouver in 1986, and five years later his second restaurant ‘Bellini’ in Downtown. By 1992, Carmelo decided to leave his restauranteur life behind him and become a full-time artist.
Carmelo’s love of food is still very apparent today, as he enjoys his retirement on the Sunshine Coast, cooking and painting his way into his 80’s. When we sat down together to chat about this ‘Cuisine Feature’ on my Food & Travel website (travelleher.com), he was both generous and enthusiastic with his time and ideas. “People need information”, he says about understanding how to cook well at home, “you don’t have to be a genius, but you have to follow the rules”. He is passionate about showing people the technique on how to eat healthily without wasting money on poor food. “If you don’t have good ingredients, you cannot make good food”, he says. Twenty years ago, people ate differently, but now Carmelo says he cooks with the times. “Today, people eat less, better quality food rather than quantity.” When asked what his message to people would be, Carmelo replies, “don’t save money on food. It’s a bad philosophy. Pay what it’s worth and that’s it!”. “Food brings people together’, he says. What he wants to do now is to share this knowledge to teach others ‘how to improve the food on their table and live a better, healthier life’.
I am proud to be able to feature Carmelo, his recipes and tips and his cooking prowess with you. The recipes from his kitchen will be simple and healthy. For example: How to make your own milk using almonds, oats, or soy. How to make Mozzarella cheese. How to stay away form fried foods which are bad for the liver and focus instead on baking. How to include fish and meat weekly for protein and salads and vegetables for a balanced diet. These regular features will include “Chef’s Tips” eg. using fresh lemon juice as a substitute for salt, or just blending spinach with olive oil for 2 minutes rather than steaming it.
You are invited to offer your feedback via email directly from my website. You can ask Chef any questions you like, or even offer any suggestions or requests. Remember, this page is for YOU. It’s FREE. You can SHARE these recipes with friends and family. With your help, we can grow this feature and expand this knowledge without even having to leave home!
WATCH THIS SPACE for information on Carmelo’s future cooking demonstrations in Gibsons, as well as his first cookbook due out sometime soon!
KEEP THE FLAVOUR………….