Rising Italian star shakes up Nicosia food scene

Artisanal baked goods made with only the best ingredients are coming the island’s way. JONATHAN SHKURKO tries for himself

The food scene in Nicosia is set to reach new heights as a popular spot for foodies has launched a collaboration with one of the emerging stars of the Italian culinary scene.

Kantina Quality Food & Wine, one of the go-to places for real connoisseurs in the capital, has now joined forces with pastry virtuoso and CEO of renowned artisanal bakery Olivieri1882, Nicola Olivieri.

With a track record underlined by accolades and international recognition, including a spot among the 40 under 40 entrepreneurs of the Italian gastronomic scene, as recognised by leading food magazine Fortune Italia, Olivieri’s arrival in Cyprus could really change the game in the culinary world.

One of the real gems of the Italian bakery world and a bit of a hidden pride, is the ‘colomba’. Traditionally enjoyed throughout the Easter period, it is a leavened sweet bread shaped in the form of a dove and the counterpart of two other well-known Italian Christmas desserts, the ‘panettone’ and the ‘pandoro’.

Virtually non-existent in Cyprus, Olivieri anticipates that his ‘colomba’, which is now available at Kantina, will be a success on the island.

“It belongs to the same family as the ‘panettone’ and ‘pandoro’, but it is more niche, less widely known,” Olivieri said. “The one we produce is definitely artisanal, both as far as the production process is concerned, as it takes four days to make, and in the products we use, since we only work with sourdough and other premium quality ingredients.”

One thing that sets Olivieri apart from the traditional Italian way of doing things is the fact he doesn’t exclusively use Italian ingredients.

“We are not jealous,” he said. “The butter we use for the ‘colomba’ is from Brittany in France and the raisins are Australian. The most important thing for us is the quality of each ingredient, not its provenance.”

Olivieri’s products are exported all over the world, from Far East Asia, including Japan and Singapore, to the US, where business is booming.

“The demand in the US is incredible, especially for ‘panettone’, while the ‘colomba’ is still relatively new over there. But it’s making strides, as it will do here, I’m sure,” he said.

Olivieri hopes that his collaboration with Kantina will pique the Cypriot people’s interest.

“I’ve known Christina [Varnavides, owner of Kantina along with Lambros Sergides] for years, we cooperated on many other projects and I trust her wholeheartedly, she knows what quality food is and her store’s success proves it. It’s definitely not easy to find like-minded people, especially in my field,” he said.

Emphasis on quality is a must for the Italian pastry chef. His mission in Cyprus is to teach people the difference between an everyday, mass-produced product and an artisanal one, and he believes his ‘colomba’ will do the trick.

“Let’s say you are used to a certain type of product, one that you find easily and that is relatively affordable. I can guarantee that once you try an artisanal product, it will be difficult to go back.”

During his stay on the island, Olivieri spent many hours at a lab showing local pastry chefs and bakers his way of working.

“The response has been excellent, I met so many talented people who are willing to learn and improve at what they do. It’s been an absolute pleasure.”

Olivieri’s ‘colomba’ at Kantina will be sold in three different versions: the classic one, with raisins and candied fruits; the one ‘ai tre cioccolati’, featuring white, milk and dark chocolate; and the ‘amarena, limone e pistacchi’ one, stuffed with candied black cherries, candied lemon peel and toasted pistachios.

“I love experimenting, creating new things and twisting the classics. For example, recently I experimented with the ‘colomba’, as I wanted to produce one that reminds of Cyprus and Greece, and I came up with the idea of making a ‘melomakarono colomba’.

“I produced a small batch and gave it to some close friends to see what they thought of it. It was a huge hit, and they are not usually easy to impress!

“They loved it and, who knows, maybe one day it will become a regular here and everywhere we sell our products. The key is to remain curious and open to ideas, that will never fail to pay off.”