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Chef Massimo Capra |
CANADA. SSP Canada and Chef Massimo Capra have joined forces to open two new Italian restaurants at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Boccone Trattoria Veloce in Terminal 1 Domestic Departures and its quick-service counterpart Boccone Pronto in T1 US-Transborder Departures serve Italian food including gourmet pizzas and pastas, Italian-style sandwiches and grab & go snacks.
Menu highlights include Tagliatelle Bolognese and thin-crust pizza Val D’Aosta topped with fonduta, black truffle cream, mushrooms, parmesan and arugula. Dishes from Capra’s downtown restaurants will feature in the offer including arancini di riso and polpette di carne and hand-made ravioli of the day. The menu will be changed regularly to make the best of the ingredients available each season.
“There are some really good restaurants at airports such as New York’s JFK or Heathrow in London,’ said Capra. “Now travellers at Toronto can also enjoy the very best food before they fly. I’ve always been interested in travel, and how people react to it. It’s very satisfying to be able to offer travellers the comfort of a good plate of food at a time when they might be feeling stressed or vulnerable.
“Much of what we are doing here is just the same as we are doing in town – we already know how to cook great pizzas and pasta. Other aspects have been very different. For example, I might stop at the market on my way to work and if I find an ingredient I like, I will create a dish for the restaurant for that day. Of course we can’t do that in the airport, and the menu has to be very carefully considered to ensure that we can get the ingredients we want when we want them.”
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Chef Massimo Capra brings a taste of Italy to Toronto Pearson |
Capra said the menu has been designed to guarantee passengers will only have to wait ten minutes from the time they sit down to the time they are served and can be on their way in half an hour. He noted that SSP’s experience, including menu adaptation, kitchen design to maximise limited space, and an established network of suppliers, have been invaluable in refining all these processes.
“To be serving the same food prepared to the same high standards as we do in town is a great achievement, and I’m very proud of what we are doing here,” he added.
SSP Canada Executive Vice President Pat Murray said: “We’re delighted to be working with Chef Massimo, who is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of fine Italian cooking in Canada. His creativity and his passion for this project have been a true inspiration.”
Massimo Capra was born in Italy, and moved to Canada in 1982. He is the co-owner of Toronto’s Mistura Restaurant and Sopra Upper Lounge. He is also known for his appearances on television shows CityLine and the Food Network programme Restaurant Makeover, which is seen in over sixteen countries.
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