I am in Costabissara, in the province of Vicenza to dive into the “sweet paradise” of the Loison family, three generations who have been able to continually question themselves to keep up with the times and with tastes. Born as a small bakery oven, in 80 years, the Costabissara laboratory has been transformed into an established artisan company whose products are in demand all over the world.
Here we meet with Dario Loison and his great PANETTONE.

In your ‘VENEZIANA’ Which spices have you adopted?
From Vanilla from Madagascar (Slow Food Presidium) to the precious mix of Black Pepper from Lampong (Indonesia), Timut (Nepal) and Jamaica, from Asian turmeric to South American Tonka beans with an eye to sought after single origins of cocoa coming in particular from Cuba and Venezuela.

The Museum boasts a collection of over 350 vintage postcards dedicated to Christmas seen through the eyes of children. My favorites are the three little chefs who proudly bring their delicacies to the table, including panettone, and this delightful little girl who drops a box of panettone in an elegant hatbox in the snow.

What are the distinctive qualities of a good panettone?

Softness, scent and purity of the fruit of which we have been champions for more than twenty years. We were the first ever to use the Ciaculli late mandarin, the Savona chinotto and the Calabrian fig, which is elaborated, baked and worked by hand with the addition of wild fennel, all this marrying the Slow Food world of which I have been part of for many years.

What about the ingredients?
Tradition is our main ingredient while passion is the heat that heats our ovens and our desserts, now on tables all over the world.
The Christmas holidays are coming. A must Loison on the table?
Surely the ‘black-salt’ panettone, naturally leavened, with clarified butter, Cervia salt, chocolate chips of Venezuelan origin and stuffed with a salted caramel born from a French recipe.

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Loison