Justine MacNeil, the pastry chef and co-founder of Fiore, also notices that hesitance to evolve. “In South Philly, at the Jersey shore, and along Route 9 in Jersey where I was raised, the bakeries remain unchanged,” MacNeil states. “They retain their form, and it would almost be tragic if they didn’t.”
Italian pastry shows minimal similarity to the vibrant arrays of marzipan, towers of pignoli cookies, and grand structures of cannoli I was familiar with. The atmosphere at Fiore doesn’t echo the cherished shrines to Italian American pastry that flourish in the Little Italy areas of various American towns, and within my soul.
Fiore instead presents something fresh with each visit, adding to a selection of staples that loyal customers have come to anticipate. While some of the dishes may seem recognizable, their names, on the whole, remain untranslated and unfamiliar to the uninitiated: schiacciate, cornetti, budino di riso, torta sabbiosa, borsettine.
Diving into Italian pastry customs that are little acknowledged in the U.S. has become both a passion and a venture for MacNeil and her spouse (and co-owner of Fiore), Ed Crochet. (His forte is the savory aspect of the venture, particularly focusing on artisanal pastas, ranking among Philly’s finest.)
Following her graduation from culinary school in New York, MacNeil journeyed with Crochet to Italy and became captivated by the nation’s pastries. The variety of baking practices in pasticcerias and households was entirely different from the upscale dining desserts she had become accustomed to while employed at New York’s Del Posto restaurant. “Almost everything we adored, we documented,” she shares. “The narrative of Italian pastry isn’t even close to being recognized here [in the United States]. We aim to uncover distinctive items most individuals have never encountered.”
