Frankie Condon explores the food scene in Grey Bruce.
Tucked in among storefronts and cafes on Durham Street in Walkerton, Ti Amo La Cucina Italiana serves dishes crafted from lovingly preserved and curated recipes that are the generational legacy of an Italian Canadian family.
Proprietors and operators, Brad and Rosa House, are dedicated to sharing the culinary heritage of Rosa’s family and the country and regions from which her family traveled to live and work in Canada.
Traditional Italian cuisine (recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage) is characterized by its simplicity. Just a few locally sourced ingredients gathered according to the seasons and composed with care make up even the most renowned of dishes.
“Italian food culture is dedicated to the importance of slowing down and savouring a moment.”
Italian cuisine is noted for its freshness – its material and cultural proximity to the places from which its ingredients are grown or produced. As importantly, however, to the culinary traditions of Italy, are the communal and kinship values that shape not only the kind and quality of food central to la cucina Italiana, but also the kind and quality of relationships that food nourishes and sustains.. Literally translated as the Italian kitchen, more generally, la cucina Italiana also names the cuisine of Italy.
Generosity, hospitality, and conviviality are central to the breaking of bread in an Italian kitchen for la cucina Italiana is heart-centred: made for friendship, family, love, and laughter. As Italian chef and food essayist, Angela Putruzzelli, writes “Italian food culture is dedicated to the importance of slowing down and savouring a moment. In Italy, a meal is the purpose of the day – of a life.”
I am sure it would be possible to speed through a meal at Ti Amo La Cucina Italiana, but I have no idea why one would want to, for the food begs to be relished in the company of one’s most delightful companions.
Naturally, I chose my husband, Mike, for there is no one with whom I would rather share either time or a delicious meal. As we savoured our way through multiple courses, Rosa House – whose life mission is to share her deep knowledge and appreciation of Italian culinary heritage with her customers – informed and instructed us with great good humour. Rosa is a natural born teacher. As we tasted, she taught us how her family would order the dishes served, the traditional way to approach and enjoy each dish, as well as about the array of flavours we might taste should we take the time to let each bite rest upon our tongues.
We began our meal with bruschetta, tapenade d’olives, and a lovely bowl of mussels in white wine sauce to share. Ti Amo does not serve alcohol but does serve an award-winning non-alcoholic wine from Quebec.
Ordinarily, I would have turned up my nose but, gathering my courage, I tasted and liked this wine very much. Not for nothing, but patrons who enjoy a tipple might do as I did and dip in across the street at Walker’s Landing for an aperitivo before their meal and a digestivo afterward: a very happy compromise.
For his main course, Mike ordered the gremolata di salmone creama penne, while, feeling spicy, I asked for the salsiccia arabbiata rotini. Because we like each other, we agreed to permit tasting of one another’s meals and found both to be worthy of chef’s kisses.
We concluded our meal with a slow and easy enjoyment of a zeppole made by Rosa, who confided in us that she spent her childhood helping her father in his Italian bakery. As she delivered the zeppole to us, Rosa explained that in her home, they would have picked this treat up to eat by hand so as not to crush the delicate pastry into the Chantilly cream. We followed her advice and were rewarded with a melt-in-your-mouth experience of yum!
Like so many of the best restaurants in Bruce County, Ti Amo in Walkerton is dedicated to sourcing local ingredients as they nourish and nurture the community in which their kitchen is located. Brad and Rosa House are committed artful and skilled, preparing culinary experiences that are both delicious and heart-warming, as Italian cuisine is meant to be.
