Corrado Assenza

Corrado Assenza was born in Noto in the early 1960s.
“I was fortunate as to have two parents who taught me how to learn, many mentors who left their mark on me, and a sweet, capable wife who filled my life with the smiles and intelligence of our two children.”

After completing his education in the scientific high school of Noto, he enrolled at the agronomic university, though he never graduated.

“The irresistible call of the sirens from the walls of the family pastry lab was too strong to resist.”

For more than 30 years, at Caffè Sicilia in Noto, he has worked in pastry and food, striving to express the deep culture of the Sicilian people, who for millennia have dedicated their wisdom to these material arts.

“I seek the synthesis—between East and West, through the Mediterranean; between science and empiricism; between past and present; between local and foreign, between elders and youth. I enjoy engaging with people, because the world belongs to people, not the market. I work for people’s pleasure, not for the market’s satisfaction. I appreciate salt as much as sugar; perhaps, even more than either of those, honey. I look for savoriness in sugars, sweetness among salt crystals. Like reality beyond appearances.”

Throughout his career, Corrado has also been involved in education, teaching pastry and ingredient processing techniques for both pastry and culinary arts at various schools in Italy and abroad. From 2012 to 2015, he was the creative pastry instructor at the Master of Italian Cuisine at ESAC in Vicenza.

Major Achievements and Roles:

• Luigi Veronelli Award for Best Food Artisan, 1st edition, 2006

• Dino Villani Award from the Italian Cuisine Academy for pastry and gelato, 2006

• Asti Spumante DOCG Award for Best Pastry Chef of the Year, Identità Golose, 2007

• Special Jury Mention, Bar of the Year Award, Gambero Rosso (2007, 2009, 2010)

• Caffè Sicilia named Bar of the Year by Gambero Rosso, 2008

• Caffè Sicilia received “Three Cakes” and “Three Hats” in the Gambero Rosso Pastry and Patisseries Guide (2014–2019, 2021–2024)

• Speaker at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Greystone, Napa Valley, CA, for the World of Flowers educational program (2008 and 2012)

• Speaker at the World Gourmet Summit, Singapore, 2013

• In April 2018, the Netflix series Chef’s Table dedicated one of its four episodes on global pastry to Caffè Sicilia and Corrado Assenza. The cinematographer for this episode earned an Emmy nomination.

• Speaker at all 19 Italian editions of Identità Golose

• Named MAM (Master of Arts and Crafts) in 2020 by the Cologni Foundation for Artistic Craftsmanship