Fiasconaro is a visionary Sicilian company that we consider pioneers of the traditional Italian panettone — thanks to their classic original cake recipe that maintains the utmost respect for local Sicilian ingredients. Not just a traditional holiday cake anymore, Fiasconaro’s new and innovative panettone — made with only the best Sicilian ingredients (that undergo a lengthy natural fermentation process) — has changed the name of the panettone game.
Fiasconaro is a modern and ever expanding pastry company that started in 1953 with Mario Fiasconaro as head chef. Inspired by their father, the three Fiasconaro brothers — Fausto, Martino and Nicola — grew from little kids who loved helping out the pastry shop to successful entrepreneurs. Today, Fausto is the showroom manager, Martino leads the administration and Nicola is the award-winning pastry chef.
Sicily is a continuous source of inspiration for Fiasconaro. The company was founded in Castelbuono, between the Cefalù Sea and the mountains of Madonie in the province of Palermo. A unique ecosystem makes Castelbuono one of the most well maintained and preserved towns in the area surrounded by a rich natural heritage. The family’s love for Sicily and for the rhythms of its local flora and fauna remain essential parts of the Fiasconaro philosophy. Nicola Fiasconaro, head pastry chef, tells us the secret to the perfect panettone recipe and how the Sicilian version became popular in the Northern American market.
Nicola e Mario Fiasconaro
Fiasconaro entered the Northern American market 20 years ago. Since then, the company has grown a lot. How did you conquer the U.S. market?
We always and only focus on the tradition, the quality and the respect for the ingredients. When we first started, panettone was called “Christmas cake” in the U.S. and back then, few Italian companies were starting to explore the market. We carried not only the classic tradition of the Italian panettone but the Sicilian identity that comes with our products. Customers started to get to know us more and became loyal to our philosophy and story.
Over time, we have spread the concept of the craftsmanship tied to our panettone. What made the difference is our export politics that are pretty tight on the shelf life of the products. We don’t ship and sell panettone with more than 3-6 months shelf life. This is because we want to guarantee the freshness and respect for both our clientele and [our] ingredients.
The distinctive trademark of Fiasconaro’s bakery is the sourdough, a very long process of fermentation that lasts 36 hours. Can you tell us more about it?
Sourdough originates from the “madre”, a fermented batter-like dough to which water and flour are added progressively. It’s a process that always has the same rhythm and requires ability, care and above all the rejection of the use of chemical additives and preservatives ensuring a surprisingly long life at the same time for the product. Through this absolutely natural process, the dough provides unique and unmatched qualitative characteristics such as lightness and fragrance.
Fiasconaro panettone brings the classic recipe of the traditional Northern Italy panettone together with Sicilian creativity. What makes your panettone so special and unique?
We are the pioneers when it comes to the handcrafted panettone in Sicily. Before us, panettone mostly belonged to the commercial market and the big companies — except for some small bakeries and pastry shops in Northern Italy. We started a revolution by creating a Sicilian panettone made by following the classic dough recipe and by adding only Sicilian ingredients. We came up with unique recipes that feature Sicilian ingredients such as Pistachio from Bronte, Chocolate from Modica, Manna from Castelbuono and citrus from Sicily.
Your panettone is the best seller on Amazon. Which flavors do your customers like the most?
The traditional one with fresh candied orange and raisins, flavored with Marsala and Zibibbo. Panettone with Pistachio cream from Bronte is also very popular in the market, both international and domestic.
A new line of panettone has been created as a result of your successful partnership with D&G. What is the new flavor of the 2019 Christmas campaign?
The collaboration between the creativity of Dolce & Gabbana and the confectionery artistry of Fiasconaro results in a unique recipe: the typical Milanese panettone, revisited with the flavors of Sicily. The shared ingredients of this extraordinary union between North and South are respect for tradition, courage to experiment, quest for perfection and pursuit of beauty. This year we introduced a traditional cake with “Old Samperi wine” made in Sicily. It is an artisan baked product with candied citrus fruits and raisins flavored with the fortified wine of Sicily, called “Vecchio Samperi”, accompanied by a 30 ml bottle of “Vecchio Samperi” Wine. Another cake from the D&G line is the panettone with candied chestnuts and gianduia chocolate covered with chestnut cream and dark chocolate or the panettone with fresh Sicilian candied lemon and orange, Sicilian mandarin purée and saffron.
Creativity, innovation, tradition and respect for the classic recipe. How do you combine these elements and still refer to yourself as an artisanal company?
It is not easy but it is what we do at Fiasconaro. We decided not to fall into the commercial and industrial production and stick with the craftsmanship. This may have an impact on the business in terms of numbers — which we may easily double if we follow other logic — but it keeps our story alive as a family run and artisanal company. We are growing abroad in several markets, above all in the Northern American one. We estimate a +20% in sales in the U.S with growth in other markets like Europe, Asia, Middle Eastern, Australia. Our products are a perfect fit where there is respect and knowledge for the concept of Made in Italy. The secret is to keep the tradition alive, maintain high quality ingredients as a main source and create new recipes by respecting the local ingredients.
Fiasconaro’s new generation is ready to take over. What does it mean to be a family run company?
It is the secret of our success. My son Mario, who is a young and talented pastry chef, is keeping up with the work of the line production as well as with his career as a pastry chef in our pasty shop. My daughter Agata takes care of the business and PR along with my nieces and nephews. More than 100 employees and professional people, who have embraced our philosophy, work for us. It is teamwork perfectly managed. This is our strength.
What are you working on for the next season?
We have already started the Easter production line with the colomba, the Easter cake. They are ready to be shipped overseas. As far as next Christmas, I am working on a new flavor which combines Sicilian ingredients with flowers.