Antonio Russo runs the La Borbonica pastry shop in Bologna together with his wife Anna De Falco, a place with an incredibly wide and delicious offer. As the name suggests, the queen of the kitchen is the Neapolitan pastry which, thanks to Antonio's professional studies, is contaminated with the Sicilian and Bolognese ones. Study and attention to tastes led Antonio and Anna to try lce n Roll to experiment with new creations and tastes. Find out what they told us with the dedicated interview.

What place is La Borbonica?


La Borbonica is a bistro, or rather an all-round place where patisserie, café and restaurant meet in one place. It is a place that is divided into time slots, from breakfast to the aperitif, passing through lunch and the afternoon snack. In addition to the area with Ice n Roll, we also have a large open laboratory, divided into two production areas. On the one hand, the focus is on the pastry shop, while on the other, there is the cooking laboratory with the chef in sight who prepares the dishes.

Is the open laboratory also a strategy to attract customers?


Yes, the window allows you to see the preparation and creation of the dishes. Many people come to our establishment also because they are reassured by the cleanliness and order which are visible to all.

What are the strong points of the place?


The roots of Campania, especially of Neapolitan pastry, greatly influence our dishes both in terms of sweet and savory. For example, we prepare Neapolitan lasagna and gnocchi alla sorrentina. For now, a dish that we have created by revisiting the brioche with five cereals and transforming it into brioche with five tomatoes is doing very well. In short, five different varieties of tomatoes are used to fill this savory brioche. It is a recipe invented by our chef, a renowned cook in Bologna who also knows Emilian cuisine very well. In fact, among the most popular dishes there is no shortage of tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce.
As far as pastry is concerned, the most requested desserts are Sicilian cannoli and babà without liqueur, the real and original ones. Outside Naples it is difficult to make it clear that this sweet is born without the addition of alcohol, indeed many people are convinced that it is better to avoid it due to the alcohol content. I have always insisted on making the real babà known, the traditional one from Neapolitan patisserie without liqueur. The babà with the addition of extra rum is called a bottle, but the liqueur covers the other flavors and it's a shame.

You were inspired by Neapolitan pastry to create a savory dish, right?


Yes, we invented the rustic baba. The dessert dough is slightly modified to accompany more savory tastes. The babà is then stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and covered with a cascade of raw ham and mozzarella. Finally it is served on a bed of fresh salad.

Given your creativity, have you experimented with any new recipes with Ice n Roll?


Yes, we prepared Ice n Roll ice cream with beer on the occasion of an aperitif created to launch the new product. The idea was very popular! In addition to being spectacular in the preparation of the ice cream, the taste was very noticeable and amazed the customers. We tend to pay close attention to taste, because it is essential that it be felt for a positive experience.

To conclude, what must a place have to be successful?


Success comes from two things. The first is the quality of the raw materials, the second – which is actually the most important – is the welcome. Welcoming a customer means everything, trying to make them feel at home as much as possible, smiling and above all never forgetting the words good morning , thank you and goodbye .

La Borbonica is a bistro with an incredible wealth of flavours. From Neapolitan pastry to Emilian cuisine, Antonio Russo and his wife Anna De Falco have been able to mix tradition and innovation to perfection, with a pinch of originality. They have relied on Techfood for the creative preparation of ice creams with out of the ordinary flavors, if you want to know more about Ice n Roll consult the page dedicated to the machine .
July 27, 2017