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Domori Chocolate Launches at Pilu Freshwater
Last night I attended a beautiful dinner at Pilu hosted by; Giovanni Pilu, ambassador of all good things Italian. I've always wished I was born an Italian because I love their personalities, devotion to family and of course the food! Plus I love the language!
The dinner was to launch Domori chocolate and thanks to Giovanni Pilu and alongside fellow Italians Piero Tantini and Claudio Piretti, Australians can now enjoy the world’s finest chocolate.
This award winning chocolate was founded in 1997 from the creative mind of Gianluca Franzoni, out of his passion for nature, gastronomy, and cacao. In 1993, after studying economics, he went to Venezuela where the magic of cacao captivated him. He decided to build a framework for repositioning fine cacao on the market. Domori chocolate is an extraordinary experience, a unique sensory “tale” without compromise.
Having first tasted and been captivated by this incredible chocolate several years ago, Giovanni set out to find the owner and founder Gianluca Franzoni so that he could share this taste experience with Australians. In fact it took Giovanni a number of years before tracking down the creative genius behind Domari.
Giovanni Pilu
There is more to this story; through Giovanni Pilu’s professional relationship with Piero Tantini and Claudio Piretti – importers of fine Italian wines (Godot) is how he finally tracked down Gianluca Franzoni. Coincidentally, Domori’s Founder was a friend and fellow student of Piero and Claudio, from Bologna University in the late 80s/ early 90s. Knowing Giovanni’s enthusiasm for this amazing product, they arranged for them all to meet in Italy and the rest is history.
Last night I had my first taste of this exquisite chocolate with the added bonus of a beautiful meal at Pilu Freshwater, and I got to sit next to the man himself!
After dinner, we sampled some of this beautiful chocolate and it does have a wow factor! I'm sure Chef's around Australia will be looking at creating some amazing desserts with this fine chocolate.
Giovanni cutting the Domori block for us to taste
Whilst Australian consumers will need to wait until early 2018 to purchase the delicious Domori branded chocolates, an exciting collaboration with Rebecca Kerswell Director & Head Chocolatier of Coco Chocolate will give fine chocolate connoisseurs something to satisfy their appetite! Rebecca was so inspired by tales of Pilu’s homeland, Sardinia and his passion and support of the practices, quality and taste of Domori that they co-created a range of unique and beautifully presented chocolate bars under the brand name ‘Cortes Apertas’. This range is only available through Rebecca’s online shop: www.cocochocolate.com.au.
Imagine chocolate with Rosemary? How about the flavours of Orange and Sage? Believe me it is something else.
RRP is $12.95 for the 75g bars, with four varieties available:
Pilu & Coco Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Dates & Amaro Honey
Pilu & Coco Dark Rosemary
Pilu & Coco Dark Orange & Sage
Pilu & Coco White with Coffee & Cinnamon
Rebecca also runs workshops for budding chocolatiers.
Giovanni Pilu
Giovanni Pilu is the Executive Chef and owner of Pilu at Freshwater which was recognised in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide as ‘Best New Restaurant’ in its first year of opening and has received two chef’s hats every year since then.
Born in Sardinia, Giovanni began his culinary career in Italy and was always destined to cook. Arriving in Australia in 1992, aged 20 and full of enthusiasm and passion for the unique flavours of his homeland, Giovanni has forged a successful career on the belief that Sardinian cooking should involve simple ingredients, prepared with minimum fuss, allowing the full flavour of the ingredients to speak for themselves.
Giovanni is the elected President of the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia (CIRA) and is passionate about encouraging young chefs to learn true Italian cooking. His first book – A Sardinian Cookbook - was released in August 2012 and was the only Australian cookbook to make the 2013 list of finalists in the prestigious IACP Cookbook Awards, and was successful in winning the People’s Choice Award.
Pilu at Freshwater
Entry into Pilu
Pilu at Freshwater is an award winning Italian restaurant, proudly receiving two chef's hats in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for its 13 consecutive years since opening.
Cuttlefish ink tonnarelli, Nduja, tomato and chilli
The menu is typically Sardinian using the best of local, seasonal ingredients and the highest quality products imported from Italy. Traditional Italian and Sardinian fare is the focus, updated using modern techniques. Sardinian cooking is steeped in history and influenced by many nations and civilizations including the Arabs, Phoenicians, Romans and Spaniards.
Chargrilled Rangers Valley rib cap, alliums, bottarga and saffron butter
Meat, cheese and pasta are the staples of Sardinian cooking although seafood is also very popular.
Smoked Domori chocolate mousse, prune and chocolate sorbet and wild rice
Domori
Domori claims to have redefined and revolutionised the world of cacao with a number of world firsts:
First company in the world to use only fine cacao in production.
The first to recover the biodiversity of the aromatic cacao variety Criollo.
The first to make chocolate with Criollo cacao.
The first to make a 100% cacao chocolate bar.
The first to rediscover and use the ancient and simple method of making chocolate with just cacao paste and sugar.
The first to create a Chocolate Tasting Code to discover the infinite nuances of cacao.
Every phase of Domori’s production is studied to conserve the aromatic notes naturally present in the beans of the best selected varieties. It is only in doing so that Domori chocolate maintains the natural and original essence of the cacao intact.
If this is anything to go by we look forward to many more incredible products hitting our shores courtesy of this gourmet trio. Watch this space.
