Dec. 21, 2011 - Issue #844: The Artist
Getting fresh
Hands-on is the philosophy at Cibo Bistro
» Cibo Bistro in Oliver Square
Two months young, Cibo Bistro was created by Mike Giampa and Rosario Caputo, who does double duty as the head chef. Having grown up in big Italian families themselves, being around food has always been synonymous with life. Their passion grew throughout their lives and has now manifested itself as Cibo. Rosario, a graduate of NAIT's culinary program, explains that it's very important to both of them that they stick to what they know. They've concentrated on making their food as fresh as possible and to do so, have sourced much of it from local farmers.
"As much as we need support as a small restaurant, we feel the same way about the local suppliers. If they're going to produce a product, there's no point in us going to a big company that sources it out through the US to get it." Helstein says. "With Italian food, everything is regional. Everything is as close and as fresh as you can get it. When you get food that's flown in from Ontario, it's not going to be of a higher quality than when it's picked off the plant two days beforehand and sold to you on Saturday at the farmers' market. That's what Italian food is all about."
The philosophy behind the food at Cibo is freshness first, with being hands-on a close second. "The Charcuterie board is something that we're really proud of," Helstein says. "We do all of our own curing in-house and we're making our own patés, and some cheeses. We've got duck prosciutto hanging right now. That's something that's really rooted in Italian culture—taking something from its basis and making it your own. It takes a lot of work, effort and time, and if people see that and respond it, it's a really nice feeling."
Another thing you'll find here is a comfortable and welcoming space complete with modern touches like dark woods, black leather and stone features. "We wanted the atmosphere to be relaxing and chill, not very high-strung where people have to eat and get out. We want people to come in, relax, and enjoy the night," Caputo says, describing their vision for the restaurant. Helstein easily agrees, "It shouldn't be about pretence or formality. With Italian people, the food is about the food and that's all it is. It's about family and it's about the interaction that comes with eating a meal. That's really important to everybody here: that people feel casual and comfortable at Cibo and that first and foremost, it is about the food."
This feeling resonates though the camaraderie of this trio and if I could think of another word to describe Cibo, it would be "famiglia."
Cibo Bistro
11244 - 104 Ave, 780.757.2426 vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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