Pastry chef Nicola Di Lena leads the Virgola therapeutic pastry shop, which offers an opportunity for integration and social redemption for the most fragile, women victims of violence and young people with various disabilities.
If you happen to be in the surroundings of San Vito dei Normanni, in the province of Brindisi, stop by Virgola therapeutic pastry, is a stop worth the trip, good for the heart and thrills the palate. Virgola is more than a pastry workshop, it is an opportunity for integration and social redemption for the most fragile, offers the opportunity for women victims of violence and young people with different disabilities to learn the profession of pastry making and enter the world of work through training.
Virgola is the evolution of Xfood., Puglia’s first social restaurant in which men and women with disabilities learn a trade and put it into practice in a real-life work setting, between the stove, serving tables and growing a synergistic vegetable garden.
Pastry chef Nicola Di Lena
Nicola Di Lena is the pastry chef at the helm of the bakery., by his side, is his wife Alessia Semeraro, a partner in life and work. Nicola, class of 1981, is originally from Ginosa (Ta). Born in Switzerland to a Sicilian mother and an Apulian father, until a few years ago he was the pillar of the sweet area of the restaurant Silk two Michelin stars, inside. of the five-star luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Milan, alongside chef Antonio Guida. In March at the Quirinal Palace, he was presented by President Mattarella with the honor of Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Di Lena is one of 30 “everyday heroes” in 2024 who have distinguished themselves through activities to combat gender-based violence, for ethical entrepreneurship, for active engagement with disabilities, and for solidarity.
Nicola Di Lena’s story
“The person responsible for my passion for pastry making is my uncle Agatino, mom’s brother, owner of a pastry shop in Santa Teresa di Riva, near Messina.” Narrates Nicola Di Lena, “As a boy, during school vacations, any opportunity was the right one to run to him. I liked being in the back of his store, I was curious to glean the secrets of his profession.”
“Vito Valente’s proposal to manage Virgola came when, after a long journey marked by important awards, I had decided with my wife to take a new path in life and return to Puglia to create our own business – Di Lena continues –. We did it in a different way, Virgula is an invention that we cherish and care about. Virgola is a different pastry shop, there is a lot of technique, we interpret traditional flavors and present them with a new balance of flavors and tastes.”
Virgola Therapeutic pastry shop
Virgola was inaugurated in December 2022. In the morning at Virgola’s there are the Typical breakfast pastries. Croissants, croissants, pan brioche, Venetian blinds, maritozzi, cookies, baci di dama, and many cakes. To try Nicola di Lena’s millefeuille, it is his signature dish. To make an excellent millefeuille, it is necessary to caramelize it, so it will retain the hint of caramel and crispness.
Virgola’s lab is open-view, from the large windows you can watch the team at work. “We are happy to have these guys with us in the lab, they are the ones who teach us and not the other way around, they are special.” – says Nicola Di Lena. – “Every day is a new adventure for them. They are charged, enthusiastic and happy to learn and be part of something that spurs them to do better and better.”
Virgola has as its subtitle “a story that continues,” is the evolution of the restaurant’s concept, but it could include new stories to be told in Puglia or elsewhere.
Virgola pastry shop
Via Mesagne, 136
San Vito dei Normanni (BR)
info@virgolapasticceria.it
https://virgolapasticceria.it/
PHOTO GALLERY.
