Chef Diego Martinelli Relocates
By Clover Ng
Hidden in a little alleyway is a chocolatier which has been around since 1866. Now run by Alessandro Boccardo, who learned the ropes from the son of the founder’s brother-in-law, Romeo Viganotti uses the same method of working with chocolate from the 19th century. As the antique machines can only produce 60 kilogrammes of chocolate in 60 hours, they are now used for making the filling only, such as hazelnut or almond cream (the chocolate is now produced using new machines). Traditional products include boeri, chocolate-coated cherries, scorzette, chocolate-coated orange peel, croccantini, caramelised almonds and hazelnuts dressed in dark chocolate, cremini, white chocolate and almond paste with milk chocolate gianduja, and zuccherini, wedding ring-shaped lemon cookies.
