INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
Gran Canal Caffé
1021 N. Canal Street, Sharpsburg;
412.781.2546, grancanalcaffe.com
On the Menu:
Traditional Italian cuisine with a focus on
pasta; Gran Canal Caffé’s signature dish
is handmade Cannelloni, filled with veal,
spinach and fresh ricotta cheese, topped with
béchamel and marinara sauce. There is also
Pappardelle con Salsiccia, wide fettuccine in
a tomato sauce with sautéed onions, fresh
handmade sausage and tossed with baby
spinach, and Sundried Tomatoes and Gulf
Shrimp with linguine pasta in a white wine
garlic butter sauce. The menu includes fish
and veal specials, such as Veal Scaloppine
Piccata with capers and lemon juice in a white
wine sauce and Mediterranean Sea Scallops,
which are lightly breaded with mint and basil,
and served with Aiolio pasta.
Why did you open Gran Canal
Caffé?
We wanted to share my roots and
culinary culture from Italy with
the people of Pittsburgh. We’ve
been working as the owners and chefs for 21 years.
QA
What led you to create the business?
We saw the need for Pittsburgh to have a restaurant
specializing in pasta and wanted to share the
types of pasta and traditional sauces Michele had
enjoyed eating while growing up in Italy.
“third arm.” I learned to make all of her specialty
sauces, and especially hold near to me her
traditional Sunday tomato sauce with braciola,
sausage and lamb with handmade pasta.
What kitchen tool can’t you live without?
The kitchen tool that will always be with me is a
chitarra pasta maker. My personal favorite pasta
is made with this tool, which my mother used
every Sunday for handmade pasta to serve with
her braciola sauce. The chitarra pasta maker
originated in the Abruzzo region of Italy as a
kitchen tool made with guitar strings. It is very
unique in the long square form that the dough
takes as the pasta is cut from these strings.
Childhood memories have inspired me with a
love for food and a passion for cooking as my
lifelong journey.
Best advice for a novice?
Our best advice for a novice is that cooking is
creative and an art form specific to that individual.
Success is enjoying while you learn. It is with
dedication and practice in the kitchen where you
cultivate your taste and style for cooking.
Antoinette & Michele Bonaventura,
owners of Gran Canal Caffé.
Sundried Tomatoes and Gulf Shrimp with
linguine pasta in a white wine garlic sauce.
What is your favorite quick meal to prepare
at home?
We enjoy preparing pasta and fresh tomato basil
sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin
olive oil, onions, garlic and basil. It is simple, fresh
and always satisfying. We use dry or fresh pasta of
any shape, but favor chitarra or cavatelli.
Who has influenced your cooking or
creativity in the kitchen the most?
I have had many influences in my 48 years in
this industry, but my greatest influence was my
mother, Carmela. She was a remarkable cook and
prepared everything from scratch. She made her
own pasta, tomato sauce and canned all of our
vegetables and fruits. I was always next to her in
the kitchen and she even referred to me as her
Mediterranean Sea Scallops with mint and basil.
Other than your caffé, where’s your favorite
place to eat in the city or area?
After spending many days and nights in our
restaurant, we enjoy relaxing on our porch for a
Sunday dinner at home with family. A favorite
loca