Feel like going to Italy for dinner? Well before you pack your bags and grab your passports, Felice Vacca might be able to save you the trouble.
Felice is the Owner and Executive Chef at Vaticano Trattoria, a fine Italian restaurant located in the heart of Yorkville. This dining establishment is a true escape to Italy, and is recognized as "the restaurant of the stars".
“Fine Italian food is the passion of my life,” Felice says. “I want each of my friends to enjoy the same richness of food that I had growing up in Italy.”
Felice was brought up with traditional Italian values, living with his grandparents in the Roman countryside. He grew up helping his grandmother working in the fields, growing produce, tending to livestock, and preparing everything from scratch.
“It is by her example that I learned how authentic and fresh food should be,” he says. “My time with them cultivated my interests and it is here where I learned the great traditions of Italian cooking.”
As he grew older, Felice dreamt of one day becoming an actor. A dream, he says, which was realized in a way he could never have expected. Felice is now the host and star of Felice and Friends, a Saturday afternoon show “about celebrity and cooking,” aired across the country on CTV. The show features a few of the many celebrities who have dined at Vaticano Trattoria over the years.
For Felice, Yorkville is his Hollywood. “Everybody from around the world, they come to Yorkville,” he says. “There are interesting places, interesting stores, and interesting people. Everything is here. This is the spot.” And, just like in Hollywood, Felice plans to continue living happily ever after. “Today, I’m cooking for celebrities, and I’m on my cooking show,” he says. “It’s good fun, good food, great people.”
-Jeff Semple, Reporter for Yorkville eNewsletter
Felice’s creations can be enjoyed at:
Vaticano Trattoria
25 Bellair St. Lower Level
Toronto, Ontario
416-924-4967
Be sure to view the Virtual tour at:
http://www.vaticano.ca/
BACKGROUND
It is people who make Yorkville a vibrant district. This article profiles an individual from a range of area communities including: Hospitality, The Arts, Professional/Medical, Retail and Service. A new person is highlighted on a regular basis.
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