LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Centuries ago, when Christopher Columbus brought biscotti to the New World it was markedly different from what Mirella Trozzo makes today.
“When he brought them they were different, they were rock hard and they had lots of oil in them because they had to survive the long ship journeys,” said Trozzo, owner and founder of Biscotti Di Notte and more.
Trozzo makes a non-traditional biscotti, which originated from a family Italian recipe, and then she tweaked it, and designed and commissioned her own baking tools. The result is a softer, more textured and rustic looking biscotti that comes in a variety of flavours. There’s double chocolate mocha, lemon cranberry, orange walnut anise, ginger mango and almond vanilla. And there’s the ones she makes for seasons and special occasions like chocolate chili lime for the Fire and Ice Festival and a seedy biscotti for Seedy Saturday. Biscotti is traditionally served with a drink, and often dunked into coffee, or after dinner, into wine.
Trozzo’s biscotti is sold at Quality Food Stores around the Island and from her home in Qualicum Beach.
Trozzo started Biscotti Di Notte 10 years ago when her children were three and six years old. She dreamt of visiting her home country, Italy, and needed some funds to get there. She would stay up late, after her children went to bed, perfecting her one-of-a-kind biscotti, hence the name Biscotti Di Notte which translates to “cookies of the night.”
“I wanted to create something within my home that I loved, that I had a passion for, and that’s baking.”
Trozzo was born in Italy and came to Canada when she was young. She recalls eating Italian cookies her mother made when she was young. Being the oldest of five, the kids would line up for her mom’s pizzelle (a waffle cookie cooked in an iron over a stovetop), one of the oldest cookies in the world and the most versatile, Trozzo said.
Trozzo makes these ancient cookies, as well as Italian short bread and hearty mercatto muffins. She has also perfected a gluten-free energy bar made with quinoa and dried fruits, among other tasty ingredients, that she plans to sell soon.
She’ll be set up at the Lantzville Farmers’ Market on Sundays this season where she’ll also be selling homemade macaroons and limoncello tiramisu.
Although Trozzo has built up a devoted fan base of her baked goods, she still has yet to make it home to Italy. Her kids are now in Grades 9 and 12 and life continues to get in the way of her trip. Her goals for her business include acquiring a vintage-style food truck in the near future, to make it easier to sell her baked goods at markets. She also hopes to attract more cookie-lovers to her home at 1026 Cardinal Way in Qualicum Beach. There she’ll be open for sales Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To contact Trozzo directly email biscottidinotte@shaw.ca or call 250-752-3637.