Feature Artist
Grazie is dedicated to supporting artists and showcasing local talent each season on our website.
Proudly featuring our inaugural artist, Sophie Herron, as we celebrate and promote creative excellence.
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As an Irish artist residing in Toronto, Sophie's art is a vibrant reflection of her passion for colour and the boundless world of abstract expression. Each stroke on her canvas is an exploration fueled by vivid hues that evoke emotions and ignite your imagination. She infuses her artistic process with the rhythms of music, letting its melodies guide her creative flow, intertwining the auditory and visual in her compositions.
Through her abstract paintings, she aims to captivate the viewer with the dynamism and energy of colour, inviting them to explore the realms of imagination and emotion.
Follow Sophie on Instagram!
Burrata: The History and Making of
Burrata, a symbol of Italian culinary craftsmanship, hails from the Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot. This delectable cheese, known for its creamy interior and soft outer shell, has a history as rich as its taste.
Burrata's origins trace back to the early 20th century, amidst the backdrop of a dairy farm. Legend has it that Lorenzo Bianchino, a resourceful cheesemaker from Andria, first crafted burrata in 1920. Faced with excess cream and leftover curds, Bianchino ingeniously used these ingredients to create a new type of cheese. To preserve the fresh cream, he encased it within a mozzarella shell, mimicking the traditional Italian butter pouch, or "burro," from which burrata derives its name.
Making burrata is a meticulous process that combines artistry and tradition. It begins with the preparation of mozzarella curd, which is kneaded and stretched in hot water until it achieves the desired elasticity. This mozzarella is then shaped into a pouch, ready to hold the rich filling. The filling, known as stracciatella, is a luscious mixture of fresh cream and shredded mozzarella curds. Once filled, the mozzarella pouch is sealed, forming the iconic burrata.
The result is a cheese that delivers a symphony of textures and flavors: a firm, slightly elastic exterior encasing a creamy, buttery interior that oozes with every cut. Burrata's delicate, rich profile has earned it a beloved place in Italian cuisine and beyond, including at Grazie where we serve it simply with vine ripened tomatoes, pine nuts, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Burrata's journey from a regional specialty to an international delicacy is a testament to the timeless appeal of simple, high-quality ingredients transformed through skillful craftsmanship.