Buongiorno from Gino! Our Italian baker is the wizard behind all our (and yours!) favourite pastries at The Sussex Kitchen. A pro with the oven and a flour whisperer -- ok, not quite, but you get the idea -- Gino ensures all our croissants and pains au chocolat are always on the right side of flaky, lusciously sweet and baked to perfection.
Hailing from Naples, Gino brings his culinary Italian background to everything he does, meaning he always places emphasis on fresh and simple ingredients, honest techniques, and big flavours that pack a punch -- or sweeten your day, depending on what he’s concocting.
He comes in everyday at 6am, when the bakery is at its coolest, as cool temperatures are what you need to successfully laminate viennoiserie (croissant is a type of viennoiserie), so that the butter doesn’t get pushed into the dough, and maintains the distinct layering we want at The Sussex Kitchen.
From then on, he’s pretty much crafting his delicious treats all morning, always striving for the right balance of butter and flour, sugar and milk. He’s a perfectionist, but we love that. It’s why his pastries really are some of the best in business.
A stickler for organisation, Gino likes to keep his station neat and tidy, though he does not mind to let himself loose outside of it: put any Foo Fighters track on, and chances are he’ll start boogieing -- and get you to join, too.
Of course, he’s not just about croissants. Quite the opposite: Gino loves spicy salami and, as a living proof of his Neapolitans heritage, makes a mean pizza. What a man.
