Claudio's Corner
The art of baking, as well as the science, is an integral part of
The Artisan web site. There are thousands of bakers in the world, and many here in the United States. Some are quite good, but many are not. We have been fortunate to become friends with one of the best. He is Claudio Cantore. A short biography of Claudio is provided below.Claudio has agreed to contribute a page to The Artisan from time to time. As a full time baker, it is difficult to write for us on a regular basis, and we are happy to have the occasional article which Claudio can manage. Additionally, should you have questions about baking in general, or specific questions, please submit them to us. Between the staff of The Artisan and Claudio, we should be able to answer most of them.
Claudio was born is S'Antonino di Susa, in the Piedmont region of Italy. He is a third generation baker. As Claudio puts it ".... There was grandpa, papa and me." The original Fratelli Cantore bakery is still in S'Antonino di Susa, and is operated by Claudio's brothers.
Claudio emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1974, and immediately went to work in a bakery in San Francisco. There he was among the first in the state of California to gather extensive experience in sourdough bread techniques. This experience, in addition to his training in Italy, afforded Claudio opportunities to expand his knowledge of the science and technology of baking, as well as perfect the practical methods which have made him so well known in the professional baking arena.
In addition to being a master baker, Claudio is a consultant and an excellent teacher. One of his stated goals is to assist other bakers to become knowledgeable enough to operate independently, and to resolve problems on their own. He has assisted bakers and bakeries in California, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Texas to achieve this goal. Additionally, he has developed a specialized expertise in working with chefs and restaurateurs to develop special breads for their operations.
In 1990, Claudio and his wife Gayle founded Claudio's Specialty Breads in Castroville, California. The bakery specializes in traditional Italian breads and pastries such as Ciabatta, Foccacia, Grissini, Carta di Musica, Canoli and Nocciolini Amaretti.
The Artisan now has a colleague known as a baker's baker. Claudio is a man with an incredible depth of knowledge, a wisdom which belies his age, and a person who in our experience, has always found a moment to help a fellow baker. Claudio's contributions include recipes he uses in his bakery as well as those developed over his long years as a professional baker. The recipes include formulae for both the home and professional baker. To access them, simply Click on a recipe in the Frame Panel to the left.
