Italian culture would not have the depth and reach it does without the integral and steadfast element of food. It is a love language that has been developed over thousands of years and is spoken between family members through the clinking of cutlery on Nonna’s china plates and the tossing of flour across a kitchen counter.
Freddy’s Pies shares this love language with Torontonians by offering authentic Italian sweets based on recipes that have been passed down to owner and pastry chef Federico Palazzetti through several generations of his family.
It all started when Palazzetti was 12 years old and made his very first cake. He had watched his mother and father bake for years and wanted a chance to try the delicious art form that so lovingly entranced his parents. At the age of 14, he began working in his mother’s bakery and from there the passion within him grew into a honed skill that has now been sharpened for over 15 years. It is from this knowledge and passion that Freddy’s Pies was born.
Palazzetti’s creation was also partially inspired by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time he was employed as a pizza chef at an Italian restaurant in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood but dreamt of being able to do more of the baking he loved. As the last of five generations of bakers, Palazzetti decided to take on the challenge of preserving his family’s recipes and traditions by opening Freddy’s Pies.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t I come back to what I like to do?’ So I visited my mother and grandmother in Italy to ask for the big book of recipes to open a bakery. I saw their eyes were so proud of me and this gave me the inspiration to start Freddy's Pies,” Palazzetti says. “I'm the last one in my family to do pastry so I want to continue the tradition. If I don't do it, the history ends with me.”
The dessert shop operates out of a “small laboratory” within the Italian café and marketplace, Cucina Mauro, located in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District. Owner Mauro Ritacca generously lends the space to Palazzetti, and his handmade sweets have already become widely popular within the neighbourhood.
As the name suggests, pie – also known as a crostata or torta in Italian – is among the most popular items sold at Freddy’s Pies. His Torta della Nonna, the classic Italian dessert in which pine nuts take the spotlight alongside pastry cream, honey and lemon, as well as his Crostata di Frutta are two of the most popular variations that Palazzetti crafts. Other pies the pasticciere has made highlight fresh fruits like strawberries, peaches, raspberries and plums paired appropriately with Nutella, pastry creams or ricotta cheese.
Past the lens of pie, smaller confections the chef has created by putting a “Freddy twist” on his family’s classics have also become crowd favourites. The long list includes crostatines, beignets, babàs, zeppole, small cakes and a massive variety of cookies of all shapes and flavours. He also takes inspiration from other popular desserts and ingredients to produce inventive creations like his Crostata Mimosa, inspired by mimosa cake, or his limoncello tiramisu.
The pasticciere believes his desserts stick out among the crowd because they are not over-sweetened with syrups, creams and butter like many other desserts he has tried in Toronto. He insists on using only the best quality ingredients for his desserts from the honey to the sugar or flour. Palazzetti also includes a variety of gluten or dairy-free options for those with dietary restrictions without sacrificing an ounce of flavour.
If you’re looking for a grand dessert for a wedding, anniversary, or birthday, Freddy’s Pies also does custom cakes and family-sized desserts that can be as extravagant or modest as your taste and preference call for.
All of these mouth-watering confections are available to order through their website, www.freddyspies.com, or by direct messaging their Instagram account. Freddy's Pies also offer delivery throughout the GTA for just $10. You can pick up a curated menu of sweets as well inside Cucina Mauro, at 76 Densley Avenue, Unit 3. As their slogan reads, their desserts are Nonna-approved!
