Fans of Basilio Pesce’s hearty, homey Italian cooking will have to wait a while before they get their next lasagna or tripa alla nonna fix. The chef announced in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon that Porzia (1314 Queen West 647-342-5776, porzia.ca), his nearly-three-year-old Parkdale trattoria, had shut its doors:
“It is with heavy hearts to announce that we have served our last meal in our home known to you all as Porzia. It’s been a amazing journey over the last 4 years. We’ve met some unbelievable people and had the opportunity to collaborate with some very talented chefs from across the country. It’s time to close this chapter and move on to what’s next. We would like to thank the community and our Parkdale neighbours and our guests came through the space to eat and hang out, open doors and most importantly, invite us into their lives. Lastly, the biggest component of this story is our staff, all who have come and gone, who have grown to be our best friends and our family. There are no words to express our gratitude for their undying commitment in making Porzia a home to now a much larger family. A sincere thank you and all of our love. This is not goodbye.”
All seemed to be business as usual at the restaurant, with a new fall menu hitting tables just days ago – but with neighbouring Chantecler quietly going up for sale earlier this autumn, it seems a changing of the guard is at hand in Parkdale. Pesce, for his part, is keeping busy – he’s co-hosting a dinner with chefs from Toronto and Montreal at Campagnolo on November 15 – and I’m eager to see what else is in the works.
nataliam@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
