Ty, Joe, France, Special Guest, Chef Michael Bonacini, Corrado & Chef Matthew
It was a regal day at Whole Foods Markets Oakville as they celebrated the “crack off” of three wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, the Italian King of Cheese, in an effort to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the number of wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano simultaneously cracked.
An annual event, on March 9th at exactly 3pm EST, Whole Foods Market Oakville joined with Whole Foods Market stores throughout the United States and the United Kingdom to simultaneously crack open hundreds of Parmigiano Reggiano wheels after which samples and recipes were offered to the delighted customers.
The excitement grew as the count-down began. The witnesses were in place to ensure that all the rules were followed exactly. The wheels were cracked with the help of Chef Matthew Foote of Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill, Oakville, Joe Carttarto of Jan K. Overwheel and Whole Foods own Corrado Romanino.
Related: Click here to view more photos.
Corrado must have known he would be a winner as he was delighted and confident as he prepared his knives and wedges and rubbed his Parmigiano Reggiano. He then threw his hands in the air as if it was already a winning situation! He cracked his wheel in less than one minute – 54 seconds to be exact! – with Chef Matthew and Joe right behind him!
It was an honour to share the experience of cracking the Parmigiano Reggiano wheels with Chef Michael Bonacini, who was on hand to cheer on the Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill Team at the Parm Cracking. Chef Michael Bonacini says that “both his family and the King of Cheeses come from Reggio Emilia Italy.” “I cannot live without the Parmigiano Reggiano. I love its sweet lactic taste! The cheese has been so important throughout history that it was part of the banking system and was used for currency.
Canada has been my “home” since 1985. I am happy to be here today to celebrate with Whole Foods.” Chef Matt, after the cracking, created samples of a featured dish from the restaurant using the freshly grated parm from the newly cracked wheel. Delicious! There was an opportunity for customers to guess the weight of a full wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano and enter to win Dinner for 2 at Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill, Oakville. www.oliverbonacini.com.
“Whole Foods Market loves sharing our passion for Parmigiano Reggiano during this annual event,” said Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market global cheese buyer. “We are demonstrating the wisdom and expertise of 900 years of delicious cheesemaking with our own carefully-chosen wheels — produced only from spring and fall milk – that are aged for two years to bring out the best of Parmigiano Reggiano’s toasted, buttery, and nutty flavours.”
Chef Matthew Foote of Oliver & Bonacini
There is always a party atmosphere at Whole Foods Market Oakville. From the moment you walk in the door your senses are bombarded by the fresh smell and the colourful displays of the wholesome produce and bakery items that tempt the palate. Whole Foods is ready for the April Showers this year with fanciful umbrellas and delightful rain-gear on display. No need to wait for the flowers to bloom in the garden however as there are flowers of every description available for you to choose from to welcome the coming of the spring season! Visit Whole Foods Market Oakville soon and pick up some of the Parmigiano Reggiano! Be a part of the celebration!
To contact France Fournier, Marketing and Community Relations for Whole Foods Market – Oakville located at 301 Cornwall Road, Oakville, Ontario phone: (905)849-8400 ext. 107.
Tags: Oliver & Bonacini, Whole Foods Market
About the author: Janet Bedford
A Real Estate Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services on Lakeshore Road in Oakville, I have 25 years of helping clients realize their dreams, specializing in helping my clients buy and sell homes in the Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas and the Grimsby areas. I love Oakville, its people and the exciting events I cover! My hobby, a passion, is taking pictures, writing articles and telling the world about the people, the businesses, the events, the places to visit and about this amazing Town - Oakville!
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