Vancouver’s Restaurant Scene Can Now Count a Knight Among Its Ranks

Quick question: do we need to bow the next time we’re at Cioppino’s?

Vancouver’s restaurant scene has it’s fair share of accolades: Kissa Tanto just received a gushing review from the usually tough-as-nails Pete Wells; Matt Stowe of the Joseph Richard Group won Top Chef Canada a few years back; David Hawksworth landed the sweet Air Canada gig. But until now we had absolutely zero knights.Not no more.Next time you stroll into Yaletown’s Cioppino’s make sure to find out if chef/newly anointed knight Pino Posteraro is in the house (or whether he’s at a mandatory jousting competition). That’s because regards for the legendary chef travelled across the ocean to reach the ear of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who recently named Posteraro a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy for his contributions to promoting Italian prestige and good relations internationally. And before you start thinking that they hand these things out like anise candies after a meal, they don’t—Chef Pino is the only chef in Canada to ever receive this honour.For our part, a man who can make gnocchetti so light that they almost float off the plate probably deserves to be a full duke, but when it comes to titles it’s best to go one strata at a time. So our hats are off, and not just because we’re legally obligated to do so now.