October 16 marks a significant moment for Italian excellence in New York: Fiasconaro, the prestigious Sicilian artisan pastry shop founded in Castelbuono in 1953, officially opened its first flagship store in the United States at 422 West Broadway in the heart of SoHo.
“For us, being in New York today is, in some ways, a foregone conclusion. For over thirty years, Made in Italy has triumphed here, from the first panettone cakes that arrived at the Fancy Food Show to today,” said Nicola Fiasconaro. “With this Fiasconaro flagship store, we are bringing our Sicily to the heart of SoHo, with its colors, scents, and harmonies that tell the story of Italian beauty.”
An entrepreneurial journey that has taken three generations from a medieval village in the Madonie mountains to 65 countries around the world. Their panettone has traveled into space with NASA, been served at the White House, and offered as a gift to three popes. The collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana has transformed the packaging into a collector’s item. Today, Fiasconaro represents the excellence of Made in Italy on the international scene, and the inauguration during Columbus Week adds further symbolic value to the celebration of Italian heritage in America.
The opening ceremony, led by the Consul General of Italy Fabrizio Di Michele at 5:00 p.m., brought together a distinguished audience. Master Pastry Chef Nicola Fiasconaro, awarded the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro by President Mattarella in 2020, arrived from Sicily with his brother Fausto, together with the third generation represented by Agata, to personally share the company’s 70-year history with New York.
Among the distinguished guests were Whoopi Goldberg and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, whose presence took on particular significance considering that Fiasconaro panettone had already reached space in 2007 with astronaut Paolo Nespoli aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming probably the only artisan pastry product to have reached the stars.
“Having Luca Parmitano here in New York today is a great honor. Sicily is a land that always rises again, radiating light, art, and culture. We share a relationship of mutual respect and friendship with him—he often surprises us by coming to visit us in Castelbuono—and we share the pride of bringing Italian beauty and talent to the world,” said Nicola Fiasconaro.
Nel corso della serata, i newyorkesi hanno potuto apprezzare la maestria della pasticceria artigianale siciliana attraverso una degustazione immersiva di panettoni signature, creme spalmabili artigianali e dolci tradizionali. Alle 19:00, la band indie di Brooklyn Beach Fossils ha accompagnato l’evento con un DJ set, una scelta particolarmente significativa dato che il gruppo è stato headliner dell’edizione 2024 dello Ypsigrock Festival propr
The culinary experience was enriched by the gastronomic offerings of Chef Ugo Mattei of Prima Cucina Corp, expertly paired with wines from Donnafugata, the renowned Sicilian winery, while guests discovered why panettone is the symbol par excellence of Italian Christmas celebrations.
ABOUT FIASCONARO
Founded in Castelbuono, Sicily in 1953, Fiasconaro is a family-run pastry shop now led by the second and third generations. A pioneer of Sicilian-style panettone, the company is a true laboratory of taste where craftsmanship meets innovation. Through the vision of Master Pastry Chef Nicola Fiasconaro and his brothers Fausto and Martino, Fiasconaro has transformed traditional Sicilian haute patisserie into an international ambassador of Made in Italy excellence, exporting to 65 countries while preserving its artisanal soul and unwavering commitment to quality. Rooted in Castelbuono, a candidate to become a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023, Fiasconaro embodies the harmony between tradition and innovation, expanding globally while remaining deeply connected to the land, ingredients, and culinary heritage of Sicily.
