When Cerin Pasticceria opened its doors in May 2024, Co-Founders Giuseppe Caputo and Matteo Cerin were not prepared for the huge crowds that arrived from day one.
“It was unexpected but amazing,” says Giuseppe.
“Now, every day we have a queue that forms from early in the morning and we sell out of our pastries by around 12.30pm.”
While French bakeries have long been a part of the Brisbane food scene, prominent Italian bakeries were scarce until recently. With Giuseppe and Matteo both hailing from Italy, they saw an opportunity to introduce a slice of Italian culture to Queensland.
“It’s common in Italy to head to a pasticceria, where you will get one or two kilograms of little cakes to share with your family. You don’t have the same tradition if you go to a French or Australian bakery,” says Giuseppe.
“We are almost 17,000 kilometres away from home, but this is something we can do to bring the Italian community together.”
Cerin Pasticceria has quickly turned into a go-to spot for Brisbane’s Italians, but it’s also attracted enthusiastic followers from locals and other expats in the city.
“Someone showed me the social media platforms and we’ve gone viral. We are super happy because we don’t just target Italians, and knowing that we are also popular among the Asian community, and Australians in general, is fantastic. It is very rewarding for us,” says Giuseppe.
The bakery serves a wide variety of cakes, tarts, and baked goods, but one of its most popular offerings is the humble cornetto: an Italian croissant.
Giuseppe estimates that they sell at least 300-400 cornettos on a typical day, and on weekends up to 600 can fly out of the doors before noon.
To pair with its Italian treats, Cerin Pasticceria serves Veneziano Coffee Roasters’ Elevate blend, which was chosen after a careful screening process.
“We had six tastings with different companies. We tried other Italian blends, but Veneziano was the best,” says Giuseppe.
“Veneziano is also a very appealing name, and we love the logo. I think it marries perfectly with our products.”
Cerin Pasticceria
29 Logan Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 6am to 3pm
This article appears in the August/September 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
