Saro Sortino – Delivering the Pastries of Old Italy
Words and shots by Jonathan Carfield
Saro Sortino is the head pastry chef at La Bocca, the bustling little Italian deli and pastry shop near the Itaewon Hotel. Known for amazing pastries and delicious paninis, it has become a hot-spot for those seeking authentic Italian treats among the foodie cult.
Born in Sicily, Saro’s family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada when he was just a young teenage boy, but no matter how far away he traveled from his childhood stomping ground, his passion and dream was always to return to his home country where pasta and pastries are king, aspiring to become an award-winning chef, continuing the rich family history his uncle, Carmello, began prior to World War II. Remembering those smells and delicious pastries as a child, Sortino recalls his days as a wide-eyed 10-year-old boy already inspired to one day be a pastry chef. After high school, he traveled back to Italy where he spent several years studying under great Italian chefs in Milan. Returning to Vancouver, he began working for pastry shops and most recently served as the head pastry chef at Cumpari Gelatto and Cafe before moving to Seoul only eight months ago.
Being one of the only true Italian pastry chefs in all of Korea, Saro doesn’t consider himself a “trail-blazer” or “pioneer” bringing his skill to Seoul, but in fact that may be exactly what he is. With his wife and two sons still back in Vancouver, Saro truly defines passion and enthusiasm for his trade. With absolutely no experience or knowledge of living in Korea, he describes his response when asked to come help his nephew with La Bocca, “Why not? It’ll be a heck of a challenge but I like new challenges. So what the heck? Let’s go for it!” Those are the words of a chef passionate about his food!
When talking about his pastries, his eyes sparkle as if he were describing his own children, unwilling to put out a single pastry item unless it meets his tender yet extremely high demands. When looking at the numerous pastries as one walks into La Bocca, one can see the obvious fatherly commitment applied to every single piece, whether it’s a fruit tarte or Tiramisu, an Italian favorite.
With very few other Italian pastry shops in Korea, Saro hopes his pastries can be enjoyed by everyone while inspiring more Italian pastry shops to open, enabling everyone to enjoy the wonderful pastries enjoyed by Italians. In the meantime, there is La Bocca.
Telephone: 02-790-5907
Location: In the center of Itaewon between the Hamilton Hotel and the IP Boutique Hotel. In the same building as the International Clinic.
Popularity: 1% [?]
I have had several bad experiences with Sortino’s food, including Boca. It is over priced, over salted, and not very fresh. There is much better around at half the price.