When I received the email from Joe Antonucci about the little spot on the north side, I took immediate notice. I zipped in for an early lunch one Wednesday and I understood the affectionate tones of his email. Zucchero had carved a warm, modern bistro out of a wintry northside strip mall.
 

Joe’s smiling sister, Carla, stood behind an imposing order counter as I stared around. She occasionally blocked my view of bags of imported Italian coffee beans on a shelf behind her as she moved unconsciously to the up-tempo Italian pop piped in over the speakers. To buy myself some time, I asked for a cappuccino ($2.25). She moved to an Elektra espresso machine which glowed gloriously blue on the counter next to her. I took the opportunity to study the jolly menu posted behind the panini station.
 

There were plenty of grilled sandwich options, as well as salads, soups, pastries and beverages. Carla enthusiastically endorsed everything, so I decided on the chicken pesto panini ($5). I took my mini-mug of cappuccino to one of the 15 tables near the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the frigid parking lot. The dark metal chairs were pleasantly upholstered and featured little cut-out cups of coffee in their wooden backs. Mercifully, the wood-framed gas fireplace under one of three flat-screen TVs mutely broadcasting soccer was currently turned off so I wasn’t being slowly cooked.
 

As she composed my sandwich, I looked over two empty gelato coolers (which would soon be filled) and two display coolers of Italian pastries made in-house. I would later choose from tiramisu, baked Italian cheesecake, canoli and cookies for under $5. I stirred the nutmeg-dusted foam into my cappuccino and tasted the brew. I winced in anticipation of the bitter flavour before I intended to add plenty of sugar to the cup. I was surprised to find it smooth and flavourful. The warmth seeped through me. I ended up leaving the sugar where it was.

 

The panini turned out to be a small sandwich, about the size of a tea saucer. I despaired of filling up on it until I took a couple of bites. The combination of tender slices of chicken breast with the aromatic, warmed pesto was heavenly and unexpectedly hearty. Melted cheese flowed beneath each crunchy bite of the bread–ribbed by the panini maker, for my pleasure.
 

I ate with almost indecent speed, interspersing sips of cappuccino with bites of sweet pickle and the outstanding panini. When she cleared my dishes and asked if everything was OK, I smiled in pure contentment. I asked her for another cappuccino to go, and ambled over to the desserts.
 

Despite the lure of a good canoli, I decided to try something that just looked too interesting to resist. The “Italian peach” ($2) was a pair of pink demi-spheres, dusted with sugar and containing a “pit” of either lemon or the eternally popular Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread.

Unfortunately, the “peach” itself turned out to be a firm, sweet cake instead of fruit rolled in sugar. Once I readjusted my expectations, I found myself enjoying the crunchy sugar bits mixed with lemon filling and cake. I washed it down with a sip of my new cappuccino.
 

I chatted with Carla as she rang up my bill. Zucchero opened in October when her brother had talked her out of opening a tanning salon. She was just tired of working for other people. Her family, with ties to the vibrant Italian community in Edmonton, backed her efforts to open the bistro. One brother bakes for the café, and another randomly solicits food writers to visit. Either will watch the place for her when she needs them. The 24-year-old’s success owes a lot to her family’s support and her own dedication.
 

I was a little surprised when she asked me for my $9.25 bill in cash. I stood, uncomprehending, as I held out my debit card. I moved sheepishly over to the ATM Carla has set up for exactly this purpose. When it’s busy, as it is during many of the popular soccer games, I’m sure the line for the ATM is daunting. And likely full of loud, strapping Italian men in their team jerseys.
 

I am sure that it’s just a matter of time before Carla opens a second location of Zucchero, either in Edmonton or elsewhere. Until then, the prices and warm welcome is sure to draw any casual northside visitor back to the bistro’s embrace. V