Top Italian chef brings a taste of his Roman heritage to Cibus

• Name + address: Cibus, 2-5360 Canotek Rd.

• Type of food: Pizza and pasta

• Pizza: $16

• Pasta: Daily pricing $14-$16

• Diet: meat, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free

• Wheelchair accessibility:Yes

• LCBO Licensed: No

• Website: www.cibus.ca

Chef Cristian Lepore has had a yo-yo relationship with Canada. Over many years he worked to achieve his residency here and we can be glad that it was love that brought him to Ottawa.

I first met the man when he was chef at the beloved Orto Trattoria in the Glebe. I had been served an excellent pasta and I was inspired to meet the person behind the dish. At the time I found him affable and generous of spirit with a kind and calm disposition.

It was a delight to get reacquainted and I was equally happy that my first impressions had not been wrong. You can’t help but love the guy, or his food.

Cristian began his restaurant working life in Rome at the age of 13 and his love of the industry grew from there.

Jump ahead to 2010 and he found his way to Ottawa when a family friend, who happened to own Divino restaurant on Preston, offered him a place to exercise his talents.

With work visas being what they are, he needed to re-apply for extended employment and in 2015 he returned to Ottawa and became a part owner of Divino. He then met the woman who would become his wife.

As fate, or in this case, bureaucracy would have it, there was a governmental mix up with his permanent residency application and it was back to Italy. After a few years working in Italy, including helping to create the menu at the Michelin-starred Terme di Saturnia in Tuscany, he was able to return.

And so, two years ago he started Cibus (the latin word for “food”) as a meal prep and catering company and in late 2022 added pizza and pasta to the menu.

His food is only for takeaway but you’ll be happy to have made the drive out to his industrial park kitchen. He uses chiefly Italian ingredients and even in a humble pizza there’s a lightness in his touch that only comes with tremendous training, experience and innate ability.

I was curious about the mortadella and pistachio pizza which came cut and served as you would a sandwich. With modest toppings it was moist and delicious with the simple ingredients allowed to shine. The crust was airy and soft with good structural integrity. It was also gluten free.

I’m fortunate to not have concerns around gluten but I’ve had a sufficient number of gluten-free baked goods. People who are gluten intolerant will have had more experience than I, but this crust was the clearest winner by miles for a pizza.

You’ll be glad to learn that these pre-baked crusts are available for purchase at $7 a piece and that he is licensing his recipe to a larger producer in the months ahead.

His regular pizza dough is a style known as Pinsa Romana, which is a double-O flour (a much finer milling of flour that is used for pizzas and pasta) mixed with a smaller percentage of rice flour. According to Cristian, it lowers the calorie count by as much as 30 percent and makes the dough more easily digestible.

Because of the rice flour, the dough contains less gluten and so requires an eight-hour fermentation after which the dough is formed and pre-baked to allow the bubbles to form which further add to the structure.

I enjoyed an Amatriciana that came with guanciale (cured pork jowl) fior di late cheese, fragrant baby basil leaves, sauteed onions and a drizzle of pecorino crema. The tomato sauce was bright and sweet and was a fine foundation for this symphony of aromas and tastes. It’s true that after finishing almost the entire pie, I did not feel the dreaded bloat.

I don’t think the man ever rests long enough to even cast a shadow, because in addition to his pizza and allergen-free meal prep business, he offers cooking classes, private catering and is the chef of record for the Italian Embassy.

Cibus and the man behind it, are true hidden gems.