What to know
Don Alfonso 1890, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant on the 38th floor of The Westin Harbour Castle, is the only North American location of the global dining chain.
The restaurant was originally founded on Italy’s Amalfi Coast in 1973 by chefs Alfonso Iaccarino and Livia Iaccarino, with their son Ernesto Iaccarino eventually joining the culinary world.
The Toronto restaurant, which opened permanently in 2022, is led by executive chef Davide Ciavattella, a longtime protégé of Ernesto.
Ernesto says the restaurant’s menu is built around the best Canadian ingredients, sourced locally from Casa Loma’s urban farm.
A Michelin restaurant perched at the top of a Toronto hotel is the only one of its chain in North America, and has been named in the past as one of the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy.
Don Alfonso 1890 initially opened in Amalfi Coast, Italy in 1973, led by Chefs Alfonso Iaccarino and Livia Iaccarino.
Their son, Ernesto Iaccarino, began helping at the restaurant through his childhood, and eventually took on the culinary industry full time, despite having an educational background in business economics.
“I started to help in my restaurant, I was 10 at the time, because my parents [did] not have time to spend with [my brother and I], so they started to say, ‘Saturday and Sunday, you are with us working,’” Ernesto told Now Toronto while visiting his restaurant in the city.
He explained that he initially went into economics in university but decided to stay in the culinary industry.
“I think to have a degree and work in a kitchen is okay, not bad,” he said.
Toronto’s Don Alfonso location had a temporary location at Casa Loma before finding a permanent home on the 38th floor of the Westin Harbour Castle in 2022.
The prestigious Italian restaurant is one of 14 restaurants in Toronto recognized with a Michelin star for high quality cooking. It’s even been named as one of the top-rated Italian restaurants outside of Italy, according to the prestigious 50 Top Italy and Gambero Rosso awards.
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The Toronto location is led by Chef Davide Ciavattella, who initially studied under Ernesto in Italy before being selected to move out to Toronto to lead the team at the North American location.
Ernesto, who has multiple locations of Don Alfonso 1890 across the world, said the key to being able to leave these restaurants in someone else’s hands comes down to trust.
“That helps even to build different parts of the world, different identities of [the] restaurant even,” he explained. “When I’m not here, [Ciavattella] is my angel that takes care of everything.”
Ernesto added his restaurant thrives off of local produce, and with the restaurant being in different cities, he has to adapt recipes to the fruits and vegetables grown in each country.
On-site urban farming at Casa Loma provides Toronto’s Don Alfonso restaurant with local fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and greens.
Ernesto explained that by figuring out the top ingredients in Canada, he is able to curate a menu that will “wow” his customers.
“We start from the ingredients, then when we find out which one is the top in the nation, we build the menu,” he said. “This is, I think, something very challenging.”
Ernesto added that, thankfully, Canada’s resources are very fruitful, with access to lush forests, and luxurious meat such as king crab, goose and bison.
For Ernesto, cooking is trial and error.
“Some of the greatest dishes of the world come from a mistake,” he said. “Sometimes your mind should not be so strict… This is the reality in the kitchen. Many great dishes come from an idea that you failed, and then you discover that it is great.”
Dining and Cooking