Nobody excluded. This could be the claim of Balancea pastry shop opened at the beginning of the year in Pescara with the aim of pleasing everyone and making desserts accessible even to those suffering from intolerances. Dimitri Koma he knows well what it feels like to look at a cake without being able to taste it: his lactose intolerance prevented him from trying many delicacies made with his own hands, «I was tired of no longer being able to taste my desserts» he says «so I decided to open a place of my own.”
Balance, the allergen-free pastry shop in Pescara
Before starting this adventure, however, he studied for years with master pastry chefs from all over the world, from Ukraine to Russia, until arriving in Spain, where the fortunate meeting with Jordi Bordas, «reference figure for vegetable pastry making » convinced him to take a step further and break away from the idea of traditional desserts. There is at his side Emanuele Di Santolife partner and business partner with various experiences in the catering field: a few months after the inauguration, the couple can be considered satisfied given the large turnout, «we didn’t expect such a response, ours are a clientele mixed, not just people with intolerances or vegans, simply curious consumers who want to try a modern pastry concept.”
Vegetable and gluten free desserts
Those from Balance are contemporary desserts: single portions, mainly, then croissants and Maritozzi for the morning, «which we almost call Maritozzi because the taste, using different flours and fats, is naturally not the exact same». And this is precisely the point: Dimitri is not interested in faithfully replicating traditional recipes, “I just want to offer an alternative to those who cannot eat desserts with animal products or gluten.” The goal now is to also eliminate refined sugars “which I am gradually abandoning”.
There is also no shortage of sideboard cakes, desserts that simulate the taste of classic snacks, “like Snickers or Rocher” and also options for the aperitif, “also totally vegan and gluten free, with cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks”. There is only one strict rule in the laboratory: no waste, «the production is limited specifically to avoid leftovers, at six in the afternoon there are no croissants or croissants for breakfast, unless on request».
Balance – Pescara – via Enzo Ferrari, 29 – instagram.com/balance.pasticceria/
