Italian Week Ottawa 2026: Meet Me in Little Italy Masterclass: Gourmet Dinner Experience

This special evening features a thoughtfully and masterfully curated four-course menu by Chef Cristian Lepore that celebrates the richness of Italian cuisine, with a focus on high-quality, Italian, and locally sourced ingredients. Guests will enjoy an intimate and interactive culinary experience as Chef Lepore prepares each course live, while offering insight into cooking techniques, local ingredients, and culinary approach.

Antipasto: Macco di fave (fava bean velouté, crispy guanciale, caciocavallo cheese, fennel oil)

Pasta: Spaghettoni ai pepperoni (spaghettoni, roasted red pepper sauce, stracciatella cheese, ‘nduja, crispy lemon breadcrumbs)

Secondo: Pollo farcito al tartufo (stuffed truffle chicken roulade, seasonal vegetables, white wine jus)

Dolce: Tiramisu alle Fragole (strawberry tiramisu)

• This is a full dinner experience. Due to the nature of the event, dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated.

Many thanks to the Embassy of Italy for their partnership and support of this event.

About Cristian Lepore

Cristian is a professionally trained chef who brings his love of good food, health, and modern Italian cuisine to CIBUS, Ottawa’s best-kept culinary secret, and to Orto Trattoria, his soon-to-open restaurant in Centretown.

Following successful stints as Chef in both luxury resorts and Michelin-starred restaurants, Cristian brought his experience and love of Italian food and drink to the National Capital Region, where he served as owner and executive chef of DiVino Modern Italian Restaurant and as a chef at Orto Trattoria in the Glebe.

Creativity is key to Cristian’s ethos as he skillfully redefines Italian recipes for today’s health-conscious diner. He combines his passion for health and wellness with a talent for developing complex flavour combinations to create delicious dishes that welcome dietary restrictions and that taste as divine as their traditional counterparts.

cibus.ca | @cibusottawa | @orto.trattoria