Pasticceria Marchesi Names Diego Crosara Product Manager
MILAN — Pasticceria Marchesi 1824, the historic Milanese pastry firm controlled by Prada Group, has appointed pastry chef Diego Crosara as product manager.
In the role, Crosara will flank Angelo Marchesi — great-grandson of the founder and chief executive officer of the company — in creating new pastry and chocolate-based recipes to further develop the brand.
Born into a family of pastry chefs in Valdagno, in the Italian region of Veneto, Crosara had operated his own pastry shop “Al Portego” until 2007, when he started to share his expertise with younger generations becoming a teacher and consultant. Experimenting new combinations of sweet and salty tastes, Crosara has been awarded the world champion title both for pastry and ice cream, among other recognitions.
Pasticceria Marchesi passed under Prada Group’s control in March 2014, when the fashion house became a majority shareholder with an 80 percent stake acquisition.
Since then, Prada added two Marchesi shops to the company’s original landmark venue, which was founded in 1824 in the city’s Corso Magenta posh district, where the coffee and bakery house still occupies the first floor of an 18th-century building.
The additional units include a Marchesi shop on tony Via Montenapoleone and one in luxury shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where Prada operates two boutiques and an exhibition space.
In particular, the former is located few steps away from the competitor coffee shop Cova, which Prada tried to acquire but eventually passed into the hands of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in June 2013.
Under Prada’s control, the Marchesi units were developed with a different interior concept compared to the original venue, featuring aqua green marble walls, juxtaposed with a green floral jacquard silk wallpaper and green velvet armchairs and sofas. In addition, elements recalling the first Marchesi shop, including a central marble-topped bar with cherry wood and glass cabinets, a mirror-backed shelf with apéritifs and pastry display cases with curved glass hinge-tops, have been revisited in a contemporary way.
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