DANTE RESTAURANT

Established in 2024 by Massimo and Karim, Dante Cucina Italiana is a fine dining restaurant in New Edinburgh born from passion and driven by the flavours of classic Italian cuisine. Come experience traditional Italian hospitality, an upscale atmosphere, high end wines and cocktails, and most importantly meals prepared with love.

DANTE RESTAURANT

KARIM

I grew up in Livorno, in Western Tuscany, with my adoptive Italian parents. Our home was just meters from the Ligurian sea. My father used to fish and grow our own vegetables and a lot of care and appreciation were given to meals, which was when we came together as a family, often with other relatives or friends at our table. Like many boys growing up in Italy I became obsessed with football. I played soccer for a few years and worked in my uncle’s restaurant as a young man. It was a couple minutes’ walk to where the small boat fishermen docked and I would go in the morning to pick up the seafood for the day. In my mid-twenties I headed off to London to study Hospitality Management and I worked in Michelin star restaurants around South Kensington and Mayfair. I met my wife there, who is originally from Ottawa, and we came back here to raise our kids. And this is where I met Massimo. We connected straight away talking about food and family, and developed the idea of opening a restaurant ourselves.

MASSIMO

My family is originally from Genoa but I grew up in Modena. My culinary roots, passed down from my grandfather to my mother, focus on simple yet elegant recipes and of course quality ingredients. I worked for many years in Northern Italy before coming to Canada where I raised my family. I enjoy being able to stay connected to Italy through my cooking while having Canada as my home for my kids and theirs. When I met Karim a couple years ago, we started talking about creating a community place with a focus on genuine, quality, Italian cooking - this is Dante.