Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2021

www. Char l es tonWomen . com | www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com CW lowcountry cuisine ANDREA CHIORAZZO – OWNER OF SUMI ARGENTINE BAKERY In her home country of Argentina, Andrea Chiorazzo’s love of baking was influenced by her Grandmother Lele. “My Grandma loved to bake, and we have done it together since I remember. I loved and enjoyed so much doing it with her,” she recalled. At SuMi Bakery, Chiorazzo channels that passion by introducing Alfajores (Al-pha-ho-res) to Charleston, which she bakes from scratch. “Alfajores are a traditional, very famous cookie in Argentina and many countries in South America. Each country has its variations; that’s why I make the ones from Argentina. I have a passion for baking, and also I have a big sweet tooth, so I love to eat them,” she said. Interestingly enough, Chiorazzo never baked alfajores with her grandmother. “We mostly baked cakes. She always made my siblings’ and my birthday cakes as well. It became fun on many of my weekends when I was a child. My mom doesn’t like to cook much, so the whole family enjoyed my hobby because they loved the yummy stuff I would bake,” she touted. Chiorazzo remembers fondly the Crush Cake that her grandmother made for her and for all of her siblings and cousins on every birthday. “When a birthday was coming, we all knew my Grandma would bake the cake, and all of the children were so excited about it.” Even though they weren’t a family recipe, the alfajores were the thing that Chiorazzo missed most about home. “I always brought Alfajores from my trips to Argentina, or I asked anyone visiting us to bring them. Usually, I brought about six to 10 pounds of alfajores home in my luggage, among other sweets. Now, people in Argentina are asking me to bring my cookies to them,” she proudly exclaimed. Ingredients 3 eggs 300 grams sugar 300 grams flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 200 milliliters Crush orange soda or Fanta Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. 2. Beat the eggs. 3. Add the sugar to the beaten eggs little by little. 4. Sift the flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder together and add to the egg mixture a little at a time, alternating the dry ingredients with the soda. 5. Beat well for a few minutes and pour into a buttered pan. 6. Bake for 55 minutes. 7. Let cool inside the mold. Note: Chiorazzo’s grandmother traditionally covered this cake in dark chocolate and filled it with dulce de leche, but she suggests personalizing it with your favorite frosting/filling combinations. Crush Cake Photo by Hungr y Ghos t Photography. Andrea Ch i orazzo has fond memor i es of her grandmother ’s Crush Cake, a bi r thday s tapl e back i n Argent i na .