A Recipe That Crossed Generations and Borders

Some of my fondest memories live at the holiday tables my mother, Maria, filled with warmth. At the heart of them was always the Argentine Alfajor de Maicena — delicate cornstarch cookies embracing dulce de leche, kissed with coconut and powdered sugar — the recipe she one day placed in my hands.

Our family’s connection to it runs through my Aunt Carmela, Maria’s sister-in-law, who learned it in Bernal, Argentina and carried it home to Canada. What she brought across the ocean, my mother kept alive — and passed on to me.

When Carmela passed away, that recipe became more than tradition. Gennaro’s Artisanal Alfajores is my way of honouring them both: preserving something precious, and sharing the sweetness that first won my heart as a child.

Taking Our Family Recipe Home

In 2022, I carried that family recipe back to Argentina for the inaugural Campeonato Mundial del Alfajor in Buenos Aires. In a blind sensory competition against producers from Argentina and around the world, Gennaro’s Artisanal Alfajores of Canada won Gold for Best Alfajor de Maicena.

Winning in the country where the alfajor is woven into the culture was deeply meaningful. But in 2023, I returned to Buenos Aires for an even greater challenge: to defend the title and prove the first victory was no accident.

One of the most memorable moments came when I met renowned Argentine pastry chef and alfajor authority Pablo Remaggi, author of Alfajor, Identidad Argentina. He presented me with an autographed copy of his book and thanked me for the opportunity to taste my alfajores. He told me they were the best he had ever tasted and shared that the judging panel had been unanimous in selecting Gennaro’s for the Maicena Gold.

Later that day, it became official: Gennaro’s won Gold for Best Alfajor de Maicena for the second consecutive year, becoming the first back-to-back Gold Medal winner in the category.

For a Canadian artisan bringing a cherished Argentine family recipe back to its cultural home, being embraced and recognized by people so deeply connected to Argentina’s pastry and alfajor traditions remains one of the greatest honours of my journey.

From World Champion to Canadian Recognition

The story continues. In 2026, TasteAtlas featured Gennaro’s among its 3 Best Biscuits in Canada and also included the brand among its 9 Best Biscuits in North America. TasteAtlas identifies Gennaro’s in Vaughan, Canada and cites our 2022 and 2023 World Championship Gold medals as part of the brand’s recognition.

For me, that recognition brings the journey full circle: an Argentine family tradition carried to Canada, preserved through generations, taken home to Argentina to compete on the world stage — twice — and now recognized as part of Canada’s own culinary landscape.

More Than a Cookie

Gennaro’s is about heritage, craftsmanship and creating moments people remember. Whether enjoyed with an espresso, presented as a gift, customized for a wedding or corporate event, or discovered for the very first time, every alfajor carries a piece of that story.

My vision remains simple: preserve the soul of the traditional Alfajor de Maicena while sharing it with a wider world — one handmade alfajor at a time.