The Caketalk || No. 1 - Hilde Soliani
Introducing a new series called: The Caketalk - where I sit down with inspiring fellow cake eaters that I admire and talk about everything from the serious to the unserious, and of course, cake.
Dear Readers & Cake Eaters,
It brings me the utmost pleasure to announce the launch of a brand new series for The Cakewalk appropriately titled, none other than: The Caketalk. The Caketalk is an interview series profiling incredible people you need to know about and yeah, at some point there’s cake eating and inevitably, some talks about cake. :)
Our first inaugural guest is a woman of many trades - notably a theatrical performer turned artisanal perfume artist from Italy, a master in her own right, the one and only, Hilde Soliani. Soliani is the ultimate free spirit - she’s eclectic, bold, all about the statement-making, and is NOT afraid of what people might think because she values self-expression and her art above all. You may have seen her profiled in the NYT earlier this year in an amazing piece titled, “The Mad Perfumer of Parma” by
. Shoutout to my dear friend, for bringing this article to my attention before my trip to Italy or else I may have never even discovered the amazing Hilde Soliani.So speaking of which, back in May, I went on a whirlwind 10 day trip to Italy in which I along with 2 friends visited 11 cities. Of these 11 cities, there was Parma, where I was so lucky to have been able to set up a meeting with Madame Soliani, in the flesh. Soliani had me smell what must have been some 30 different scents (and mind you, that’s still not even all of it) which was a feat for me considering 1) I was dealing with a heavy bout of allergies and 2) I generally struggle with scents - I’m a sensi-girl and get nauseous from most fragrances so tend to struggle with perfumes and candles overall. This actually made this experience only that more special because I was prepared to be finicky about the perfumes but I ended up falling in love with so many - something that rarely happens for me because even the best of them tend to make me nauseous sooner or later. Not only did Soliani have me smell, she also had me taste several things that accompanied certain scents such as chocolate and candied violets.
So then, having smelled a couple dozen scents that were more or less all up my alley (I like fragrances that are on the sweeter side and more food oriented - no surprise there) ranging from “Hot Milk” (spicy milk rather - it did indeed burn), “Mango on the Rocks”, “Latte Freddo”, “Fraaagola Saalaaata” (strawberries & salt), “Crema di Latte”, to “Sale e Pepe” (salt & pepper), “Lambrosc Enzo Persuader” (lambrusco) , “ZZZZZZZZZ” (honey), and loads more. What was my favorite, you ask? Well to my utter surprise, the favorite is “Miss Tranchant” aka the “oysters & butter” one.
Let me just clarify by saying I DO NOT EAT OYSTERS. They kickstart my gag reflex. I wish I could, I find them oh so chic and aesthetically appealing, but I just don’t have the palate for them. So naturally, I assumed this would be my least favorite scent but boy was I wrong. In fact, this is EXACTLY where Soliani’s magic and artistry come into play because she is simply a sorcerer who knows how to balance and layer scents so perfectly to the point where upon taking in the first scent, you’re immediately transported to a memory. Said memory then plays like a movie scene, filling you with nostalgia (more about the importance of how a scent makes you feel later). In regards to “Miss Tranchant”, the aforementioned oysters & butter fragrance, the first whiff was that of a salty, briny ocean breeze in which you’re quickly greeted with a whiff of creaminess. . . butteriness. . . dairy. . . only to be quickly reminded once more that we’re still by the ocean and so that salty breeze comes back again. . .
Each of Soliani’s scents is a unique piece of art, a fascinating play in Soliani’s elegant and interactive Teatro Olfattivo Parma in which I invite you to take a seat and enjoy the show.
Now let’s dig in! xo
Meet Hilde Soliani,
“Everything must represent my way of living, my personality. I can be snobbish. I can be funny, but first of all things must be well done, it must be excellent quality, and it must be sophisticated.” - HS
Audio Version Here:
HS: As you read [in the NYT], I started out just for a joke. I didn’t want to be popular. Usually I do what I like, I hope that people like it. There are fragrances we launched 5, 10, 20 years ago and now people are starting to like it and now we sell it like food, like bread.
KD: One could say, they’re selling like hotcakes I suppose. . . Please remind me the name of your first perfume that was inspired by food and why you chose to start making so many scents about food.
HS: My first collection inspired by food was launched in 2008 called Profumo e Gusto in Libertà including : Doolciiisssimo, Acquiiissssima, Saaliiisssiimo, Freschiiissimo, Fraaagola Saalaaata. Later on [there was] cicoororisssmo, ciocospezissimo, boschiissmo, and caastagna salata because my collection is always work in progress.
I am a gourmet lady, I mean - for me, food is quality of living, enjoying life.
All of the stories behind my fragrances are authentic because they are real experiences I went through in which I experienced very strong, intimate emotions. Even if the idea [behind a scent] is inspired by something else, there is always something food-related inside.
KD: What are your earliest memories of food? Who was the cook in your family? Do you have a family recipe?
HS: I remember drinking a cup of hot milk with bread before going to pray in the church when I was a child. The cooks were my mother and my uncle Lina who specialised in risotto with butter and parmesan cheese and cacao budino. I have many family recipes - I can give you a vegetable sauce or special cake recipe. For example, the recipe of dolce delle feste, a holiday cake is very simple - a base of pasta frolla with a special meringue on the top including: egg, sugar, almonds, dark chocolate, mint candy, & cedar.
~ Mind you, during this entire interview Soliani is constantly pulling out various scents for me to smell and we are discussing them at the same time. At some point, she pulls out a milky one. ~
This is Crema di Latte. It’s the smell, you know, when I was a child my grandmother tried to warm up milk. You know when it starts to create the cream on top? This is the caramelized sugar. So it smells like caramel and I launched this in 2012. You know how many latonic fragrances came out?
Funny that Soliani should ask that. While I’m not one to pay much attention to beauty and fragrance news, I couldn’t help but notice several articles that have come out in the past year touching upon the milky fragrance trend. There’s “Why Milky Perfumes Are Having A Moment” from Dazed, and multiple others from NSS G-Club, Who What Wear, Allure, Vogue, and more. Except, Soliani has always been way ahead of the curve. And while we’re on the subject of dairy, Soliani had let me smell yet another dairy heavy fragrance in which prompted me to say that it smells buttery and reminds me of the butter in American movie theatre popcorn in which she quickly said. . .
“I love the States but the food in the States uh . . . forget it” -laughs-.
KD: Can you tell me a little more about your apple cake? What does it represent for you? Why is it so special to you, enough to create Il Tempo delle Mele (apple cake perfume).
HS: The apple cake is very popular in Italy as family cake. You can make it using different kinds of apple based on family tastes and you can decide if you create a base of pasta frolla putting the slices on the top before creating a layer of crema pasticcera or mix the apples with any other ingredient. . . this cake is versatile I mean, you can enjoy any time of the day - breakfast, tea time, after lunch, or dinner. Il Tempo Delle Mele is dedicated to a chef who is a good friend of mine - Chef Igles Corelli, very genius and naive.
KD: Of all your fragrances that you’ve made, which is your favorite or is it like choosing a favorite child?
HS: I love all of them but every time I have to leave for a vacation or trip, I always grab my first one that I did without my (perfume) master - First collection called Ti Amo - where I associated a flower to each letter of the alphabet - Ti Amo - Tulips, Iris, Anemone, Margarita/daisy, Ortensia.
KD: One of the scents Soliani gave me to smell was supposed to smell like a piece of brioche and a cup of coffee in the morning. My reaction: It smells like the first sip of coffee because I put a lot of sugar in my coffee haha.
HS: You don’t have to put sugar in your coffee!
KD: I put so much!
HS: Don’t tell me that!! I love cakes so I can live off of just cakes and cheese but coffee, cappuccino, please - without sugar because we have to taste the real flavor of the coffee. If you add sugar to make cakes fine, but to drink? Nothing!
KD: [On that note] which cheese is your favorite? You already have several perfumes that smell like cake. Would you ever make one that smells like cheese? I guess your pizza one has to smell a bit like cheese?
HS: Parmesan cheese, Stracchino Invecchiato. I have created 2 fragrances: Tutti Matti Per Colorno which smells like the 99 dry herbs in which the cows that produce milk for parmesan eat and Eau de Cuisine dedicated to the visionary chef, Paolo Lopriore . He lets you create your dish by layering different ingredients. . .bread, fish, parmesan, cheese.
KD: Have you ever had a smell that made you cry?
HS: A lot of times. When I decided to create my second perfume, it was the first one inspired by food and I decided this because [I’ll have these moments where] I go to a bar, cafe, or Michelin star restaurant, doesn’t matter, and I’ll sometimes have dishes where suddenly I start to cry and it means that this dish created something special inside me. It’s a good question because any time this happens, I say to myself “ok maybe this is my next perfume”.
KD: Are there any scents/smells that you really want to make but haven’t tried yet?
HS: There are two, maybe three that I’m trying to do. One is my favorite cake, Zuppa Inglese. It’s very original - chocolate and cream, but there is an alcohol and it’s made with different ingredients and two of them are tricky because when combined together, one drowns the other one out.
*The above response was from the time of our interview which took place months ago. I am happy to give you all the update that Soliani has now successfully created her Zuppa Inglese scent and it is called Golosisimo.*
KD: Where is your favorite Zuppa Inglese from?
HS: A trattoria near Modena.
KD: If you could choose, what would your last meal be?
HS: Cappelletti in brodo.
KD: Also if you can choose, what would be the last scent you could ever smell?
HS: Stelle di Ghiaccio layering Il Tuo Tulipano Rosso.
“In a few months I will be 63 years old but inside I’m still a teenager”
KD: I think people love to associate quality with price but just because it's more expensive doesn't mean it's better whether we’re talking fashion, food, perfume, etc. How do you feel about this?
HS: I agree with you. People now aren’t educated at all regarding the difference between good vs. bad, lovely vs. worst in any fields of life - everything is superficial. There are no masters who want to teach, the only criteria is high prices—it’s like buying luxury garbage. It’s horrible, there’s no style in perfume bottles nowadays.
KD: I want to ask you the same questions you ask people who request to buy a sample set from you: your birthday, your favorite color & food, what is the picture you love that you would take on an island with you!
*FYI, Hilde asks these questions to those requesting to purchase a sample set from her website in which she creates a bespoke sample set of 5 different scents that come in 2ml based on your answers.*
HS: 21 July 1961 - Fuchsia - Bread - It’s a family pic of me, my father, and my sister by the sea taken by my mother when we were children.
KD: Do you believe in astrology? I think we spoke a bit about it but didn't really get a chance to talk more.
HS: I am sure that to know our zodiac sign can help you to understand the personality of people but we are responsible for our own lives ultimately.
KD: What does your process of conceiving a new perfume look like?
HS: When I created Belle Antonio, I had a bicycle accident - I was on the street, the car crossed and didn’t stop so I fell down. I don’t smoke cigarettes everyday but when I was living in [another town], I started smoking a cigar and one of my favorites is an Italian one that is sweet tobacco and they put a little bit of coffee aroma inside. It’s called Toscano and I said, “ok now I want to smoke a little bit” and I started and my head was spinning around and I said “ok stop it, this is my next fragrance.”
KD: How many fragrances have you made?
HS: 90. Currently on the market there are 60.
KD: Do you only sell in Italy or?
HS: Italy is strange because they snubbed me. And now that I’m famous in South Korea and North America, everybody wants me.
KD: Where can people shop for your perfume?
HS: My brand is almost an online brand. . . in a few months we will have our new experimental e-commerce shipping directly worldwide - www.hildesoliani.com
In the USA there is Lucky Scent and Scent Split. In Italy, there is Clementi.
At the beginning, the industry snubbed me and now they’re starting to want me because people are asking for me but ultimately I decide who I work with.
“Fragrance is for everybody - those who differentiate masculine or feminine. . . it’s just marketing. In aromatherapy, it doesn’t care if you’re a man or a lady.”
FIN!
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