Salvatore Crimi, pizzaiolo in Casteau, receives the prestigious Certified Artisan label from SPF Economie
Article published on Sudinfo. By Martine Pauwels
Journalist at La Nouvelle Gazette Centre. Published on 20/11/2025 at 12:36
He is the only person in Belgium to make his dough with wholemeal wheat flour. This base gives his pizzas an unrivalled flavour. The SPF Économie panel recognised it immediately… “It was when they smelled my dough balls rising that they decided to award me the national ‘Certified Artisan’ label,” Salvatore says proudly.
Salvatore is now one of the 2 800 certified artisans active in Belgium across all sectors, identifiable by the ‘Artisanat certifié’ logo and recognised by SPF Économie for their manual expertise and quality work. The Casteau restaurateur had sought this highly coveted title in the ‘Horeca’ category, where many are called but very few are chosen.
“Last 11 August, the day I appeared before the panel, it was very hot. When I arrived from Casteau in my van, 72 hours had passed since I had put my dough to rise. Yet it had barely moved, and when I opened the box, the examiners delighted in smelling this living material, made the old-fashioned way, before the Industrial Revolution imposed everywhere the ultra-refined white flour that has since become part of our everyday lives, but lacks all the richness of whole wheat.”
The precious label now takes pride of place at La Corte Segreta, the small 25-seat restaurant that Salvatore Crimi has run in Casteau, on Chaussée de Bruxelles, for a year.
A Sicilian mamma’s secret recipe book
Last Sunday was his moment of glory during the 19th Artisan Day. Across the country, more than 800 artisans opened their workshops to the public, and Salvatore was among them. “The day was incredible: more than 150 people came to visit us. Among them were Minister Desquesnes, as well as police officers, firefighters, restaurateurs and representatives from Sita…”
They were able to taste the wonders created by the 35-year-old pizzaiolo, who learned everything from older people holding closely guarded culinary secrets. “It all began with a little cookbook written by a Sicilian lady, which I devoured. In Italy, every village and every family has its own recipes. Did you know there are more than 60 different versions of Bolognese sauce?”
La Matilda is enjoyed… with an Orval
Salvatore is also passionate about history, art and culture. His pizza dough, made with wholemeal wheat flour and baked over a wood fire, tastes like the dough served at the court of the Medici. “At that time, exceptional food embodied a family’s power. Each had its own trusted cook because of the risk of poisoning. They did not spin pizza dough above their heads, and for good reason: made with wholemeal flour, it would have broken into a thousand pieces.”
Dough so easy to digest that it suits people with sensitive intestines, “although it is not entirely gluten-free, it contains very little gluten”. And to top it, one can count on Salvatore’s boundless imagination: he is never afraid to innovate.
Take ‘Peracoscia’, for example: a Fior di latte base, fresh pears, creamy gorgonzola, caramelised onions, thin slices of cured ham cut to order, walnut pieces and chestnut honey.
Or Matilda, created for the restaurant’s 1st anniversary, specifically designed to be enjoyed… with an Orval.
At present, Zingara is the most popular: Italian tomato sauce, fior di latte made from 100 % milk, aubergines, fresh garlic sauce, caramelised onions, gorgonzola DOP, spicy Calabrian sausage deglazed with prosecco DOC, rocket, shavings of parmigiano reggiano DOP, organic Sicilian oregano…
Just reading the menu on La Corte Segreta’s website will make your mouth water. Takeaway pizzas can also be ordered.
Link to the full article: HERE
A big thank you to the whole Sudinfo team for this article.
La Corte Segreta, chaussée de Bruxelles 85A 7061 Casteau