Picano Photography

Picano Photography First Generation Italian-Canadian Food Obsessed Photographer | Digital Creator | Flexitarian But I also don't believe in a restrictive lifestyle whatsoever.

Providing inspiration for your next meal with simple recipes & creating beautiful photography along the way.

Hi, I'm Vanessa! A Food-obsessed photographer and digital creator bringing you along my journey with all things food. I'm first generation Italian-Canadian and grew up old school Italian (with lots and lots of pasta!) I've struggled with gut issues and migraines my entire li

fe but I figured "that's just how I am." And so, I just dealt with it, or so I thought...

It wasn't until I started learning how food can actually heal - and I mean REAL food, that I finally realized, I've more than likely been the cause of my own pain over the years. So I went full-force; I started working with a naturopath and reading countless health & wellness books. I learned a magnitude of new information when it comes to what we not only put into our bodies, but also what we think, say and how we live. I was ready to start eating cleaner and simpler, with less animal products - just like my grandparents and great-grandparents did in Italy with their "cucina povera" or "poor kitchen", which is a traditional cooking technique that originated from rural peasant populations in Italy. I still wanted to eat my pastas and pizzas and all the bread! So I decided to take what I knew and make it work for me, instead of the other way around. I started turning all those traditional recipes I love and made them vegetarian or vegan. But what I found was there weren't really a lot of options out there. Everything used highly processed meat alternatives or it just showed plain old salads. Nothing that embodied the flavours I grew up on or had any creativity whatsoever. And honestly, these variations, just didn't taste that good or give me the same comfort that those traditional dishes did. So with that, I'm bringing you onto my healing journey where I share not only food tips but also recipes that my nonni - or grandparents, would've been proud of. Please follow along while I also do what I love (besides eating) and show the beauty in food through photography. Follow on TikTok/IG/Twitter where I get even more candid. xx,

Vanessa

01/03/2025

✨Thank you 2024 for all the delicious food 😍 Here's to many more tasty bites in this new year✨

01/01/2025

Happy Day 1 of 2025 to everyone near and far 🥂Hope the new year is magical 🤍

Spooky season may be over, but SOUP SZN🍲 is still going strong. Gotta love Canadian Autumns 🍁Butternut Squash Soup: Butt...
11/06/2024

Spooky season may be over, but SOUP SZN🍲 is still going strong. Gotta love Canadian Autumns 🍁

Butternut Squash Soup:
Butternut squash, onions, season to taste. Throw it in the oven and sip on your fav apertif and catch up on the .squad podcast. When it's cooked? Blend it. You can add a potato if ya want - sweet or regular. Whatever ya heart fancies. This isn't rocket science, it's soup.

PRO Tip: Buy squash that isn't the size of your head. Your biceps will thank me. You're welcome.

The Cottage Cheese - Urban Indian, Kensington Market, Toronto. One word: Wow.The quality of the food, the service, the...
10/25/2024

The Cottage Cheese - Urban Indian, Kensington Market, Toronto.


One word: Wow.

The quality of the food, the service, the ARTISTRY. Everything is top-notch at here. NO notes.

✨Charcoal Chicken Tikka (SO moist!)
✨The Kensington Cottage Salad (Unbelievable for a salad)
✨Oregano Fish Tikka (FAV!)
✨Chili Garlic Calamari (One of the best calamari I've EVER had - hands down)

Why is nature so beautiful? 😩😍
08/14/2024

Why is nature so beautiful? 😩😍

Lisa Marie’s Shaved Ice cooling me down during the in a heat wave 🥵🍧❄️
08/09/2024

Lisa Marie’s Shaved Ice cooling me down during the in a heat wave 🥵🍧❄️

Sunday reset featuring
04/28/2024

Sunday reset featuring

✨iTs NoT aEsThEtIc, I cAnT pOsT iT 🤪✨Listen, this is what dinner looks like on a Friday night after work, alright? Does ...
04/27/2024

✨iTs NoT aEsThEtIc, I cAnT pOsT iT 🤪✨

Listen, this is what dinner looks like on a Friday night after work, alright? Does take out have that je ne sais quoi that you just can’t recreate at home? DUH, that’s why they’re in business and why it’s so addicting. But, did this absolutely HIT last night? 100%. I was happy and so was my wallet 🤑💸

Brown rice. Sweet peas. Broccoli. Onions. Garlic. Ginger. Black tiger shrimp. That’s it. Oh, and General Tao sauce (pre-made because your girl’s tired and just doesn’t have the head space to recreate *everything* from scratch, okay? This week drained me 😤😂) Topped with some extra chili flakes on top cause it was Friday and we gotta keep it spicy every once and a while 🔥

Was I upset I didn’t have any carrots or peppers? Yes. Was this missing cilantro? Yes. Should we be eating the rainbow at every meal? Yes. Was it the end of the world that I didn’t? No. I think we all need to give ourselves grace when it comes to food. We don’t always need to make over-the-top dishes; sometimes simple and easy food can be just as delicious (or even better). My biggest tip is to buy frozen veggies and proteins: you don’t have to worry about it going bad and you always have it on hand.

Let’s go back to being intuitive and using what we have as opposed to focusing on what we don’t. [insert philosophical life lesson here] Sometimes, simple is better. Also, buying great quality products doesn’t hurt 😉 Shout out to my fav who always has the best priced black tiger shrimp out of everyone. 🙏🏼👏🏼

Follow for more easy (and lazy-friendly) tips on eating whole foods 🥰

What's your go-to breakfast after an Easter long weekend? Mini egg cookies! 🐰🍪🌸 Hope everyone had a great long weekend 🤗...
04/01/2024

What's your go-to breakfast after an Easter long weekend? Mini egg cookies! 🐰🍪🌸 Hope everyone had a great long weekend 🤗

Zuppa di pesce: the holy grail of Good Friday ✝️
03/29/2024

Zuppa di pesce: the holy grail of Good Friday ✝️

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Vaughan, ON

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Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 7pm

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Videos

A *Tasty* Recap of 2024
A *Tasty* Recap of 2024

✨Thank you 2024 for all the delicious food 😍 Here's to many more tasty bites in this new year✨ #2024recap #2024trends #2025Ready #newyears #newyear2025 #recapreel #recap2024 #foodie #foodreview #foodphotography #foodblog #foodblogfeed #foodblogeats #foodbloggeritaliani #foodblogers #foodblogging #torontoeats #torontofood #torontolife #toronto #kensingtonmarket #hungarythai #newmarket #BambooThai #sushiroll #hungarianfood #italianfood #unionville

Perfect ending to a perfectly imperfect year 🤍 #puntacana #puntacanabeach #dominicanrepublic🇩🇴 #dominicianrepublictravel #holidayseason #holidaymood #vacationmood

Easiest dish you’ll ever make for Thanksgiving (or all year round) - I put that #%*! on everything! Rinse your cranberries Boil 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar (I add less) Once boiling, add a bag of fresh cranberries (can use frozen, too) and lower to a simmer (Optional) Add orange zest or other spices if you’d like such as cinnamon, clove the options are endless. Cook about 10 minutes or so (until cranberries burst) #thanksgivingrecipes #cranberrysauce #veganrecipevideos

Bloo- I mean Cherry-filled Spooky Halloween Donuts from All You Knead Bakery in Vaughan, ON.🩸🍩 #halloweencookies #halloweenfood #halloweenlover #halloweenlife #localbusinesses #foodiefavorites #foodblogs #foodblogeats

It’s tiiiiiiiime…🎃 #halloweendecor #halloweenmovie #halloweenlover #halloweendecorating #dıy #diyhalloween #diyhalloweendecor #hocuspocus25thanniversary

For a limited time only, when you buy two (2) select digital wall art prints, you get 25% off automatically! Click the link to see which products apply: https://picanophotography.etsy.com/listing/1490966804

Easiest and tastiest side dish EVER: honey-roasted carrots. Recipe? Carrots, olive oil, honey, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until tender. 🤯 . . . #thanksgivingdinner #thanksgiving🦃 #thanksgivingrecipes #easyrecipesathome #carrots🥕 #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarianrecipe

It’s finally October 1st 🧡 #october1st #octobervibes #spookyseason👻 #memestagram #kevinhartmeme #todotoronto #kleinburg

#cne #theex #letsgototheex #longweekendvibes #labourdayweekend #todotoronto

I’m obsessed… #aromaespressobar #chailatte #pumpkinseason🎃 #pumpkinspicelatte #autumnvibes

A quick homemade pizza featuring Calla Food Company’s gluten-free pizza dough from @naturescanada, @daiyafoods vegan mozzarella and feta cheese, homemade tomato sauce and homemade olives from @visitcampodimele_ 🍕🇮🇹 I have to say, gluten-free options are usually not on par with “regular” varieties. However, when I say nothing is lost with this pizza dough, I mean it. I like my pizza thin and slightly crispy but it was still soft enough to dig your teeth into it. And don’t knock vegan cheese varieties until you try them, either. I’m in love with Daiya’s vegan feta - it’s secret? It’s made with olive oil *chef’s kiss* I think we can all benefit from incorporating and experimenting with plant-based items every once in a while. 🌱 . . . #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedrecipes #vegan #veganfood #veganrecipes #easyrecipesathome #italianfoodbloggers #italianfoodphotography #italianfoodie #health #bluezones #bluezoneskitchen #foodphotographer #foodreviews #glutenfreedairyfree #glutenfreeeats

I demolished this in 5.6 seconds… @naturescanada @briarnolet . . . #asmr #foodblogger #foodietribe #foodreviews #healthyliving #smoothielover #proteinshakes #almondbliss

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