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Checking Out – Checking In

cvs-self-checkout-stationJust got back from the CVS. Had to run a quick errand and it’s just a couple of blocks from the store. But it is a world away from what I think is important in life.

Wanted to get a nice Christmas card to write a holiday message to the staff and post in their “office.” What I found at CVS were the usual row of Hallmark and Shoebox cards. Awful puns, schmaltzy sentiments. The usual.

So instead I headed cattycornered across the street to Just Paper and Tea, a locally owned Georgetown boutique that has it. That gets it. Quality. Comfort. Hominess. I’m a small business owner so I know this has to be a challenging business to run, especially when the big guys are just cattycornered across the street. But I got some great cards and left with a smile. That matters.

After another aborted errand I decided to stop back at CVS to pick up some pens to write the staff message. I found my pens and skipped the staffed checkout – the line was pretty long – and opted for the self checkout. Something I rarely do. It was quick, efficient, I had the exact coin change and the machine spit out crisp one dollar bills in return. As I dropped my pens into my Just Paper shopping bag I realized I had just shopped without interacting with one person.

Efficiency is great. But efficiency is not the pole star. We love not wasting time, but often obsess about it even when that time is pretty inconsequential. It’s not that standing in line deprives you from visiting the Louvre. But feeling like your time is not being wasted, that there’s a reason for you standing in line keeps you sane and provides that little bit of justification you need to stand in line.

I think that waiting your turn so that you hand a human being your cash, look into his eyes and he into yours is more than enough justification for standing in line. That the efficiency of checking out quickly, but completely anonymously, is a travesty.

We have made so many advances in efficiency, economic security, health over the past century. But we have squandered so many of those gains on needless things. Our measure of success today is how big a house we can seclude ourselves in. What model of iPhone we can shut ourselves off behind. How quickly and efficiently we can check out of the CVS.

I believe our efficiency dividends should be spent and invested in spending more, not less time with people. People you know and complete strangers. I believe that our retreat into selfishness – the creation of a walled off, isolated self – is not driven by worthy impulses, but from a fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of the unknown. What many don’t realize is that you can jump in and the water is going to be just fine. And that’s what we’ve been trying to create at Via Umbria, a place where people can jump in and laugh and splash around with their friends, their family, with complete strangers and come away with a smile and a feeling that this is how the world ought to be. It’s a lot for a small business to take on. But what’s the use of dreaming if you don’t dream big?

As Christmas nears, our hope is that all of you find happiness, joy and love with your families, as we will with ours. And join us again in the new year. We promise the water will be warm.

Un abbraccio,
Bill and Suzy

christmas2016-004

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Umbria in Mongolfiera

Mongolfiera 015If you’ll hold my hand we’ll chase your dream across the sky
For we can fly we can fly up, up and away
—Up, Up and Away, The Fifth Dimension

Early to bed, early to rise is not our typical modus operandi during our visits to Umbria and our Saturday night activity – dinner for 25 in our farmhouse, highlighted by an outdoor fireworks display to celebrate one of our guests’ birthdays – did not presage well our ability to rise early for our Sunday activity.

Mongolfiera 001But rise early we did. Both from bed and from the ground.

Arriving at the Cantina Dionigi at 6:24am, a full minute before the drop dead deadline of 6:25, we were greeted warmly by our good friend Roberto Dionigi, one of the family owners of this venerable Montefalco winery. We were also introduced to Eleonora Lolli, marketing director for Balloon Adventures Italy, Umbria’s new hot air balloon tour company. In just a short while we would slip the surly bonds of earth and float peacefully above the val d’umbria.

Mongolfiera 002

Balloon Adventures Italy is owned, operated and piloted by Peter Kollar, a recent emigrant to Umbria who had the good fortune to purchase a property next door to the Cantina Dionigi. Peter chose the property because it featured a good sized open, flat piece of land ideal for launching and landing his 18 passenger balloon. That he became fast friends and associates with the Dionigi family, whose name is emblazoned prominently on Peter’s balloon, which he boasted is the largest in Italy, is just the sort of good fortune that seems to happen often in Umbria.

Mongolfiera 003Peter’s Germanic roots were apparent from the moment we met him in the field where our balloon was being prepared for its flight. Against a backdrop of the enormous mongolfiera, he barked commands to our group of 16, barking at us to stand here, to stay away from that, to get ready to board the basket and how we would brace for landing. His bark turned out to be much worse than his bite, however, as he punctuated his necessary commands with humor and grace. By the time the balloon was fully inflated and we had scrambled aboard the basket, it was clear to all that our pilot was in control of the balloon, its passengers and the situation. He admonished us not to worry about anything. Unless he seemed worried.

Mongolfiera 006And with a few revs of the engine – well, rather a few bursts of flames from the ignitors that Peter constantly used to replenish the balloon with hot air – we rose, slowly, gently and peacefully from the field. Until we could look down directly on Peter’s hangar, his house and Roberto’s expansive fields of sagrantino, merlot and grechetto. Until we were a thousand feet high and were able to see across the valley to the beautiful glimmering cities of stone that dot the mountainside – Assisi, Spello, Trevi, Spoleto. Until we reached two thousand feet, floating languorously in the cool morning air, the golden yellow sunlight bathing the hills as a patchwork of vineyards unfolded below us, giving way to the hilltop Etruscan beauty that is Perugia and the small shimmering outline of Lago Trasimeno in the distance. We topped out at three thousand feet on a day that Peter described as “too perfect,” a morning so completely windless that steering the balloon through the usual air streams that pilots ride to bring them to their landing spot did not exist. And so our pilot cut short our adventure, expertly guiding us into a field just below another of our friends’ wineries, coming to rest among a grove of olive trees. The property owners, startled to see an enormous balloon descending into their grove came running to give us assistance, but the only help Peter needed was for them to show him a route that his Land Rover and trailer could take into the grove so we could pack the balloon and basket and take our group back to the Cantina.

Mongolfiera 009
Cantina Dionigi from above
Mongolfiera 011
The Etruscan hilltop town of Perugia, regional capital of Umbria
Mongolfiera 012
Medieval borgo of Torre del Colle in Umbria as seen from above

After deflating and packing the balloon we were transported back to Roberto’s winery, where our group was treated to a fabulous breakfast of fruits, sliced meats and cheese and Roberto’s Grechetto, Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino wines, served, of course, after the obligatory glass of champagne or prosecco that marks every successful return to earth of the balloon and its passengers. In the gleaming, new Dionigi tasting room, with its unmatched view of the val d’umbria and Assisi and Spello, we bonded with our fellow passengers, shared our reactions to the unforgettable views and the experience of seeing this land, which we have seen so many times from ground level, from a new and truly wondrous vantage point.

Mongolfiera 016Umbria is known as “the green heart of Italy” and its majesty is well apparent to all who wind along its wandering lanes, who hike its gentle slopes, who explore its jewel like hill towns. To take all of this in from above, however, to drink in its panorama a full three hundred and sixty degrees, floating along on the soft morning breeze like a feather in the wind, is a truly unforgettable experience.

I seriously doubt whether any members of the Fifth Dimension ever experienced the thrill of a balloon ride. But they certainly nailed it in their 19xx hit, Up, Up and Away –

The world’s a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

 

For more information on Balloon Adventures Italy or to book your own aerial adventure, contact Eleonora at +39 366 314 0558 or email info@ballonadventures.it.  Visit their website at www.balloonadventures.it.

 

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First We Eat, Italy @ Home
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A Culinary Event of Pork Proportions

I’m always a bit timid about large scale food or drink events, they tend to turn to a nice series of lines to wait in. So, I was a bit unsure of what to expect when I went to Cochon555 the other day. A nominal competition anchoring a series of pork-centered events, Cochon555 brings in several chefs, each partnered with a local pig farmer to deliver three pork dishes, in order to raise funds and awareness about the importance of local farms and humanely raised livestock. Let me tell you, this quickly turned into one of the most delicious evenings I have had in a long time. From sausage tartare to coney-style hot dogs, spring rolls to sliders; it never ceases to amaze me how much one can do with pork. If the only thing that you think of when you think of eating pork is overcooked grilled pork chop served alongside something sweet, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Which brings me to something else that I noticed there: all of these doctored up little pork things were just variations of simple things that any home cook could do. From a slow cooked pork shoulder to reforming a sausage into the shape of a burger: don’t be intimidated by cooking pork. It can end up being the most forgiving and rewarding meat to cook.

The centerpiece of the event, however, was a “pop-up” butcher shop that followed a demonstration. The master butcher, who later told me how happy he was to see butchery reemerging after so many years as a dying art, and a chef broke down a small pig in under thirty minutes. It was a sight to behold. I’ve experienced it before, but participating in or observing this process never ceases to be a humbling experience. You are watching a transformation: from an animal into recognizable food. Food that you could have picked up at the grocery store. The respect gained from just a little bit of knowledge of this process goes a long way, I think. First of all, you begin to pay more attention to where your meat comes from, how it was treated, and what it ate. Second of all, you make sure you buy the right cut for what you’d want to make.

Breaking Down a Pig

That’s where I come in! Come by the butcher shop with some ideas and we can work together to make sure you have exactly what you need. I can receive special orders and work with you to make sure you get precisely what you want, or whatever your recipe calls for. It is amazing how easy cooking can be when you are using the right ingredients. And we can get you the right ingredients!

Scott Weiss
Scott Weiss

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Adventure, Culture, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, Home and Abroad, Italy @ Home, Tastes of Italy
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Travel Tips: What to Eat in Umbria

When traveling overseas in unfamiliar places, it’s easy to seek out familiar foods rather than trying something new or unknown. This is quite a crime in Italy, a country with a distinctive culinary reputation that shines through in a wide rage of traditional dishes, cooking styles, and local ingredients. This varies from region to region, so before traveling to Italy, it’s a good idea to find out what foods are unique to the area you’re planning to stay in. Luckily for you, we have some insider knowledge from Marco Palermi, Umbrian travel expert, on what to eat while staying in Umbria:

Food is very important in Italy, and in Umbria, pork is king–both cured and fresh are fantastic, but the real treat is sliced porchetta from the porchetta trucks parked all over town. The best porchetta comes from Costano (they have a porchetta festival in mid August), but if you find the truck parked out front of the Conad Grocery store in Cannara, you won’t be disappointed.

Porchetta Truck

Most of what we eat depends on the season. In December you will see a lot of fennel, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes. Wild asparagus is abundant in spring, and mushrooms in the fall. What you will eat depends on when you are here as much as where you go. For us, seasons, traditions, and religion are often an excuse to eat–which is why you will see things like torta di pasqua (traditional easter bread), fried strufoli or frappe with honey during Carnival, and goose in August for the feast of the harvest. However, there are Umbrian delights that are always great year round.

Shopping for Seasonal Produce

Torta al testo is a staple to Umbrian gastronomy that cannot be missed. It’s a sandwich made of flat unleavened bread that is flame-cooked, and filled with the most delicious Umbrian flavors. You cannot go wrong pairing these with an Umbrian beer. And of course, after a great lunch, you must try gelato. The gelato around Cannara is all very good, but Bar Gennaro is the place to go.

Gelato

One town to know about (and visit before you leave Umbria) is Norcia. Its very well-known for its pork products (prosciutto, sausages, salamis) and also for its winter black truffles. The town is about an hour and a half drive from Canarra, but if that’s too far away for you, head to Santa Maria degli Angeli and visit Casa Norcia, a restaurant known for serving delicious meals and typical produce from the Sibillini mountains.

Another excellent experience is to visit a rosticceria, which is a kind of grocery store that has ready-to-eat meals, but unlike any ready-to-eat meal you’ve had before! It can be anything from lasagne to roast chicken, and it’s a very traditional Sunday activity. Good rosticcerias near la Fattoria del Gelso are Cucina’a in Foligno or Falaschi Gastronomia in bastia Umbra.

And no trip to Italy would be complete without sampling the cheeses available. From the Pecorino of Norcia to the Mozarella of Coliforito, there is no shortage of cheese to tempt your palate. Check out the nearby cheese stores in Santa Maria Degli Angelia, Brufani and Broccatelli, and try fresh creamy mascarpone, soft burrata caciotta, and wonderfully sharp pecorino.

Cheese and Meat Plate

There is no way to capture all the delicious foods available in Umbria, but starting here should give you a wonderful start to a true foodie experience.

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Travel Tips: Outdoor Activities

If you Google Umbria, the first result will be a Wikipedia article that says “Umbria is a region of historic and modern central Italy.” And while the article covers basic facts about the region, the best way to learn about the area is to talk to people who live, eat, and explore in Umbria. Every Tuesday, we’ll be sharing expert travel advice from native (or nearly-native) Umbrians so that you can live vicariously through their words, or take their tips to heart and travel to Italy yourself.

As spring rolls in with summer close on it’s heels, people are beginning to venture outdoors. And while you might be familiar with activities in your own backyard, trying to find something to do in a foreign country might be a bit daunting. Flipping through brochures or scouring the internet for travel guides is one solution, but if you ask a local, you’re more likely to experience the area like the locals do.

Marco Palermi, travel expert and your guide at our vacation house rental in Umbria, joined us in our Georgetown location last month for our Travel Tuesday cocktail event and shared his secrets to getting the most out of your Umbrian trip. Here’s what he had to say about outdoor activities:

There are a lot of different activities that people can do in the area. Hiking is very popular for guests. The trails through Mount Subasio are well marked, and there are many trails that follow the Topino river from the house. Those trails are very good because they are flat, which makes them easy for leisurely walking. This is great for families with young kids. The trails are also the best way to go bird watching–we see a lot of Airone (a kind of stork) walking in the water near the main bridge.

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Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi

People can bike on the trails as well, and if it’s something you’re interested in during your visit, we can suggest routes that will last anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half. For example, a favorite bike trip is from Cannara to the lower part of Spello, where a road takes you towards Santa Maria degli Angeli, and then back to the house. It’s also possible to take bikes on the train to reach some of the most popular and beautiful destinations for outdoor exploring, like Lake Trasimeno and the Spoleto or Trevi areas.

For those interested in running, you can use the same trails as for hiking and biking. During the winter, typically a Sunday in mid-December, there is a race called Invernalissima of Assisi that anyone can sign up for. Pros can run the 21 km course, and for those less used to running there is a 5km run. There is also a run from Perugia and Assisi every two or three years, so if that’s something that interests you, let us know and we can find out when it is happening. Finally there is the “Marcia Della Pace” every year between September and October, which is a peace march that anyone can join without pre-registering. It’s a great way to meet lots of people while walking from Perugia to Assisi.

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Myth, Magic, and Folklore

On Saturday, April 2nd, our sun-filled Galleria will open with an art exhibiti featuring the works of the celebrated Giuseppe Fioroni.

Fioroni lives and works in his native Perugia, the regional capital of Umbria. A self-taught artist, he discovered his lifelong passion for painting as a young man. He has described Umbria as “a land of calm, a beautiful land, a land full of vibrations.” The greennery of the region, he has said, “is especially unforgettable,” and his love for Umbria’s olive trees and vineyards, as well as the oil and wine they produce, are inseparable from the place itself. His art has brought him all over the world, but he continues to live in Umbria, the province where he was born.

As a child in Perugia, Fioroni grew up surrounded by Umbrian folklore, mysticism, and traditional music. These themes lie at the center of his art. His vivid oil and multimedia paintings, Fioroni explores fantasy, fable, and magic through maelstroms of color and emotion. Often, he marries traditional folk narratives with elements of reverie and daydream, demonstrating a fascination with the liminal space where esoteric culture and unbridled imagination intersect.

Giuseppe Fioroni, Il Medicante Orfano, 2003.
Giuseppe Fioroni, Il Medicante Orfano, 2003.

When he set out to paint full-time, he was president and CEO of a company with 1,200 employees. Although he had always been a skilled artist, Fioroni did not want to paint professionally until the age of 36. At first, he created small paintings, never with the intention to exhibit them. He simply wished to paint. He first exhibited work in 1978 at the San Severo Gallery in Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia. He has also branched out from painting to add drawing, sculpture, and ceramics to his repertoire, and has achieved international acclaim for his work.

In addition to his pursuit of the visual arts, Fioroni is also an adroit musician of several ancient instruments, including the barrel-organ and the bagpipe. At was 8 years old, he was already a solo accordionist, Across Perugia, his musical skill has earned him the nickname “Maestro.”  Music is an integral part of Fioroni’s quest to unearth the deepest spirit of Umbria’s folk traditions, and his love for folk music can be observed in the stunning lyricism of his paintings, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture.

Giuseppe Fioroni, Gli Sposi, 2005.
Giuseppe Fioroni, Gli Sposi, 2005.

Fioroni’s work has also been influenced by the mix of musicians who make the yearly pilgrimage from around the world to Perugia to participate and perform in the Umbria Jazz Festival.  His gallery in Perugia often hosts artists who visit the city.  In 2008, he was commissioned by the festival organizers to create the official Umbria Jazz poster for the celebration.  Much of his work reflects the influence of jazz in his life. Often, Fioroni will alternate between painting and playing music. “Painting serves my body,” Fioroni has said, “and music serves my spirit.”

Over the past 30 years, Fioroni’s vivid, original body of work has won him adoration, acclaim, and international renown, and we at Via Umbria are very proud to showcase his work in our Galleria. Over the years, Bill and Suzy have cultivated a special relationship with Giuseppe, and are thrilled to introduce him and his remarkable work to you.

Join us in for celebrating the work of Giuseppe Fioroni at our Gallery Opening on April 2nd from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. The event is free to the public, and light refreshments will be served. We hope to see you there!

 

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On Saturday, April 2nd, our sun-filled Galleria will open with an art exhibiti featuring the works of the celebrated Giuseppe Fioroni. Fioroni lives and works in ...

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Spaghetti (and Meatballs) at Via Umbria

Clint Eastwood3
Last month we inaugurated an entertaining evening activity that we call our “Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western” dinner-and-a-movie series. Held in our café, typically on the third Tuesday of each month, we screen a classic Italian spaghetti western on a big screen and serve a buffet dinner of fresh pasta with homemade meatballs and tomato sauce. Being an Italian festa, wine flows freely. We think it is a great way to escape and disconnect and enjoy yourself for an evening and we invite you to join us.

ForafewdollarsmoreLast month’s inaugural film was A Fistful of Dollars (“Per un Pugno di Dollari”), Sergio Leone’s classic that is widely credited with launching this unique genre of filmmaking. Seeking to revive the dying American Western, Leone, a fan of American westerns, “borrowed” a story from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurasawa, fusing elements from Dashiell Hammet’s Red Harvest and Venetian playwright/librettist Carlo Goldoni. The film, which launched the big screen career of Clint Eastwood, is pure Leone, though. Filmed in Spain and Rome’s Cinecitta studio, the incredibly violent, rough and politically incorrect film nonetheless sings. Literally. Many critics see Leone’s work as transforming the American “horse opera,” as Westerns were sometimes called, into Italian opera. Indeed, the soundtrack, written by Ennio Morricone, while sounding like anything but opera, with its whistles, gunshots and other unusual sound effects (one critic at the time described the music as “a rattlesnake in a drum kit”), was written for the most part before filming began, with Leone directing the action to fit to the music, rather than vice versa.

In order to broaden their appeal to the American market, the first spaghetti westerns were released in America in “Americanized” versions. Leone’s name appeared as director Bob Robertson and Morricone as Dan Savio. Later works in the “Dollars Trilogy” (For a Few Dollars More – “Per Qualche Dollar in Piu” and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly –“il buono, il brutto, il cattivo“) were released under the director’s real name, thus bringing out of the shadows the Italian angle of the spaghetti western.

TheyCallMeTrinityPosterWhile we will be showing the other films in the “Dollars Trilogy” on future Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western nights, this month we turn our attention to a later representative of the genre. Released in 1970 (the “Dollars” trilogy premiered in 1964, 1965 and 1966) our next film – They Call Me Trinity (“Lo Chiamavano Trinita”) represents an attempt to refresh the genre, which by the 1970’s was beginning to lose steam. Enter Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer, an Italian acting duo (Hill’s real name is Mario Giroti) who starred in a number of spaghetti westerns and other action films and who became two of the most famous international film stars of their era. Their “Trinity” series (They Call Me Trinity and Trinity is Still My Name) are perhaps the duo’s most famous, and are considered more comedic and lighthearted than the original wave of westerns. Hill also received acclaim in My Name is Nobody, another spaghetti western that he stars in opposite Henry Fonda. Hill is still popular today, playing Don Matteo, a crime fighting Catholic priest in a popular Italian television series of the same name since 2000. That series, set in Umbria afforded Suzy and me the opportunity to meet Terrence Hill, as a scene from Don Matteo was being filmed outside our friend Simone’s restaurant in Bevagna one Saturday afternoon several years ago. Taking a break from the filming, Hill joined us at our table on Simone’s terrace, enjoying a bite to eat as he told us of his love for the Boston Red Sox (he was wearing a Sox cap to protect him from the sun, which looked great in his priest’s robes!).

Logo_Don_Matteo_9

We invite you to join us this Tuesday for a screening of My Name is Trinity and to enjoy a delicious buffet spaghetti dinner, complete with salad and garlic bread, in our café. Dinner is served at 7:30 and the film will screen at 7:45. The cost is $25 per person and includes wine.

And if you can’t make it this Tuesday (or even if you can), please join us Tuesday, April 19 for a screening of For a Few Dollars More, the second of the “Dollars” trilogy, also starring Clint Eastwood and featuring a brilliant performance by Lee Van Cleef. And be sure to visit our events calendar to view our upcoming Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Westerns. We look forward to seeing you and spending a thoroughly enjoyable evening with you.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

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Last month we inaugurated an entertaining evening activity that we call our “Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western” dinner-and-a-movie series. Held in our café, ...

Dinner, Food & Drink, Home and Abroad, Italy @ Home, Lunch, On the Table, Tastes of Italy
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In Search of the Perfect Ham

In my first blog post, I mentioned an aged country ham from southern Virginia. I was referring to the sublime Surryano Ham by Edwards Virginia Smokehouse. The name is a pun on the Serrano hams of Spain and the smokehouse’s location in Surry, Virginia, only a stone’s throw from the origin of the famed (and now mass-produced) Smithfield Hams.

This hickory-smoked ham is designed to be sliced thin and eaten raw like prosciutto or jamón. But the Surryano is even smokier even than the Südtiroler Speck (Speck Alto Adige) that we carry regularly. Despite the reputation that American cured meats are inferior to their European counterparts, chefs across the nation agree that this ham rivals any other prosciutto. Furthermore, Edwards Virginia Smokehouse embodies what we so value about Italian cuisine: attention to locality and quality. Edwards uses locally raised heritage breed hogs, as Italians have done for centuries, to create products that Americans have been making for centuries.

The famous Surryano Ham.
The famous Surryano Ham.

Now comes the sad part: in mid-January, Edwards Virginia Smokehouse burned down, losing all of its inventory. The Surryano Ham, which must be aged for two years, will not return for a while.

Here at Via Umbria, I originally wanted to carry an American ham as a point of comparison to our Italian prosciutto crudos. I began digging thorugh laods of ham literature, so looking for a ham that could live up to Surryano’s legacy. I found a few promising producers and reached out for samples. The first, Colonel Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Hams, responded the same day with a personal call from the owner, Nancy Newsom Mahaffey. The Newsom family has been making country hams commercially for several generations, and the family tradition goes even further back.

Nancy's Preacher Ham.
Nancy’s Preacher Ham.

I decided on two hams, both of which are now in our case at Via Umbria. The BBQ Ham is a cooked ham which Nancy calls a “Preacher Ham,” because you only want the best for the preacher on Sundays! It’s a smoky deli ham that’s great solo and would send you to the moon in a sandwich. We also stocked up on prosciutto. This is a dry cured country ham, cold-smoked, and aged breathing the open air of Kentucky! Its not quite as in-your-face smoky as the Surryano, but still amazing. We’re talking a complex balance of sweet and salty, of smoky and porky. It’s a testament to what American curing traditions can achieve—and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The “Preacher Ham” is the first (and only) American ham on display in Spain’s Museo del Jamón. Nancy was the first American and the first woman to be invited to the World Congress of Dry Cured Hams. This “prosciutto” is really something to behold, and I’m really excited to work directly with a producer with such high attention to tradition and quality.

 

Scott Weiss

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In my first blog post, I mentioned an aged country ham from southern Virginia. I was referring to the sublime Surryano Ham ...

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Dishing With Chef Jennifer McIlvaine

Acclaimed chef Jennifer McIlvaine has lead a whirlwind of dinners and cooking classes this week at Via Umbria as part of our Terre Margaritelli Takeover. Today, we sat down to chat about camp grills, eno-gastronomic tours, and her transcontinental culinary journey.

How did you get your start as a chef?

Like most people, I started out working in French-based restaurants. Eventually, I worked at an Italian restaurant in Seattle, and then opened a street food business called Bruschettina. This was way before all of the food trucks. I was one of the first people doing street food in Seattle.

What made you decide to do that?

People would go to these hip, chic farmer’s markets all over Seattle to buy organic produce, but there was nothing to eat at the markets except hotdogs and crepes. So I had this idea to cook at farmer’s markets. I would get vegetables from the farmers, bread from the organic bread guys, and then I’d make toppings. I had camp grills, so I would toast the bread and then list the toppings on a little chalkboard saying where I got all the ingredients. It was huge, actually.

Jennifer working the camp grills.
Jennifer working the camp grills.

How did you get from Seattle to Italy?

While I was doing Bruschettina, I won an internship through the women’s chef association to work on an agriturismo in Tuscany. While I was there I would cook private dinners, which is how I met my husband, Federico. Like any good Umbrian, he was like, “No, you can’t be in Tuscany! Come to Umbria!” So on the weekend I would visit him and meet various producers. Then he worked a lot in Seattle after I went back, and eventually we moved to Umbria.

This way for Umbrian agriturismo !
This way to an Umbrian agriturismo !

And that’s when you started working at Il Bacco Felice in Foglino.

Right. I worked for a very well-known chef Salvatore Denaro. It was a crazy learning experience. I had to jump into the Italian way of cooking, which is completely different. Half the time, Salvatore would lay out ingredients and I just had to magically know what to do with them. And I didn’t know! I had no idea. And I didn’t speak the language. But that’s also where I learned how to work a fire grill. We don’t have those in the States unless you’re camping! It was great. After working there on and off for about a year, I opened up my own restaurant, Trattoria Basiliko.

What was that like?

My partner was a woman who had a restaurant around the corner in Foglino. I was in the kitchen and she was in the front of the house. We ran that for about two years. but we both got pregnant at about the same time, so that was the end of that.

How did you get into leading eno-gastronomic tours?

It started very organically. About a year after my daughter was born, somebody was visiting and asked me to to take them to a farm, because when I had my restaurant I was one of the few people who actually went to the farms to buy the meat and produce. Then somebody else asked me to do a cooking class. It started slowly, through word of mouth, and just kind of took off. When people rent villas, especially Bill and Suzy’s house, I cook for them and teach cooking classes. I also do food and wine tours of the area. Lots of cycling, hiking, horseback riding. It’s active stuff, but there’s always food and wine involved. So maybe after cycling, there’s a picnic lunch in the middle of the valley, or after horseback riding we have lunch at Federico’s winery.

The perfect spot for a late lunch.
The perfect spot for a late lunch.

How do you like to cook at home?

We live in the center of an old medieval town, so we have a fireplace in the middle of our kitchen. In the winter, it’s going all the time. I do a lot of cooking on the fireplace … meat, fish … I’ve done pasta over the fire. It’s not easy, but it’s great if you have time.

Learn the tricks of the trade from Jennifer before she leaves town at our Hands On Pizza Party this Sunday! And if you’d like to meet her in Umbria, you’re always welcome to stay at the Via Umbria villa.

 

 

Jennifer's culinary journey Read more

Acclaimed chef Jennifer McIlvaine has lead a whirlwind of dinners and cooking classes this week at Via Umbria as part of our Terre Margaritelli ...

Entertain, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, Home and Abroad, Italy @ Home, On the Table, People, Tastes of Italy, Wine
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Wine Wednesday

Nestled in the verdant, rolling hills of Umbria, the Terre Margaritelli estate was founded in 1950 by Fernando Margaritelli. The Torgiano vineyard simply produced grapes until 2005, when Fernando’s grandson met winemaker Federico Bibi. Soon, they were working to transform Terre Margaritelli into one of Umbria’s premiere organic wineries.

In preparation for Via Umbria’s Terre Margaritelli Winemaker Dinner this Saturday, we sat down with Federico to learn what the winery is all about.

“The idea,” Federico explains, “is to produce innovative wines without losing the tradition and the history.”

Umbria is a farming region known as the green heart of Italy. “Fifty, seventy years ago we were very poor,” Federico says. “The wine was not just a drink — it was actually a big part of the meal. Wine was the easiest and cheapest way to add calories to a meal, which would often be lentil soup, or chickpeas, and sometimes bread.” The region’s naturally sharp, acidic wines, Federico notes, were also used to disinfect drinking water.

A snapshot of the harvest at Terre Margaritelli.
A snapshot of the harvest at Terre Margaritelli.

As winemaker, Federico makes sure that Terre Margaritelli’s selection is both accessible and in keeping with Umbrian tradition. “We have very interesting blends. All of our wines are easy to drink, no matter the structure. I say I love to make complex wines, not complicated wines, because I love to finish the bottle.”

The grechetto, a Terre Margaritelli specialty, is the traditional white grape of Umbria. It’s an acidic, alcoholic grape without many perfumes. “Many people ask me, ‘then why do you use it?'” laughs Federico. “It’s considered indigenous, and in Umbria you will find it everywhere. Its beauty is in its strength.”

The grechetto is used to make Terre Margaritelli’s Greco di Renabianca, a rich, full-bodied white which ages for 3 months in oak barrels, called barriques, and then at least a year longer in the bottle, which balances the wood with the strength of the grape. In turn, the wood gives the wine a hint of perfume.

Wine barrels made of French oak.
Wine barrels made of French oak.

To develop the barriques, “we went to twenty different forests in France and tried out the wood from each one,” Federico recalls. “And now we have barrels made of French oak from the forest of Bertrange. It’s a very old forest, and a very light wood.” The oak barrels help to mitigate, but never dilute, the strength of the grape. They also allow the wine to maintain a low level of oxidation and remain fresh.

From start to finish, the Terre Margaritelli process is marked by a tireless commitment to vision. The vineyard’s organic farming methodologies are developed with extensive research. “We don’t fertilize the soil. We will grow fava beans to replenish nutrients and rest the fields, but we don’t need to add anything to the ground. It’s already there. We start from the vines. It’s just about the grape.”

A Terre Margaritelli tell-all with Federico Read more

Nestled in the verdant, rolling hills of Umbria, the Terre Margaritelli estate was founded in 1950 by Fernando Margaritelli. The Torgiano vineyard simply produced grapes until 2005, when Fernando's ...

Comings & Goings, Events, Experience Italy, Home and Abroad, Italy @ Home, On the Table, Tastes of Italy
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Talking Olive Oil with Expert Federico Bibi

In late 2015, scandal rocked the Italian olive oil industry. An anti-fraud investigation found that several major olive oil companies were passing off low-quality oil as extra virgin, and charging customers accordingly. Wondering what all the fuss is about? We sat down with visiting olive oil expert Federico Bibi of Trampetti Olio to figure out the difference between extra virgin and everything else.

“Extra virgin olive oil is mechanically extracted olive oil. There are no chemicals involved in the process,” Federico explains. “It’s very simple.”  Farmers harvest the olives and bring them to a mill, where they’re pitted and smashed. The resulting pulp is processed first in a centrifuge that divides solids and liquids, and then again in another centrifuge that separates water from oil.

“If chemicals are involved in any part of this process … like, to make the oil easier to extract, or if there is heat involved … it’s not extra virgin olive oil,” Federico clarifies.

Trampetti, Federico’s small olive oil company, has done things the extra virgin way since the beginning. In 1999, while studying at university, Federico and his friend Massimo wanted to get into the food and wine industry. But wine was tricky. “Growing the vines … it’s complicated,” Federico says. “For olive oil, it’s much easier. You need olive trees, then you process the olives, and you get the oil.”

A view from the Trampetti olive grove.
A view from the Trampetti olive grove.

The flip side? “Earning money from olive oil … it’s really, really hard. The process is very expensive. Sixty percent of the production cost of olive oil is just about harvest,” he laughs.

Growers have several options when it comes to harvesting their crop, but not all are methods are created equal. “Basically, you can decide to pick the olives at peak harvest,” Federico elaborates. “You can do that when olives are still green, but harder to harvest, or you can wait till they are more mature, which is much easier. The same person in the same season can harvest almost double the quantity in one day just because the olives are more mature.” This route cuts production costs in half.

Even more cost-effective is the popular approach of stretching nets under the trees and waiting for the olives to fall. “That costs nothing,” Federico smiles. “But here is an example I use all the time when I do olive oil tastings: would you prefer to eat an apple straight from the tree when it’s nice and perfectly mature, or from the tree when it’s overly mature, or from the ground?”

Trampetti does things the hard way, and harvests olives at their freshest. “Our focus is to make an olive oil with the maximum amount of antioxidants,” Federico notes. This makes Trampetti olive oil healthier, and gives it a longer shelf life.

Via Umbria is flush with Trampetti.
Via Umbria is flush with Trampetti.

“The flavor is damaged by oxidation, so a high level of antioxidants means the flavor will stay.” With Trampetti olive oil, “whatever you get in January will be the same in June, or September.” But that’s not common among other brands. “Too often, people will buy oil that stays good for 3, 4, maybe 6 months, then loses its flavor and starts to become sweet.”

Trampetti’s product, of course, costs more than the average $7.00 bottle at the supermarket. “It’s very important to explain to people why there is such a big difference in price for different olive oils,” Federico adds. At Trampetti, quality isn’t compromised to slash retail prices.

But all this is just the tip of the olive branch. Learn more on Wednesday, February 24th at 7 pm for a guided olive oil tasting with Federico himself. See you then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's very simple Read more

In late 2015, scandal rocked the Italian olive oil industry. An anti-fraud investigation found that several major olive oil companies were passing off low-quality oil as ...