“Per me è un ritorno emozionante e necessario. Una sorta di sogno nel cassetto”. Non ha saputo resistere al fascino di Venezia, lo chef Fabio Traboccchi, che dopo oltre 20 anni di base a Washington e 6 ristoranti aperti negli States (sotto il nome Fiola e Sfoglina), ha accettato la sfida: ritornare in Italia per occuparsi del ristorante Dopolavoro (diventato Fiola anch’esso) dell’hotel Jw Marriott sull’Isola delle Rose.
Source: Ristoranti d’hotel a Venezia: Fiola at Dopolavoro – Gambero Rosso
The latest data on Italian wine exports show that they have not been able to break the threshold of six billion euros in value. But even at 5.989 billion euros they were a good result compared to 5.623 billion euros in 2016, representing an increase of around 6%. On the downside, if there is one, is that the lion’s share continues to go to the three leading importers of Italian wine: the United States, Germany and Britain that continue to account for 53% of exports. Downside because the prospects are not good, in a least two of them, due to Brexit and the protectionist policies of the Trump Administration.
Source: Italian wine exports: numbers and considerations | DoctorWine
Vinitaly, Italy’s annual wine and spirits trade fair, kicked off April 14 with OperaWine, a tasting presenting 107 of Italy’s top wine producers, selected by Wine Spectator.
Held at Verona’s historic Palazzo della Gran Guardia, the seventh edition of OperaWine drew more than 2,000 invited guests from around the world, including American restaurateur and vintner Joe Bastianich, and Argentina’s Alejandro Bulgheroni, who has recently amassed a stable of wine estates on four continents, including some Italian properties.
Source: Vinitaly Brings Italy’s Wine Superstars to Verona | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator
Balducci was born in Brooklyn but raised in Italy after his family moved back when he was two months old.
He returned to New York with his family in 1939, later serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II and participating in the D-Day invasion.
Source: Andrew Balducci, of the iconic NYC gourmet food store, dead at 92
It’s not a stretch to call Tony Vallone a Houston restaurant legend. For over 50 years, he’s been the powerhouse behind Tony’s, the swanky Italian restaurant that’s long been a staple for foodies and the see-and-be-seen crowd alike. He also founded Vallone’s steakhouse in the Memorial area and Ciao Bello near the Galleria. He also started La Grigilia and…
Source: Houston Restaurant Legend Tony Vallone Honored For Excellence In Italian Cuisine
It’s one of the hottest emerging new cuisines in Minnesota, but many already consider a classic. Italian-American food. Here’s where to find some great restaurants specializing in the cuisine around the Twin Cities.
Source: Appetites: Italian-American cuisine is back, here’s where to find it
Here, vines heavy with chardonnay, pinot nero, and pinot bianco grapes yield Italy’s most delicate sparkling wine, the namesake Franciacorta. With a second fermentation process similar to that of Champagne, Franciacorta is drier, yeastier, and more complex than Italy’s better-known bubbly, prosecco. Yet unlike France’s Champagne or Italy’s own Tuscany, the Franciacorta region is, in wine years, young; the first bottle of sparkler was corked in 1961. Perhaps because of its relative new-kid status, there’s a refreshing casualness to its wineries.
Source: A Guide to Franciacorta, Italy’s Most Chill Wine Region
In 2014, throughout Italy the summer never quite got up to speed. Instead of grape-ripening sun, northern vineyards especially were covered in clouds and rain, a lack of light and warmth that hit red wine places like Veneto’s Valpolicella hard. With the cool dampness came vine damage, destructive downy mildew and flavor-changing botrytis, the “noble rot” that’s a boon to nutty, honey’d wines like Sauternes and to be avoided for most makers of Valpolicella’s best known wine, hearty Amarone — a fermentation not of fresh grapes but of ones that undergo appassimento, the Italian winemaking technique of months-long air-drying harvested grapes that dates back to at least Roman times.
Source: Amarone Is Italy’s Great Meditation Wine: Its New Release Is For Thinking Livelier
Why is this controversy involving Eataly in Chicago continuing?
The advertisement placed in the window of the River North marketplace reportedly reads “BRING HOME AN ITALIAN, WORTH THE SMELL” in large print, followed by an image of white truffles.The sign, which some believe to be an offensive message about Italians, continues with smaller print, “Fresh white truffles are hunted in the wild forests of central Italy only a few months out of the year. Once you taste the aromatic tuber, you will want to bring this well-shaven Italian with you everywhere.”
Source: Group Calls For Firing Over Eataly’s ‘Bring Home an Italian’ Advertisement – NBC Chicago
Here’s a link to more details about additional offensive ads used by Eataly Chicago, including: “BRING HOME AN ITALIAN, GREAT LEGS, BETTER BODY,” a sign displaying wine, and “BRING HOME AN ITALIAN, THE NEW HUNK IN TOWN,” advertising salami.
Photo credit Lou Foglia, Chicago Tribune
“This area is akin to Sonoma twenty years ago,” travel writer Mark Ellwood declared in Conde Nast Traveler. Almost every inch of the narrow, meandering stretch, called La Strada del Prosecco in Italian, is surrounded by vines. Pedestrians and cyclists share passage with cars and Vespas as the road winds between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, passing some 175 wineries along the way. Everyone is heading to a winery to drink Prosecco or a local restaurant to relax over a three-hour dinner.
Source: A Three-Day Trek Along Prosecco Road Is Italy’s Bubbliest, Best-Kept Secret | VinePair
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/viaggioroutard/
Franco Nuschese, president of Georgetown Entertainment Group LLC, and owner of Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., will be honored at the National Italian American Foundation’s (NIAF) 40th Anniversary Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. Nuschese will receive the NIAF 40th Anniversary Award for Leadership and
Franco Nuschese
Service on October 17, 2015, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park. The black-tie event begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception followed by dinner and an awards ceremony.
Honorees joining Nuschese include Amato L. Berardi, founder of Berardi & Associates Inc., and former member of the Italian Parliament; Richard E. Caruso, Ph.D., founder and director of Integra
LifeSciences; Connie Francis, Italian American music legend; Mario Gabelli, founder, chairman and CEO of GAMCO Investors Inc.; Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.; Steve Perillo, president and owner of Perillo Tours; and Alfred M. Rotondaro, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former NIAF executive director; and Josephine J. (Gargiulo) Templeton, M.D., trustee of the John Templeton Foundation.
Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, Nuschese began his professional career in marketing in London and Las Vegas. From 1983 to 1991, he managed restaurants for Caesars Palace and later opened two restaurants at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino. Nuschese arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1991 and was general manager for the Italian restaurant, Bice. A year later, Nuschese opened Cafe Milano, using his marketing background to propel the restaurant to top-ranked status. In addition to serving as president of Georgetown Entertainment Group LLC providing professional services focused on public relations, strategy, marketing and organization, Nuschese is president of Capital Wines LLC, a producer of fine Italian wines. One of his personal achievements was hosting a lunch for Pope Benedict XVI’s 81st birthday at the Vatican Embassy during the Pope’s visit to the nation’s capital.
Nuschese is active in organizations that support Italian culture in America. He serves on the boards of the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology; the Global Virus Network; the Georgetown University Italian Research Institute; and the Atlantic Council. He also contributes to Spanish Catholic Charities, and to events benefiting American military troops and veterans.
Besides NIAF’s distinguished honorees, celebrities and entertainment take center stage during NIAF Gala Weekend to celebrate a milestone in its history. As part of NIAF’s lineup of celebrities, actors Danny Aiello, Chazz Palminteri and Annabella Sciorra; singer and songwriter Giada Valenti; performer Tom Sinatra; The Washington Chorus; The Sicilian Tenors, Aaron Caruso, Elio Scaccio and Sam Vitale, will join Il Volo’s Piero Barone and Ignazio Boscetto, and Gianluca Ginoble, as part of the weekend performances.
NIAF Board Member and Emmy Award-winning Fox News Anchor and Global Markets Editor Maria Bartiromo and SNL legend, NIAF Celebrity Ambassador, actor, entertainer and radio host Joe Piscopo will co-host one of the most popular galas in our nation’s capital. To open the weekend festivities on Friday evening, October 16, Piscopo and celebrity guests will celebrate Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday and honor the legacy of Sinatra with the crooner’s celebrated melodies from his songbook.
NIAF’s 40th Anniversary Weekend is presented by Alitalia, the airline that brings the best of Italy to the world. Tickets to Saturday’s Gala begin at $400 per person. Young professional tickets cost $200 per person available only by phone. Tickets to Friday evening’s celebration of Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday cost $200 per person. Proceeds benefit NIAF’s educational programs. For tickets or sponsor information, contact Jerry Jones at 202-387-0600 or jerry@niaf.org, or register online at https://www.niaf.org/40.
Nigellissima, like the Italian cooking from which it takes its inspiration, is a celebration of food that is fresh, delicious, and unpretentious. Here Nigella Lawson serves up 120 straightforward and mouthwatering recipes that are quick and easy yet elevate weeknight meals into no-fuss feasts.
“It was when I was sixteen or seventeen that I decided to be Italian. Not that it was a conscious decision . . . No: I simply felt drawn to Italy,” writes Nigella. And so it was that before she was a Food Network star and bestselling cookbook author, Nigella found her way to Florence, where she learned to cook like an Italian. Indeed, Italian cooking is trademark Nigella: light on touch but robust with flavor.
With beautiful color photographs to inspire, Nigellissima has all the hallmarks of traditional Italian fare in its faithfulness to the freshest ingredients and simplest methods. From pasta and meat to fish, vegetables, and, of course, dolci, this cook’s tour has something for every mood, season, and occasion: Curly-Edged Pasta with Lamb Ragu is the perfect salve for a winter’s night, while tangy and light Spaghettini with Lemon and Garlic Breadcrumbs takes just minutes to prepare. Meatzza, the favorite at Nigella’s table, is a meatball mixture pressed into a pan and finished with traditional Margherita ingredients—or whatever you may have on hand. And the versatile Baby Eggplant with Oregano and Red Onion works beautifully as a starter or side or as dinner sprinkled with ricotta salata or crumbled feta. Here, too, are Green Beans with Pistachio Pesto, Roast Butternut with Sage and Pine Nuts, and fluffy Mascarpone Mash, Nigella’s twist on mashed potatoes. Never an afterthought, Nigella’s low-maintenance “sweet things” include Instant Chocolate-Orange Mousse; light, doughnut-like Sambuca Kisses; and One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream, to name just a few.
Nigella believes that every ingredient must earn its place in a recipe, and she gives tips and techniques for making the most of your time in the kitchen. For example, a stash of sweet vermouth saves you from opening a bottle when you need just a splash. If a recipe calls for the juice of a lemon, Nigella uses the zest, too—that’s where its force and fragrance lie. She guides you to stocking your pantry with a few supermarket ingredients and shows you how to make the most of them for spontaneous meals that taste boldly Italian.
Nigellissima is a love letter to the pleasures of cooking—and eating—the way Italians do. With a nod to the traditional but in Nigella’s trademark style, here are recipes that excite the imagination without stressing the cook.
