Abandoning Wall Street for the Love of Food

Wall Street professionals who are fed up with their careers and fascinated by food and wine applied for jobs at EATALY.

Eataly, NY

For the people who do not know – Eataly is a 50,000-square-foot space brought to New Yorkers by three of the top Italian-American restaurateurs in the Nation: Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio. Founded by Oscar Farinetti, and located in the lobby of the Toy Building (200 Fifth Ave. between 23rd and 24th streets) in the Flatiron District, Eataly features multiple restaurants, including a fine dining Italian steakhouse called Manzo, a Neapolitan pizzeria, and a year round rooftop beer garden and microbrewery (*Which is set to open to the public in November), a cooking school, and retail stores.

According of Oscar Farinetti, the founder: “Two boys, with a degree in communications, came to me in Turin demanding work. I said I have nothing here, but I'm opening a large complex in New York, an emporium of high quality food and seven restaurants. I need someone who can make cheese by hand. If you learn, the place is yours. They started running. I sent them in Andria , have been there for two months. "

This reaffirms my belief that one should be a jack of all trades. To me, an educated person is -
A person who can think with their mind and work with their hands.

I think I'll go to make fresh mozzarella now. 

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCnVyrZ1s2M

Welcome to Cheap Globalization!

In the late 60's and 70's, the beauty and quality of “Made in Italy” meant: fine materials, extraordinary workmanship and proud store owners.

Pure linen tablecloth and napkins

Pure linen hand towels

What a shame that some of Italy’s greatest traditional handiwork, not to mention their elegant taste, is fast disappearing and going the way of cheap globalization.

Photo from the NY Times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/world/europe/13prato.html?scp=1&sq=%22Made%20in%20Italy%22&st=cse

A Crochet Bedspread in my Italian Trunk - Il Copriletto all'uncinetto nel mio Baule

Few days ago, I decided to crack one of my two Italian trunks open and live a little.

Italian trunk (baule) brought to this country in 1955

Shipping tag - Naples to NY



I have been married 52 years and have owned this crochet bedspread for 50 years or more. It was part of my trousseau (corredo) together with other treasurables.

 Crochet bedspread - Copriletto all'uncinetto

It took my mother 5 years to complete this bedspread utilizing many summer afternoons, skilled hands and lot of ecru thread..a lot of work..a lot of love. When I got married, I found the bedspread to be old fashioned, fussy and not useful. Not practical but yet very pretty. And really, it’s a treasure. An heirloom practically and too good to use every day. So, I have never used it. I decided to save it for a really special occasion.

The years went by. My husband and I moved from a double bed, to a queen sized bed, to a king. Children were born. More years go by.  Lots of them.  The children moved out and married. My mother is no longer here.

                                                                                          Crochet pillows

More years go by.  Until, finally last week, getting ready for very special houseguests - I decided to use the crochet bedspread. It has been waiting fifty years for my Real Life to begin.

Pecorino Cheese from ABRUZZO - Formaggio Pecorino d'Abruzzo

My husband just flew back from Abruzzo yesterday.  He was given this cheese by a relative who lives in Castelli (Teramo).

Pecorino d'Abruzzo - Artisan sheeps' cheese

I just could not wait to taste it.  Simply GUSTOSO!

Pecorino cheese from Tornareccio (CH)

When my relatives ask me what do I want from Italy - my answer is Cheese from Abruzzo.

Some sites and sounds of a pastoral life in Abruzzo.   Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/12721628

 di maurizio casalini

Gearing Up for the Home Winemaking Season (Vino Fatto in Casa)

It's great to see that home winemaking remains alive and well.

Oak barrels (Botte)

Today, many Italian-American old-timers make wine in garages and basements from grapes trucked from California.

Home winemaking is an important pursuit among Italian-Americans in many US cities with a sizable Italian community.

Winemaking is such an important part of the Italian community that many cities support several winemaking supply shops, wine competitions etc.

In addition to the raw materials (the pre-pressed must or the whole bunches of grapes), these winemaking supply stores sell the entire range of home winemaking supplies - different sizes of oak barrels going up to a capacity of 50 gallons, demijohns (damigiani) in case one prefers to ferment in glass, small basket presses, grinders and so on.

                                                                                        Grape Press (Pressa)

Whether you’re driven by quality, quantity or efficiency — or by the high-tech joy of using the latest home winemaking toy — these stores will help you decide what to buy. They will help you sift through the overabundance of specialized winemaking equipment to find tools and gadgets that match your budget, annual wine production and goals.

Corks in all shapes and sizes (Suri)

   

 We will be making our wine in a few weeks.  Stay tuned....

alla SALUTE!!

ITALIANS and Their Fig Trees

What was the obsession of Italian immigrants growing trees in this part of the country where the climate is inhospitable to figs?  I believe it was a symbol of cultural identity.

Mid-July

My parents’ fig tree was brought here illegally by my father in 1957 despite the risk of being confiscated and fined. I guess he was trying hard to smuggle a little dream of Abruzzese sweetness into a cold Northeastern climate.

August - Our first harvest

He nurtured it like a baby. In late fall, he would tie the branches of the fig tree and wrap it snugly with a huge blanket of leaves. Then, cover it with old rugs and plastic to further shield it from the winter’s harshness. 

The fig tree outlived my father and now we carry on the legacy of nurturing the tree.  The reward for this care is worth the minimal effort. In late August, after eating a fig right off the tree - honey like and fragile – it is easy to understand why someone would try so hard to grow a Mediterranean tree under such unfriendly conditions.

A delicious obsession

Today, our children have their own little fig tree.  For us, it signifies family unity, strength and perseverance.

Under the PERGOLA - Sotto la Pergola

For my parents and many Italian immigrants, dining al fresco meant home-made pizzas, home-made wine and long chats under the shade of a pergola (a practical and affordable garden structure).

Family and Friends Easter 1974


Dining al fresco, also meant whole families gathering under the pergola in the summer to enjoy a meal and on occasion reaching upward for a bunch of plumb grapes for dessert.

Entertaining Italian Relatives 1981


This pergola  was built by my father in 1965.  It was built with old scrap tubing which he carried home piece by piece since he did not drive.

Today, the simple charcoal grill on the patio or the shade created by a hand-made pergola is no longer enough to provide the entertaining atmosphere some of us are looking for.  Now-a-days people are looking for that WOW factor that can not be found with the styles of the past.

Charcoal grills

Today, dining al fresco has translated into furnishings that create outdoor living spaces. Our backyards have become kitchens, fire pits for kids to toast marshmallows and eating areas with cushioned chairs and mosquito-zapping lamps.

WOW outdoor spaces

My parents' Pergola


Today, my parents are gone to a better place but their pergola lives on quietly but full of memories.


Will these WOW, outdoor spaces create memories that warm the heart?

Dialect Abruzzese for Under the Pergola is Sotto la Capanna. 
I invite to listen to the music of  N'duccio" called "Sotto La Capanna" on YouTube