Fit for a prince

My latest consulting job finds me working for a prince in a palace surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Among horses and children, fields of green grass and gardens, I am organizing traditional Tuscan gourmet picnics, lunches and cooking classes to …

Tuscany meets Maine

This will be my fourth summer in Maine. When I first set foot in Maine, two friends of mine, Berno and Laura Hamilton, welcomed me into their home, a cottage behind a row of pine trees off the Sommes Sound. Berno drove me …

Donald's lunchbox

I went downstairs to eat at Fuori Porta the other day and was lucky enough to find my friend Donald walking in the door with some free time for an aperitivo. We enjoy chatting about politics, the weather (and how Italians …

Belly full

My mother was pregnant with me the day her father took her to visit the kitchen of the cargo ship where he was working as the crew cook. My mother, being weak-stomached, immediately fell ill from the dense smell of paint, …

With a suitcase and a corkscrew

Of all tourists, wine tourists are among the most discerning, and Italy is hosting more and more of them, from all over the world. According to a report prepared by market researchers, Censis, and presented at Bit 2010, the International Tourism …

Spring peas, more please!

Fresh peas are the true sweet stars of this season! They begin to appear up now, with the first warm days after the rain. Bright green and tender, they are newborn peas with an irregular shape, some even pressed as they …

The kitchen garden

With spring well under way and with the puntarelle season now finished, it is time to start planting my garden for spring and summer fare: cetrioli, melanzane, pomodori, pomodorini, basilico, zucchine, cipolle rosse, and more.   When the plant seller I recently visited …

In Florence, vegetarians find a full plate of options

It was an unusually warm day in February when I set out with my two roommates in search of La Raccolta, a vegetarian restaurant and specialty store here in Florence. We headed east from the city center and walked arm-in-arm, passing …

Don Blanco & the sausage scandal

It seems that everybody is finally coming out of hibernation after a very long, very damp, cold winter in Florence (which even included a frosting of snow). However, although flowers are beginning to bloom and grass is beginning to send up …

Artichokes, again!

You know it is the last gasp of the artichoke season when the large, round, flat mammole and romani appear on the produce tables at the market. Mammole, the sweetest kind of artichoke, are purple with heart-shaped petals. Also the biggest …

Gastronauts, it's your weekend!

If you're planning to spend this weekend away from Florence, I highly recommend you cancel: those who consider themselves ‘gastronauts' shouldn't dare leave the city during the Taste food fair and its companion FuoriDiTaste event.   Taste has grown up, and today, in …

Straight to an artichoke's heart

This winter has been exceptionally long and cold, but sparks of spring are starting to sprinkle through the air. Flowers bloom and market stands become crowded with heaps and heaps of big, beautiful artichokes. Although an artichoke's consistency is fibrous and …

Know your roosters

‘Chianti,' one of the most famous words in the wine world today, is the source of much confusion. Maybe you tasted a great Chianti wine at a restaurant but when you later bought a bottle of Chianti, it just didn't taste …

Pure Tuscany: pappardelle al cinghiale

In New York, London or Auckland you may be served ‘Italian' food in which basil pesto, for example, has been added to, say, orecchiette pasta and semi-dried tomatoes. No such marriage of regional specialties would work here in Italy, however. And when you observe a …

Mid-winter pleasure: puntarelle

The holidays are over and we're midway into January. The month may be long and cold, but it is also the start of puntarelle season. I have only just discovered this vegetable, but, like someone in love, I don't remember what …