Holidays..

As you may or may not know, my birthday comes in the month of June and what better way to spend the time than to head to the Italian Riviera with some friends! The photo is of my friends Maria (via Ecuador) and Giovanni (Via Mexico) at the harbor in the town of Imperia. Though I would have enjoyed a smaller town, the summer months on the Riviera require much more planning that we did, either way we had a great time, had a lovely meal at Hosteria (sorry no web site, but well worth asking about) and then danced the night away at a private Discoteca that played some fantastic music. The 5 KM walk to and from the hotel helped as well!

Aside from the break for my birthday adventures, school is going well and we have spent most of the last week in enology classes, which for me and all of my fellow wine lovers has been a true treat! The wines of Italy vary in the complexity and charm, many of which bring some familiarity but n the whole I have been able to taste and learn about many that we do not yet see in the US. Our Sommelier/Instructor, "Johnny", speaks with such passion and has a vast knowledge and deep understanding that it makes being in his classes a true treat.

Tomorrow we hand in our forms as to the location we would like to be in as well as the food we would like to work with for our 4 month Externship/Stage. It is with some hesitation that I move in this direction, as my Italian has not progressed at the speed with which it should have and my understanding and knowledge of a working kitchen is not the same as my fellow students. I'll take it day by day though until I learn where I will be, the type of kitchen and the area and then decide how strongly I feel about making the commitment to move forward in a kitchen. More to come on that.

Our classes end here in Castigliole on July 21st, it is with some bit of sadness that I think about moving away from our small group of 8. We are a diverse group of folks and have had a really great connection together in the short month and a half we have been here. As an elder of this group it has been a treat to watch these young people and their enthusiasm for their careers in a kitchen. It would be a great to see more people be able to step back and focus on something that is a passion rather than just a career, I envy that excitement and am delighted to be a part of it and learn from it.

More to come, thank you all for your love and support.

Much Love,

Satya

It’s been an interesting and exciting last few weeks here in Castgilole. Classes have started to take a turn for the better as we are now spending more and more time in the kitchen individually rather than watching one of the chefs prepare the recipes. I’d like to think that my skill set in the kitchen is also improving as many of these recipes are new to me and a few of the ingredients as well. I’ve seen ways to make Risotto that I may not have tapped into before, found that if push comes to shove I could make my own past if I wanted to and not rely on a machine and have a new found appreciation in the fine world of patience to achieve quality.

Though I am far from a vegetarian, when a course on fish came around and we were asked to gut, filet, cook and then eat this pour little trout, I was almost pushed to the other side. I’ll chalk that up to experience and pray to the gods above that the Piemonte’s love of Cogniglio (rabbit) does not make its way to my cutting board anytime soon.

Outside of the battle with the heart over the life of the trout, we have had some time in the kitchen making fresh breads, focaccia, pizza, hand made pasta, dry pasta and some very delicious soups. For added proof that the world as we know it truly is much smaller than we can imagine, the man that came down from Laggo Maggiore for our Olive Oil tasting also happens to be very good friends with the owner of Corti Brothers in Sacramento, a store that I spent far more money and time at than I should have. Check out his oils if you can, they are pretty tasting and good for both cooking as well as dressings, www.frantoiomancianti.com. Oh and his operation is established on Laggo Trasimeno, where we spent a glorious time in a Villa on the hills.

Due to the location of our castle in the clouds, making trips can be a challenge as we really have only Saturday and Sunday. We have however managed to find some pretty amazing towns, festivals and other events in and around Castigliole. One such event was a “beer festival” in this very, very small town of Neive. Though the festival did not bring the much anticipated hopes of new and locally made beers, it was beautiful just the same and we were entertained by a local rock band, that though they were not so good, we’re great to watch and great to see all of the locals signing along. Due to Neives proximity to some of the better grape growing towns in Piemonte, it has taken on the title of “the 4 wines land”, it is very worthy of a trip if you enjoy wine or gourmet Pieomonte foods. Though we did not plan on staying for dinner, we did come across http://www.lalunanelpozzo-neive.it/eng/restaurant.htm and will be heading back to enjoy their delights!

Other side trips have lead to Alba and to Asti as well as to the town of Canelli last weekend. Canelli celebrates the 1613 Siege of Canelli this time each year, which brings thousands of tourists and all of the towns folk (as well as other supporting cast members) dress in period costumes and reenact the Siege, it was really pretty spectacular and I have a ton of photos should anyone desire to see them. This weekend a smaller group of us will be heading to Imperia on the Riviera for a birthday celebration, more details on that to come at another point.

Ciao!

Satya

Oh what a week it has been! My classes started this past Tuesday and require much time from us each day, but the rewards of some have been worth the wait. A day of regional bread making, gelati course, olive oil pairings and a wonderful guest chef by the name of Beppe Sardi who owns a lovely restaurant in Alessandro about 30 km from Castigliole. For those that are like me and enjoy cooking as a hobby, this program will surely pay off, learning the Piemonte techniques and cooking with such quality fresh ingredients will be palate pleasers for sure. For those of my fellow classmates who work in kitchens or are in school, the challenge may not present itself until later on in the program. The last four months of this program consist of an externship in a restaurant somewhere in Italy. We'll work with the school on areas of focus that better suite our desires, but during this stage we will be solo which for will be the true test of my communication skills. As we will now only be taking 3 hours a week of Italian rather than the hour a day I had read, it will be most interesting to see how that fairs in a kitchen where the staff generally speaks only Italian...:)
All in all I am delighted and pleased to have taken the time for this journey. Each day that we walk to our school which is housed in a 16th century castle, still feel surreal. I continue to be amazed at the beauty of this very small town and the rolling hills that surround the living spaces. Each view is new and exciting, full of beauty and splendor that I periodically feel I should pinch myself just to be sure it’s all real.
The people at the school come from a varying backgrounds and countries. I have 2 roommates from Tai Pei and one from Ecuador, the other students presently in programs are from Korea and Brazil, some of which work in kitchens others are in school and then there are a few of us that are here because of our passion for cooking and good food.
Outside of school I have had a bit of time for quick trips to Asti and to Alba, specializing respectively in the tortufa/Barola/Spumanti and Barbera. The food continues to exceed expectations, leading the pack would be a restaurant that we went to last evening in Alba (Dulcis Vitis) where we were treated to a 6 course meal with the chef, who produces much of the ingredients he uses or works with local farmers to buy specialty chesses or meets. Should any of you be traveling to this area, please go see Chef/Owner Bruno Cingolani and let him treat your palate to pleasant surprises.(www.dulcisvitis.it), better yet wait until October when he has daily specials using the white Tortufa...I know that I will be there.

Ciao!

Satya