Buon anno nuove!
Its amazing how quickly the seasons change......my last blog was during crush in September. It actually came early this year with an early frost, we're all hoping for a lovely 2008 vintage despite the quick change in weather. The winter has been mild since our early cold beginning. I think we'd all like to see some more rain.
So much has happened since I last wrote. We're going on our Italy tour in march, taking a group to Valpolicella, Prosecco Road, Bardolino, Friuli and Vin Italy 2009 (a very large trade show in Verona). The planning has begun and we are molti contenti! I'll keep everyone posted on where we plan to go in detail.....then write about the journey in real time.
We've started our 'No Menu~No Corkage Mondays' to invite the local community to join us on Monday nights. We actaully set up one large table and eat, drink and celebrate life! It has become a night we all look forward to and it reminds me so very much of Italy. The spirit, the energy, the communing!
We've had some rough times, too, at Bocconato. A pipe burst in December, just before Christmas, and flooded the restaurant. We've managed to pull through and keep moving forward! Its amazing what teamwork can accomplish, how hard times can help a marriage become stronger, and how our AMAZING PIONEER volunteer firefighters came through. This small town is magical.....everyone should come here and experience this energy.
We've also had an employee leave this winter and post unkind reviews about us that we can't do anything about apparently. So, I must rise above the nonsense and remember that First Amendment is a good thing, even when it affects kind people in a not-so-nice way. I'm hoping that some of our customers who love us and know what we're about, who understand our vision for food, for community, for creating something from a spiritual and genuine place; will also take the time to post their positive experiences at Bocco. Maybe it will help counteract some of the ugliness.
Until next time.....happy January! Look for our upcoming cooking classes and Valentine's Day Dinner~ Which must be spent in an Italian restaurant, since St. Valentine is from Umbria, Italy, afterall. We'll do some special menu items! How fun and romantic! Wishing you the best until next time.....ci parliamo presto!
Ciao, ciao! Sheri
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friday, September 12, 2008
Great Italian Food
Giovanni is working on a menu for DK Cellars upcoming Winemaker Dinner........we'll start with Sauvignon Blanc paired with crab and avocado timbale, goat cheese and fennel pollen and daikon radish spring rolls...........
He's thinking about pairing their cab with roasted red beet ravioli...their merlot with Biellese, Piemonte 'Capunet'....rolls of swiss chard stuffed with pork and herb. Dessert hasn't yet been decided, but I think it will be either pine nut torta or a fruit torta with dessert Semillon. Our winemaker dinners will be the first Thursday of every month. I'm thinking we need to be a little more creative with our Thursday nights.....vino and cibo...cibo and vino, I don't know- just something a little more catchy than winemaker dinner.
It's Friday night at Bocconato.....the beginning of grape harvest in beautiful Fair Play, CA has begun.....the evening air is reminding me of fall and definitely of Italy. We leave every year in mid-October for Italy to find new wines, recipes, restaurants and truffles.....Bocconato Trattoria keeps us here for now. It's okay with me, this endeavor is a good one......most everyone that has passed through our doors thus far is amazed by Giovanni's cuisine....he's been compared to Thomas Keller, he's earning the reputation of changing people's souls through food.......
Through this entire restaurant-opening process, I've learned about the incredible learning curve in the process, I've learned about the sheer number of hours required to make it all a go....but mostly I've learned that Giovanni creates magic around him....that I am humbled by this process that has taken on a life of its own and I am in the middle of it all.
Michael, our most amazing lead server, is training Tracie tonight.....who has worked at amazing restaurants throughout Northern California, including Gary Danko, Ghiribaldi's, Masque. I can't believe what's happening here.......I try to visualize this massive quantum blanket that we all sharing...what's happening on a particle level here, despite my worries, my fears? Can we really pull this off in Fair Play? Can we really pull this off right now in this bizarro economy? I think, 'yes!' Yes! Yes!
He's thinking about pairing their cab with roasted red beet ravioli...their merlot with Biellese, Piemonte 'Capunet'....rolls of swiss chard stuffed with pork and herb. Dessert hasn't yet been decided, but I think it will be either pine nut torta or a fruit torta with dessert Semillon. Our winemaker dinners will be the first Thursday of every month. I'm thinking we need to be a little more creative with our Thursday nights.....vino and cibo...cibo and vino, I don't know- just something a little more catchy than winemaker dinner.
It's Friday night at Bocconato.....the beginning of grape harvest in beautiful Fair Play, CA has begun.....the evening air is reminding me of fall and definitely of Italy. We leave every year in mid-October for Italy to find new wines, recipes, restaurants and truffles.....Bocconato Trattoria keeps us here for now. It's okay with me, this endeavor is a good one......most everyone that has passed through our doors thus far is amazed by Giovanni's cuisine....he's been compared to Thomas Keller, he's earning the reputation of changing people's souls through food.......
Through this entire restaurant-opening process, I've learned about the incredible learning curve in the process, I've learned about the sheer number of hours required to make it all a go....but mostly I've learned that Giovanni creates magic around him....that I am humbled by this process that has taken on a life of its own and I am in the middle of it all.
Michael, our most amazing lead server, is training Tracie tonight.....who has worked at amazing restaurants throughout Northern California, including Gary Danko, Ghiribaldi's, Masque. I can't believe what's happening here.......I try to visualize this massive quantum blanket that we all sharing...what's happening on a particle level here, despite my worries, my fears? Can we really pull this off in Fair Play? Can we really pull this off right now in this bizarro economy? I think, 'yes!' Yes! Yes!
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