Eating Italy A Culinary Adventure through Italy’s Best Meals

443 Pages·2013·10.16 MB·English

by  Jeff Michaud

Copyright © 2013 by Jeffrey Michaud Published by Running Press, A Member
of the Perseus Books Group All photos © Kelly Campbell (unless noted) Other
photos: Courtesy of Jeff Michaud: pages 6, 10–11, 66 (bottom), 67, 89–91, 112,
134, 154–155, 177–178, 216–217, 254–259, 275
© Joshua McDonnell, pages 174–175
Shutterstock © Gijs van Ouwerkerk, pages 214–215
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright
Conventions This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter
invented, without written permission from the publisher.
Books published by Running Press are available at special discounts for bulk
purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other
organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets
Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call [phone], ext. 5000, or e-mail
[email protected].
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013938027
E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5061-9
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing Cover and interior design
by Joshua McDonnell Edited by Kristen Green Wiewora Typography: Avenir,
Bembo, and Cubano Running Press Book Publishers
2300 Chestnut Street
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
Visit us on the web!
www.offthemenublog.com
GAIA, THIS IS YOUR BOOK. IT TELLS THE STORY OF HOW
YOUR MOTHER AND I MET AND FELL IN LOVE. I HOPE YOU
GET AS MUCH JOY OUT OF IT AS WE PUT INTO IT. TI
VOGLIO TANTO BENE PICCOLA! (MY LITTLE GIRL, I LOVE
YOU VERY MUCH!)
GAIA
CONTENTS
Foreword by Marc Vetri
Introduction
Paladina The Butcher’s Apprentice
Alme A Maestro in the Kitchen, Amore in the Dining Room
Cene and Fiobbio Farm to Table . . . Fifty Feet
Cinque Terre Sex on the Italian Riviera
Barolo and Barbaresco I Can’t See Through This Fog
Villa d’Almè Simple Italian Cooking at Its Best
Alba If You Can’t Smell the Truffles, You Must Be Dead
Venice Losing Myself in the City
Leffe Becoming a Chef
Florence The Romance Continues
Trescore Balneario Our Big Italian Wedding
Desenzano del Garda The Culinary Journey of a Lifetime
Basics and Essential Recipes
Sources for the Cook and Traveler
Acknowledgments
Index
FOREWORD
In the spring of 2005, my business partner, Jeff Benjamin, and I were at
Ca’Marcanda, the Gaja-owned vineyard in Tuscany. In between cellar tours and
tasting, I was on the phone with Jeff Michaud. At that time, he was the chef at
The Bedford Village Inn in New Hampshire. Jeff Michaud and I had been
talking about opening a restaurant together in Philadelphia since he returned to
the States from his three-year journey in Italy. We had three previous phone calls
about it, but they all ended with me saying, “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
We just couldn’t strike a deal with the developer. (Coincidentally, Ca’Marcanda
means “the house of endless negotiations.”)
This last phone call, however, ended differently. “It’s a done deal!” I
exclaimed. “Get yer ass back to Philly!”
I could hear Jeff’s eagerness through the phone. Although, when I think
about it, I don’t know who was more excited: him or me.
Some people just inspire you to do better. Perhaps it’s the work ethic they
possess. Or maybe it’s the endless questions they ask until every possible
scenario has been exhausted and they finally understand exactly what is going
on. People like that make you strive for perfection, never accepting mediocrity.
Why do something that’s just good enough when you can make it great with
only a little more effort? I always look for that kind of determination in cooks,
and it’s what initially drew me to Jeff Michaud.
We first met in 1998 at the Food & Wine Classic culinary festival in Aspen,
Colorado. This was just a few weeks before I signed the lease for Vetri, my first
restaurant. At the time, Jeff was working at Aspen’s Caribou Club under chef
Miles Angelo, a good friend with whom I had worked in the early ’90s.
“He’s you,” Miles said to me, “only 10 years ago.”
At the time, I really didn’t think much of the comment, but it stayed with me.
Miles called me a few years later, saying “Remember that kid, Jeff? Well, I
can’t teach him anything else, and he needs to get out of here. He needs to learn
something new—you have to take him.”
I was in the process of looking for a cook, so I had Jeff come out and work at
Vetri for a couple days. I didn’t realize it then, but it was as if my own son had
come to work at the restaurant. He set the tone in the first month.
“Do you know how to make bread?” he asked eagerly.