JBF Wine Sponsor – Salcheto
By Brenna Boone Salcheto Nobile is a red wine from Montepulciano. The vintage we are used for the James Beard Alumni dinner is a 2010. The grapes used in Salcheto Nobile are 100% Prugnolo Gentile grapes. This wine is aged for a total of 18 months and 70% of this time takes place within the […]
Acquerello Risotto: The Art of Aging
By Brenna Boone Acquerello is a very special rice from Italy. This rice was developed by the Rondolino family. In 1935 Cesare Rondolino became a rice farmer and bought the Tenuta Torrone della Colombara because of its fertile fields and abundant water; two conditions perfect for growing rice. Many years later, in 1972, his son […]
JBF Dinner – A Cornucopia of Flavors
By Nelly Mckay This is the event we all were anxiously anticipating, the moment we all had prepared for … some took time off from school, others from work. We all greatly invested our energies, travel, and tuition to confirm tonight that we had made the right choice. We filled the James Beard Foundation to […]
New Jersey City University
Text and photo by Nelly McKay As I watch the culinary and baking teams meticulously prepare each of the dishes, I become aware of another team that cannot be overlooked: the vendors supporting us with their amazing products. One of those supporters is Frantoio Pruneti from San Polo, Chianti who supplied the Tuscan Extra Virgin […]
Pruneti Olive Oil: the Best of Chianti
By Luca Del Fante, photo by Brenna Boone Pruneti olive oils come from the fertile hills of the Chianti area (San Polo in Chianti), on property owned by the Pruneti and dating back to the mid-1800s. Currently, brothers Gionni and Paolo manage the company. They continue to respect family traditions while embracing new and contemporary […]
Astor: Discovering the Local Wine Scene
Text and photo by Luca Del Fante During my time in NYC with the TuttoToscana team, I had the opportunity to visit Astor Wines & Spirits, one of the city’s best wine shops for international wines. The shop is divided according to countries and geographical areas such as Italy, France, wines from New York State, […]
JBF Wine Sponsor – Col de’ Salici
Text and photo by Brenna Boone Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superior is a sparkling wine made from 100% Glera grapes and is produced in Conegliano Valdobbiadene and harvested by hand in late September. The pressing of Valdobbiadene takes place immediately after the harvest with sophisticated equipment made to delicately press the grapes to ensure that only […]
Queens College Historic Costume Collection
Text and photos by Brenna Boone The featured garments, for the event at Queens College as a part of the Tuttotoscana program, had a focus on the 20th century with the earliest piece coming from 1910. The nine garments selected for “A Night Out”, the title of the exhibit, were among the most stunning and […]
Queens College Event
Text and photos by Nelly Mckay Fall has definitely arrived at Queens College of the City University of New York, the site of the first dinner in this TUTTOTOSCANA 2015 event. This 84-acre campus was established in 1937 and provides a nice backdrop […]
And our week begins in NYC – 2015
Texts and photos by Nelly Mckay I don’t believe life can get any better than this: Spending a week in the city that never sleeps (like me!) surrounded by culinary and pastry students eager to apply their best skills at the James Beard Foundation! The James Beard Foundation was establish to honor the life and […]
The 2015 Team!
Brenna Boone and Luca Del Fante, hospitality team members of this year’s TuttoToscana program, interview the brigade about their culinary drive and future goals. This exciting lineup of voices, hopes, and dreams hail from the US, Mexico, Iceland, Brazil, Peru, Italy, Columbia, and Jamaica. Emmalee Aiken, USA Emmalle Aiken is a young culinary student from […]
JBF Wine Notes: Santa Cristina Vin Santo Valdichiana
By Alix Osborn Photo of JBF dinner dessert paired with Santa Cristina Vin Santo Valdichiana 2008, courtesy of FUA Alix Osborn, the 2014 recipient of the Santa Cristina TuttoToscana scholarship, reports on the Vin Santo Valdichiana dessert wine that was paired with the capstone James Beard dinner of our week in NYC. Apricot, orange blossom, […]
Wine Notes: JBF Dinner
By Victoria Poull Photo by the author For the reading pleasure of wine lovers and pairing experts, our team made its way through the tables on October 25th to gage guests’ wine reactions throughout the evening. Several favorites and pairings were nominated, preferences varied across the board, but a common denominator for all wines was […]
2014 JBF Dinner: 10 Years of Tuscan Flavor
By TuttoToscana Staff Photos by David Weiss We knew from the start that 2014, beyond the anniversary concept, was going to be a special year for JBF events. After a smooth garden reception service in the garden of the Foundation, the JBF waitstaff, which includes familiar faces encountered year after year, commented before the seated […]
NJCU: A Standing Ovation
By TuttoToscana Team Photo by David Weiss After a positive start at HSFI, the team transitioned into the second event of the week in NYC. Like HSFI, New Jersey City University was a returning location for our team, and presented a mix of familiar and new elements for 2014. We stuck with a similar, prix […]
HSFI: The Sweet Side of Fashion
By TuttoToscana Staff Photo by David Andre Weiss Our first event held at HSFI kicked off with Chef Simone De Castro who led the high school students on a metamorphic journey through food styling. Using simple ingredients with a few alchemic touches, students transformed syrups into solids and drew forms with sauces in an exercise […]
Not Just Lemons: TT Food Sourcing
By Lisa Wolff Photo by David Weiss New York is just a short sleep away for our young culinary students and our chefs. Now comes the time to crunch before leaving, in addition to packing their jackets, knives and clean undies, they are planning their time in New York to make sure each event is […]
Commemorative Recipe Book
For our 10th JBF anniversary, the Ingorda publishing team at Florence University of the Arts produced a recipe book that recounts a decade of culinary themes from each TuttoToscana event series. Starting from 2005 and concluding with the menu in store for 2014, the volume is divided […]
JBF Trial Dinner at Ganzo
By Lisa Wolff Photo by TuttoToscana Team The Tuttotoscana James Beard trial dinner was a great success, but like any event where planning and preparation on this scale is involved, tensions were high as the Tuttotoscana team worked side by side with the Advanced Culinary career students and Chef Andrea Trapani at Ganzo. This was […]
Florence Team
By Vicky Poull Photo by TuttoToscana Team Here’s our first roundup of TuttoToscana Florence team members who have been preparing for the upcoming NYC week. Jo, Giselle, Alix, Vicky, Lisa, and Jay come from international backgrounds and have in common a strong bond with the culinary arts, which they are excited to share with the […]
A Preview of Our Florence Dinner Preview
By TuttoToscana Team Menu courtesy of FUA Communications & Marketing Office Tonight we are serving a preview of the JBF menu that will be featured in NYC. Diners at Ganzo in via de’Macci 85r have the opportunity to test the flavors and cooking techniques that our team will be utilizing in NYC. TT Florence team members […]
JBF Wine Sponsor Santa Cristina
By Alix Osborn Photo by the author Alix Osborn reports on the Santa Cristina brand to be featured at JBF this October. Santa Cristina is an emblematic wine of Tuscany and its first vintage was produced in 1946. The winery is located in the hills just outside the town of Cortona in Tuscany, where the primarily […]
10 Years
By: TuttoToscana Team Image: David Andre Weiss It’s been a long journey. We’ve been called a culinary caravan. We’ve demonstrated an unwavering desire to share real Tuscan cuisine with NYC audiences. We’re constantly seeking to tweak and play with flavors, while respecting their natural bounty and seeking to capture both tradition and modernity. Ten years. […]
Video: Tim Martin on Culinary Performance
Video by Isabela Elizondo In this video interview, team member Tim Martin from the University of Missouri talks about the high points, learning progress, and professional discoveries gained at the James Beard Foundation events.