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.
Florentine Appetites Take On JBF Capstone Dinner
By Kimberlee Preish Photos by Isabela Elizondo The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived; after a month of prepping, studying, and double checking every small detail, we finally had the chance to prove ourselves at the James Beard Foundation Dinner. The James Beard Lunch was a crucial rehearsal for our final […]
An Industry Perspective: Great Performances
By Kimberlee Preish Photo by Isabela Elizondo After Wednesday’s excitement at NJCU, I was thrilled about our upcoming events at the James Beard Foundation. NJCU showed so much enthusiasm and interest in our dishes, which helped prepare me for the types of questions that our team was asked throughout the James Beard lunch and dinner. […]
JBF Lunch: An Exhilarating First Round
By Mayte Almada Photo by Isabela Elizondo Our first event taking place at the James Beard Foundation was a great honor for all of the team members, everyone’s initial anxiety for our first JBF event could be felt miles away as prep started. The service staff was very cheerful, extremely professional, and efficient during prep […]
Our Encounter with James Beard, as Guests!
By Kim Preish Photo by Isabela Elizondo In the midst of event prep, our entire TuttoToscana team was invited to be clients at the James Beard Foundation for dinner. James Beard was a renowned chef, author of many cookbooks and food related articles, and laid the groundwork for the food revolution in the US. The […]
Finding Italy in NYC: Specialty Sourcing
Texts and photos by Kimberlee Preish Whenever an event management team works in a different state, region or country, there will always be challenges finding the same quality and types of ingredients that the chefs request. Especially considering Italian menus, which always feature regionality for recipes and ingredients. Because our TuttoToscana team had to travel […]
Top Quality Chef: Brad Hindsley
By Mayte Almada Photo by Isabela Elizondo Our visiting faculty chef Brad Hindsley from Robert Morris University was nice enough as to give us five minutes of his time during the rushed preparations for the NJCU event for a quick but very informative interview. He studied at the James Morrison University in Chicago and is […]
Heaven on 9th / Brigade Video Interview
By Mayte Almada Photo and Video by Isabela Elizondo Everyone gets excited for different things when in NYC, and rightly so for the city’s amazing diversity. For us, a visit to the Chelsea Market was like a kid going to Disneyland for the first time. On Monday, the team had the chance to tour this […]
NJCU: Yet Another Success for our Team!
By Mayte Almada Photos by Isabela Elizondo A standing ovation by the guests was given at the end of our event in the New Jersey City University on Wednesday. The support from the university’s staff could not have been better! All of the material needed was on hand and from the moment we arrived, we […]
HSFI: Our First Event Was a Fashionable Success!
By Kimberlee Preish Photo by Isabela Elizondo On Monday, we arrived on site at HSFI around 12pm for the leather workshop setup. Because school was still in session, our kitchen brigade began mise en place early and waited until three o’clock to begin cooking. We became familiarized with our main contacts on-site, Ms. Rosa Chavez, […]
Off of the Plane and into the Kitchen
By Kimberlee Preish Upon our arrival in NYC, we got in one night’s rest and then set straight off to preparing for the week! After orientation at the James Beard Foundation where the entire team was finally united for the first time, the kitchen brigade traveled to Long Island City in Queens to start prepping […]
We’ve got Tuscany in our Carry-On
By Cody Durbin Photo courtesy of FUA Well, three weeks down and another to go. Most have gone through last minute packing, shopping, to last minute binging on all that Tuscany and Italy has to offer; this could be from that favorite gelateria that you have gone to at least three times in the last […]
TuttoToscana at HSFI!
By Kimberlee Preish Photo courtesy of FUA Upon arriving in New York City, the TuttoTosacana team will be tackling four separate events, starting with one at HSFI: the High School of Fashion Industries. HSFI is a specialized high school located in New York city that focuses on “challenging, creative, and effective career and technical academic […]
Tuscany 101 at New Jersey City University
By Mayte Almada Photo By Isabela Elizondo The TuttoToscana team is focusing on its other event locations this week. We have the opportunity to represent the theme “Florence: A City of Many Appetites” at one of the most diverse university campuses in America, New Jersey City University, on Wednesday October 23rd. Chef Andrea Trapani has […]
Crossing Culinary Borders – Parma & Modena
By Mayte Almada Photo by Isabela Elizondo The appreciation of high quality products is a cornerstone in Italy. We’ve been focusing especially on Tuscany throughout our Florence program, but recently the team had the opportunity to visit the neighboring region of Emilia Romagna through a field trip organized by the Educational Field Trips department of […]
Ganzo Recap – What the Clients Said
By Paola Carretero Photo by Isabela Elizondo Team Member Paola Carretero spoke to Ganzo diners about their overall experience during our JBF dinner simulation. From our wine sponsor to Apicius professional culinary students and Italian diners, see what our Ganzo clients had to say. Manuele Verdelli, Capannelle Winery: “Tonight was great…It is an immense pleasure […]
Capannelle: Boutique Charm in the Heart of Chianti
By Kimberlee Preish Photo By Mayte Almada Last weekend, our TuttoToscana Wine Service team and Chef Brad Hindsley visited the Capannelle winery in Gaiole in Chianti, in the Chianti Classico wine territory. Capannelle is owned by James B. Sherwood, founder and shareholder of the Orient – Express Hotels LTD. Although the Gaiole property represents a […]
Castello di Volognano – I am a Tuscan Grape
By Cody Durbin Photo by Isabela Elizondo Any great wine “will always have story behind it” says Camilla Carrega, a wine instructor at Apicius and wine producer at Castello di Volognano, a local family winery located 12 kilometers east of Florence. This vineyard was planted in the 1960s by her grandfather, whose name is honored on […]
Our JBF Dinner Simulation at Ganzo – A Big Success!
By Paola Carretero Photo by Isabela Elizondo On October 10th, the whole team worked together to create a preview of our capstone Dinner Event at the James Beard Foundation. Not only did the TuttoToscana team members worked on the planning and management of this event, but also the Apicius culinary students, hospitality students and faculty, […]
“Acqua pazza” style?
By Isabela Elizondo What comes to mind when someone says I’m having “crazy water fish” for dinner tonight? A type of soup? A mysterious ingredient? Watch our video and this mouthwatering dish will be explained!
Culinary Dedication: Meet our Chefs
By Mayte Almada Photo of student team members by Isabela Elizondo, chef portraits by David Weiss Sometime’s it’s difficult to gage just how much dedication and who is involved in the making of menus destined for an audience. For our upcoming James Beard Foundation events, there are three key faculty members in the coordinating culinary […]
Testing and Tasting
By the TuttoToscana Communications Team Photo By Isabela Elizondo Technique is very important in our kitchen; being a team of hospitality specialists and chefs we have been learning, teaching, and exchanging ideas. The different elements brought to the table by the team have helped to improve the recipes for the JBF events thanks to the […]
Mazzei: The Innovation Never Stops
By Kim Preish Photo by Isabela Elizondo On Monday, October 7th, Alessandro Vallecchi, the marketing consultant of the Mazzei wine producer, took the time to speak with the FUA students. Before he explained the marketing strategies for Mazzei’s wines, he informed us about the company’s background. Mazzei has three estates: Castello di Fonterutoli in Chianti […]
Taking on the JBF Dinner
By the TuttoToscana Communications Team Photo by Isabela Elizondo Week 2 is a crucial one, with several challenges awaiting us: We’ve already gotten off to a big start for the wine department, beginning with a firsthand encounter with another JBF wine sponsor, Marchesi Mazzei at Ganzo. Watch out for a dedicated post in the next […]