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, and the publishing department, etc. It was a complex process lots of teamwork between various components and academic programs of the FUA family.
The event took place at Ganzo, the Apicius creative learning lab. Our Special Event Management Team, under the guidance of professor Nora Takacs with the support of Wine Professor Massimo Coppetti, organized every aspect of the event: Logistics, procedure, decoration, marketing, invitations, reservations, and the ambience. The event was a simulation and testing ground of what will featured at JBF. Florence guests learned about the entire team and concept of the TuttoToscana Program, what JBF represents, and received a deeper perspective of the efforts of our students in their mission to create successful NYC events.
Guests list? Check! Music playing, tables set, chefs cooking, glasses shining, everybody ready to perform? Check! And our reservation status? Fully booked. Let the show begin!
Our guests arrived between 8:00pm and 8:40pm, and immediately received a welcome aperitivo. Prof. Coppetti opened the evening in Italian and introduced the student presenters – myself and Isabela Elizondo – who introduced Ganzo and JBF, and what these two locations represent for food culture. Cody Durbin, from the kitchen brigade, presented the menu and theme “Florence: A city of many appetites.” He also talked about the essence of Florentine food culture and how each dish interprets it. We were honored have Capannelle’s Manuele Verdelli with us as not only a guest but as the company representative. His inspiring speech the Solare and Chianti Classico Riserva wines was a highlight of the evening.
TuttoToscana student team members Mayte Almada and Kimber Lee Preish present the Mazzei and Capannelle wines that accompanied each dish, providing information on the history, region, and origins behind every bottle of wine. The service team was supported by a solid team of Apicius career students Liam Osler, Tulin Cakir, Jane Zelenko, and Brittany Brunson.
It’s said that things are better when ending on a high note? We preferred the sweet ones for this event. To close with a flourish, Cody presented the last wine to pair with our dessert. A delicious and dolce finale to our big night. Our chefs did a wonderful job with the preparation and presentation of each dish. The brigade featured TuttoToscana members Erick Dole, Silvana Zanella, Polina Korzhina, Youn Kyeong You, Mark Cornish, and Phillip Steinberg, led by Chefs Andrea Trapani and Simone De Castro.
The comments, compliments, and most importantly, the smiles on the faces of our guests were the greatest and best feedback we could ask for. We’ve learned that it’s important to continue improving and learning for our upcoming event at the James Beard Foundation. And that teamwork between students and faculty is crucial.
A special thanks, for their guidance and direction, to FUA professors Andrea Trapani, Grace Joh, Nora Takacs, and Massimo Coppetti.