Personal Perspective: Shopping Locally
Our JBF team members have wrapped up the first week of event planning in Florence. What’s their take on Florence? Gina Sabatini shares her views on how TuttoToscana! has effected her shopping, one local product at a time.
Before I had even arrived in Florence there were so many expectations and curiosities that I had about the city. I was so excited for what was to come and would spend countless conversations with friends, some also joining in the exploration, about what we would do and where we would go during our stay. While thinking of the possibilities of a trip to Sienna, the spas in Lucca or a bike ride through Chianti the opportunity to taste the authentic Italian cuisine was already a must. I had pictured myself going out to eat with friends in all different sorts of eateries, to see what type of creations the Florentine chefs could amaze us with. I pictured the magic of Italian cuisine nicely plated on the dishes of the trendy Florentine osterias, trattoria or ristorantes. While I did find some of what I was looking for at different menus around the city I also discovered and realized so much more.
After settling into our new apartment, school and city, my roommates and I wanted to have our new friends over for dinner, we could share stories about our failed attempts at practicing our Italian with locals or the funs things we discovered while walking around. A few of my roommates and I were taking a beginner’s cooking class on top of our regular schedule and a big dinner for friends would be the perfect chance to use some techniques we recently learned. Taking our class recipes we would head to the market for the necessary ingredients and then follow the directions carefully. After a little practice and familiarity with markets I would walk past a vendor selling a vegetable I never saw before or past a vegetable I heard was in season and bring it home. I wasn’t sure what exactly what I was going to make with the various ingredients but thought it could really end up that bad, and it didn’t. In fact some of the best meals that I had were the ones that we made ourselves. Maybe it wasn’t solely the final dish that was the best thing ever but it was the experience. The idea that we had gone to the market picked up natural, local, fresh, seasonal veggies or fruits and thoughtfully decided how we should prepare them together, considering what certain pairings would taste like and we personally liked or wanted. Looking back at the little bit of time that I had spent here I realized the amazing Italian culinary experience, for me, was not found in a dimly lit hidden trattoria on a side street of Florence and did not have to be the vision of a five star chef but was rather found in the warm kitchens of my peers using what was available to them locally. It was more of an idea or a feeling and a desire to use something natural, from it native land and make something you think someone else will enjoy; a respect for the food, the ingredients, the traditions, and the process of taking something raw and making memorable.
– Gina Sabatini, Wine Expertise Team