It’s almost the end of May and this month went by so quickly.
Springtime is in full bloom, painting the landscape with different colors and filling the air with cheerful songs. I have so much to share with you, but I won’t keep you here for long. I know your time is precious, and if you’d like to catch up more, just respond to this letter and Iwill get back to you.
May filled my heart with incredible people–kind, inspiring, intelligent, fun, adventurous people that I met during our Food & Wine Trips in April and May.
During these trips, I did what I love most: teaching how to cook authentic Italian recipes and showcasing our beautiful country. Each day was filled with genuine food, local culture, and excursions to beautiful, lesser-known villages along the Etruscan coast. Year after year, these trips become so much more.
The secret ingredient is ‘connection’, which spontaneously arises. With the people we meet: Francesca, a local farmer who owns the cutest shop in the center of Castagneto; Gianna, my local guide for Volterra, who is so proud of her origin; Giovanni, a visionary farmer who, along with his two daughters, runs a beautiful wine estate in the heart of the Bolgheri DOC; Florin, who runs a tailoring shop that boasts a century of history, crafting handmade suits and jackets for an international clientele.
Of course, there’s also the connection among us, as spending long days together transforms us into a family. As words cannot describe, watch this beautiful video Arnaud put together.
Class replay video on demand. Do you want to give it a try?
A few weeks ago, I taught live via Zoom, how to cook one of my favorite springtime ingredients – asparagus. In under 30 minutes, we transformed this simple vegetable into delicious, bite-sized balls coated with crispy breadcrumbs for an irresistible crunch. Over 60 people from around the globe turned a simple seasonal ingredient into vegetarian and flavorful balls. Basically, we made meatballs without meat, simple and healthy!
If you want to cook this recipe with me, you can sign up here to watch this class on demand. We strive to keep things as free as possible, and your contribution will support our small business. In today’s challenging world, every bit of help makes a big difference for people like us. Grazie!
▶︎ Sign up now and cook with me for only $5
When you sign up, you will get:
• List of ingredients and tools, and a very detailed recipe.
• Lifetime access to a 1-hour instructional video replay with my tips and tricks to cook anytime later!
• New skills and a new recipe to add to your culinary repertoire.
• Wine pairing recommendation provided by our friend Linda Lawless, of My Somm Friend.
Let me tell you a story…
I mentioned before, Florin and I think it’s worth it to spend a few more words on him.
You can find him in Castagneto Carducci night and day at the “Arte e moda” tailoring shop that boasts a century of history. Established in 1911 and managed by the Morganti family, the shop became famous as the tailor shop for VIPs, specializing in hunting jackets, Casentino coats, and country gentleman suits. Nobles, artists, rockstars…From Rothschild to Agnelli, Mastroianni to Gherardesca to Antinori, the list of names is impressive.
In these rooms, filled with the scent of aged wood and fine fabrics, and adorned with vintage prints and fashion sketches, Florin continues this tradition.
Born in Romania, he left his country to escape the harsh life under the dictator. With a dream of becoming a tailor, he met Walter Morganti, the last tailor of the family, as he didn’t have any children to pass down the shop.
Walter and Florin, along with their wives became like family over the years. When Walter became too old to work, he passed the management to Florin. It was a kind of mutual adoption; Walter, who had no children of his own, adopted Florin and Mariana as family, and they, in turn, adopted him and his as parents.
Since 1996, Florin has been running the shop with the same passion and devotion, serving an international clientele that includes Mick Jagger! Hearing this story from his own words is emotional, much like his job, which is a true labor of love.
I hope you’ll come to visit too one day. We have a few spots available for our Food & Wine Trip, October 23-27. We only run trips for small groups, a maximum of 6 people. If you are interested, we could schedule a Zoom trip info session to show you the itinerary, your accommodations in a villa on the Mediterranean and all the fun that you can have in our 5-day inclusive experience!
As an independent traveler, you can stay in our property La Casa Toscana in one of our apartments.
I would love you to discover our beautiful country with us!
Love from Tuscany,
Chicca
