The Adventures of a Chef

New times and New Beginnings! Baylee and I arrived at Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo on Wednesday, and we have been enjoying it ever since, as it has been joyous ever since we got here. Everything here is beautiful and laid back, and of course, there is an abundance of Wine. Being March, sadly there is no grapes on vines and no wine is being produced, however, due to the weather, the wine making process is being halted for now. Ever since Baylee and I got here, there have been storms coming in from, randomly, Siberia, as cold, winter air has been pushed down to Italy, causing very cold weather and some snow! Other than that, however, we have been enjoying everything! The people are amazing, the kitchen and food is amazing, and above all, the Area is Amazing! Even though we are in the middle of nowhere, we still have so much to do! Having only been here for two days, we still have a lot to find out, and I will be blogging about everything I can! Thank you, Logan Alabach

The long, beautiful journey comes to an end, for the most part. Today marks the last day that we study a region of Italy, and Tuesday is the final day of the course, as it is our lunch that has been planned out for many weeks. It has been a beautiful study, as we have learned about the different cultures both north and south, which as allowed us to somewhat understand their culture. However, we are being sent out to locations of our choice to learn more about the many different ways of the Italian People. I am happy to say that I will be spending the rest of my time in Italy at Tormaresca Winery, learning about the difference in terms of winemaking in Italy, rather than in the States. Luckily, I have already seen this beautiful area, and am very excited to spend three weeks in this area.  I just want to say Thank you to Chef Odette and Chef Martin, whom have facilitated this course precisely and rigorously, making sure that every detail about our class was perfect and sharp...

The final region of our study, Abruzzo and Molise. The regions that border it are Puglia, Campagna and Marche. This region, while one of the biggest, is not united by a family that originated in said region, so their economy is based solely on their own productions, which they get by with just fine. Since Abruzzo and Molise are smaller regions that are divided, both physically and politically, we can see that both sides are both different and alike in many ways. Both sides are in touch with their cultural side and believe what they will, but in term of cuisine they are both different. In the times of the Romans, however, they unified both of these sides due to the fact that they were easy to dominate, by fact of the regions being divided into small cities/states. With the come of the Romans, comes the many different trade routes and ports, that were established along the eastern side. Sadly, with the Fall of the Roman Empire, we see these regions fall into decline, in which they be...

Today, marks one of the last days at the Castello di Ugento. We studied the Region of Umbria, which so happens to also be the most central region of Italy as well. The first people to set foot in this region were called the Umbri, which sadly we do not know much about, due to the Etruscans taking over the region. Like the Etruscans in Tuscany, their love for food in Umbria is above everything, as their cuisine takes flavor into mind. Since they are a central area, however, they do not use fish a lot, only fresh water species, such as trout or catfish. However, the region is known for it's Norcio, or the makers of Salumi in Norcia. In this area of Umbria, we can see the rise of Salumi, and the makers of such, as they were able to raise pigs in this area semi-wild, keeping the meat flavorful. Within this region, we also see the cultivation of Black truffles. These beautiful little fungi are found at the base of certain trees, and can only be found with the help of pigs, which so ...

Beautiful Campagna, which holds one of my favorite cities so far, Napoli, and my favorite coastline, the Almafi Coast. In the region, we can see many different types of area, between hilly and flatland, to coast and sea. In this beautiful region, we can see one of the first visibly natural disasters, the Explosion of Vesuvius onto the city of Pompeii, in which it fully encased the city in rubble, lava and soot, trapping many of the things in this city in time, including a sad couple of people. Many of the houses and areas in this city gave us insight on the Roman lives, as we can see from the frescos and architecture that was not touched by the explosion, and we can see how they lived. In terms of Cuisine, we can see that they have a distinct cuisine that is based off both land and the sea, and who am I kidding, the damn pizza! This region holds one of the best pizzas of all time, the Napoli pizza, which contains san marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna, and dough that is ...

Lazio, the region in which rome was founded, brought life to Italy, in one way or another. With the birth of Rome, came the spreading of Culture throughout both Italy, and most of the Mediterranean. This allows for Italy to gain access to many different ingredients and spices, in which they use, up until the Roman empire's fall in Italy. In terms of where Lazio is Situated, they are found in the center of Italy, and, since they have a very strategic location, it allowed them to trade throughout the mediterranean. However, the early Romans had troubles with the population to the North, the Etruscans, whom had set up a very strong empire in the bordering region of Tuscany. They went to war for a while, and, sadly for the Etruscans, they lost against the Romans and their population dwindled. And with the fall of the Etruscans, comes the fall of their beliefs. One of those beliefs, was the value of women in their lives, and the Romans destroyed this. With the Rise of the Romans, ...

Baylee and I were excited to go to Milan, and boy, were we correct about it's beauty. We landed in Milan around 10 in the morning on Friday, and spent most of the day just walking around. The First attraction: the Duomo of Milan, a beautiful cathedral, built with gothic architecture throughout. We had the chance to walk all around the Cathedral, getting to look at everything and anything that we could, including the roof. The roof of the Duomo was a couple hundred feet from the ground, so we got the chance to see a 360* view of all of Milan, and it was beautiful. After the Duomo, Baylee and I walked around the area, window shopping and crowd-watching, until we stumbled into a wine store, in which I was lucky to find a beautiful bottle of wine that surpassed my every being, it was a Sparkling wine from Trento Alto Adige, that was made with the traditional method, in which sparkling wine is fermented in bottles. However, this sparkling wine as aged in Oak, which caused it to...

Like Calabria, Basilicata is situated in a mountain range and, due the mountains, the region is very poor. However, even though it is poor, they have very strong traditions, comparing almost to Sardegna. Sadly, only two percent of the total land is made up of Flat land, sadly causing farming to be all but good. So, they stick to fishing and growing grapes for wine in this region. With both of these, comes a strong tradition both. In terms of Fishing, old techniques of catching fish are still being used today, and Grapes are still being produced on terraces built by monks in the early 1000s, creating a unique view on wine from this area of Italy. Since the region is poor and has mountains surrounding the country, much of the cuisine is hearty and full of different starches and vegetables. An example of this is the Cialedda, which is a stew that is made with many different vegetables and starches, such as cabbage, carrots, chickpeas and beans that are grown in Basilicata. Along with ...

We started the day off not quite knowing what we were doing, but we later why we did not know, and it all began with the smile and charm of the beautiful Catarina. We were in lecture, which we do everyday before we get to cooking, when Catarina walks in, grinning from ear to ear. "Buongiorno Signore e Signori!" she exclaims with excitement,  and gives Chef Odette a big hug. From then on out, I knew we would be having a good couple of days. The First day was a focus on the Basics of Puglian cuisine, which is made up of different seafoods and vegetables, my favorite being the fresh tomatoes that we used, which reminded me of the ones that I grow at home during the summer (before college took my life over). Many of the dishes we made that day were based off of flavor profiles that come from both the Local population, the Messapians, and the Greeks, whom found their way here many years before the death of christ. The Messapians were a body of people that lived in Puglia, and ke...

This weekend, we took a trip to Bari, which is two hours north of Ugento, to learn about the Cuisine and Culture of Puglia. Along with cuisine and culture, comes the many different forms of Architecture that influenced Italy. From Greek to French, Italy has had many different factors playing into their culture. The trip was a beautiful tour of the cultures of the past and present, starting off with a drive and a walk. We drove to one of the many castles of Frederico Von Hohenstaufen, Castello del Monte, which is situated on a hill overlooking Andria, one of the many different small counties in Puglia. This Castle was built with the number eight in mind, either for the fact that it is an Octagon, or the fact that the castle is built in a circle, as to represent infinity. Frederico started as King of Sicily, then Ruler of Germany after his father passed away, then Ruler of Italy/Holy Roman Emperor. He was given the nickname "Child of Puglia", as he had an everlasting love for...

Calabria is located at the tip of the boot of Italy, and is engulfed in a mountainous cocoon, which prevents a lot of agricultural work to the north. The first to inhabit this region was believed to be the greeks, as it as named part of the Magna Grecia, or great Greece. Although the Greeks were great mariners, due to the sheer cliffs that surround the coast of Calabria, they were not able to sail around/fish around the area. Since they could not fish much, they mainly specialized in Farming animals, such as sheep and pigs, and scaling the mountains to the north of that region. During the years before the Romans, there was a serious problem with pirates, and the people did not have a good way of getting away, as they were stuck between the mountains and the sheer cliffs surrounding the region. They decided to move their villages inland, allowing them to build fortresses and keep the pirates out of their city borders. During the years following the Romans, the Barbarians, later know...

The mystical island of Sardegna, which is located in the Mediterranean sea, and is not at all connected to Italy, as it is an Island. Sardegna has had their own identity since people had settled on the Island, which is rare, since the Romans had conquered most of Italy and Europe. The indigenous people of this Island are the Nuraghe, whom have stayed autonomous since the B.C. Era, and even during the Roman takeover. The island is made up of an abundance of hills, in which they grow many different types of Grapes, but these hills also affect the Economy of the Island, as they cannot grow much else. However, with the abundance of hills, comes the abundance of Native sheep and goats that roam said hills, and with these, come many different types of cheese and salumi. Along with the fruit of the land, comes the fruit of the sea. Since Sardegna is located in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, there comes an abundance of sea life, ranging from small clams to Big Tuna. Frutti di Mare, or ...

Beginning with Sicily, the biggest region  in Italy, was a great idea, in the fact that we have gone from eating meat with most of our lunches, to mainly making fish and fresh vegetables. Sicily was inhabited 1000 years before christ, colonized by the Phoenicians and the Arabs, whom ended up spreading their culture throughout Italy. After the Phoenicians and Arabs, you guessed it, the Romans dominated the region, using it as a Port for trade and war. When the Barbarians came, the Normans were the ones to dominate this part of the region, but due to the landscape, their rule was short lived and they moved to the other side of the Ionian, Puglia. Though they left early, they created a culture that lived on in Southern Italy, which later dominated their beliefs and Cuisine. In terms of Cuisine and Culture, it was very mixed, due to the fact that many different bodies of people ruled over this area. One of the main culture that truly stuck was the Greeks, as they had taken over thi...

As we begin our last regional study of Italy, I begin to realize that even though we have spent over 7 weeks in Italy, we still have not even gotten close to understanding true Italian culture and food. Yes, we have studied and cooked food from several different regions, but just a select few of dishes that Chef Odette has chosen from her arsenal of recipes. To truly understand their culture, one must immerse themselves, being open for whatever is thrown at you, yet able to determine if it is truly good hospitality or just being ripped off. To truly understand their culture, you must keep in mind that in the states, we are so damn drawn to fast, fast cars, fast food, fast service etc.; we are so brainwashed  that we are blinded by the truth, that while we call ourselves the greatest, we are far from great. Yes, I come from the middle of the US, and was born and raised in the states, but coming to Italy and studying their culture was truly life changing. Everything here is done with...