andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

Antonio Capuano You could of heard a pin drop.  The silence was sweet and totally contrasted with the traffic on the SS 265 that leads to the Dolce & Salato Cooking School in Maddaloni (Ce).  When I entered the classroom, Pastry Chef Antonio Capuano and his students were in deep concentration.  They were finishing up a two day lesson on cake decorating and it required concentration, skill...and silence. He demonstrated frosting techniques that would could be used on wedding cakes, 1st communions, baptisms, or any formal event. I was enthralled with their attention to detail. How each curl had to be perfect, each rose a masterpiece... Cake decorating has become the next big thing...but it was refreshing to watch a maestro with   over 30 years of experience produce works of art that were (almost) too good to eat.

Cantine Aperte ...An event sponsored by MTV...no, not the music channel, but Movimento Turismo del Vino .  An open house, a day where wineries throughout Italy open their doors to the public.  A chance to visit the vineyards, taste wines, talk to the producers. I received several emails from friends asking for my advice on where to go...I told them to try a territory which was unfamiliar to them.with wines they had never tried.  I suggested that they look for a winery that had a program full of events such as guided wine tastings or lunches.  I stressed that they should arrive early to get more one on one time with the owners.  So when it was time for me to decide where I would go, I decided to take my own advice...  It was hot that Sunday in Montecorvino Rovella, in the province of Salerno.  But I didn't mind...I was the first to arrive for a stroll through the vineyards with Annibale Salerno of Casa di Baal .  I got to hear straight...

Chef Keisuke Aramaki The first time I had sushi... real sushi was when I lived in Japan.  It was everywhere, neat little rows of colorful little packages of rice and seafood.  I learned how to eat it,chop sticks and all... but not how to prepare it. So when I noticed that the Dolce and Salato Cooking School in Maddaloni was hosting  Chef Keisuke Aramaki for a three day course on Japanese cuisine, I knew that I'd have to stop by for a few hours for a look  and a bite to eat. I arrived after lunch on day two.  The chef was about to show his students how to prepare shake-maki with salmon.  Simple ingredients: nori (seaweed), cooked sushi rice, salmon, cucumber,  mayonnaise,  wasabi  paste, and sesame seeds. He made it look easy as he went step by step preparing the inside out roll version... You carefully spread out the rice on the sheet of nori. Then add sesame seeds. Flip over and spread out a row of wasabi and a m...

Wikipedia :   Serendipity   means   a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.   Vinitaly...4 days full of rescheduled or missed appointments.  There was one, however, that I didn't want to miss.  An appointment with journalist Antonio Boco ( Wine News , Gambero Rosso , Tipicamente  ) for a mini tour through the Umbria Pavillion.   Let's meet at noon, at Sabino's stand, Boco suggested.    Sure... Sabino Loffredo , the owner of Pietracupa in Montefredane (Av) and a mutual friend. I arrived at 1155... early .  I checked my phone...a message from Boco... Running 15 minutes late, scusa ... Scusa accepted, but in the meantime?   In the meantime, sit down and try a few wines...I brought some of the older vintages , Sabino suggested.  In fact, behind the booth, Sabino had numerous bottles of Greco di Tufo, Fia...

It was nearly two years ago that I had my first verticale...a vertical wine tasting during Vitigno Italia in Naples, Italy.  I was invited by Mastroberardino Winery.  My blog was fairly new, I had just started my I level AIS Sommelier course...heck, I didn't even know what a vertical wine tasting was.  :-)  But I had the chance to taste a wide range of their Taurasi's dating as far back as 1968! A lot has changed since then.  Over the past two years, I have had the chance to spend time with Mastroberadino on numerous occasions, walking the vineyards, tasting their wines, questioning, learning, and growing.  I have also completed my sommelier course.  So it seemed fitting that one of my first serious sit down tastings  as a sommelier would be spent with my Aglianico, my Piedirosso, and my Taurasi with Mastroberardino during Vinitaly last March. My hosts were winemaker Massimo Di Renzo and agronomist Antonio Dente . The first g...