andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  Chef Massimo Larosa I remember that day as if it were yesterday.  Three years or so ago - a sunny spring day on the island of Ischia.  Ischia Ponte, to be exact. I was sitting on a bench eating a mortadella sandwich, which now that I think about it, was probably not the ideal moment to meet someone for the first time. But I digress. That someone was  Chef  Massimo Larosa . Larosa was on the island enjoying a sandwich with his family as well. Larosa has a jammed pack curriculum which includes goes back nearly 20 years including Celler De Can Roca, Il Mosiaco as sous chef with Nino Di Costanzo, and at the time IT-Ibiza with Gennaro Esposito.   We got to talking and it was then that the chef extended an invitation to visit him in Ibiza so that I could get a chance to enjoy his cuisine and the island life.  The years passed and I still haven't been able to get to the island off the coast of Spain, but I am definitely living the Ibiza life, virtually...

I have the pleasure and honor to be  participating in an extensive investigative project that began nearly a year ago. The theme Food, data and influencers in the era of the pandemic  will be presented in a format which includes  5 video episodes and accompanying articles that investigates how the relationship between food and digital is changing in the era of Covid, created by RuralHack in the research / action programs carried out with the Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples   Federico II . The format includes an introductory episode followed by 4 thematic episodes on: ·           digital food and lockdown, ·          Mediterranean Diet, ·          food quality and its communication and, ·            a further episode dedicated to the theme food influencer marketing. FoodHacker inten...

  Weekend- 27/28 March 2021.       Myself,   like many,   spent the morning scrolling through Facebook feeds and   Instagram stories. That's when I noticed a story by Chef Francesco Sposito of Taverna Estia , 2 Michelin stars . This story was a little different than his usual ones that he had been posting over the last couple of weeks.   Posts and stories dedicated to the hard work and devotion that he and his team had been dedicating  Colomba cake production.   This was different because…because he gave a hint to what was coming soon.   A teaser, if you will, hinting to the fact that h was about to begin producing a limited quantity of pastiera pies. Visualizza questo post su Instagram Un post condiviso da Francesco Sposito (@francescoingmar)     I  decided at that moment to write the chef a DM.   ‘Francesco,   Azz (wow!!), are you going to make some   pastiera pies??!!!??’ ...

Chef Tommaso Foglia Oh, how I love my coffee breaks!  Like a recent one I shared - virtually - with Pastry Chef Tommaso Foglia .  Foglia, currently the Executive Pastry Chef of San Barbato Resort in the Basilicata region, but his curriculum has taken him in various top restaurants in Italy, London, and Dubai.  Foglia was in the area a couple of weeks ago and amongst his many errands, one stop he made was to deliver personally his Colomba Easter cake to make my coffee break a little sweeter.    And with every coffee break, there is a little chit chat ... and to keep with the theme, we decided to talk about Colomba cake.  Spoiler alert - I've tried Foglia's colomba in many ways;  warmed next to the fireplace, toasted and topped powdered sugar, and al naturale.  With each slice, I hear Tommy's (Foglia) laugh, see his smile, and feel the warmth of a friendship that goes back nearly 7 years. Ciao, Tommy! Have you always made Colomba cakes  for th...

Chef Michele Cannavacciuolo Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that my coffee breaks have become a special part of my day.  Sitting on my balcony in the sun after a full day tied to my computer teaching elementary and middle school math lessons, I look forward to that   tazza of espresso.   That little cup, paired with a  sweet treat is my way of relaxing.   My latest coffee break was this week with Chef Michele Cannavacciuolo . I've been a following Cannavacciuolo's work for quite some time.  The chef, known and respected Campania-wide from his work at Hotel Capo la Gala, La Torre del Saracino , numerous pastry consultant jobs, and pastry courses which focus on v iennoiseries  is extremely busy this time of year preparing for the Easter season.  He's busy preparing, alongside other precious baked goods, the Colomba - an Italian Easter cake.  This past week the chef sent me his chocolate version which gave us a chance t...