Travels and Tastes

Introducing Forno Gentile and Pastry Chef Anna Belmattino Image

Introducing Forno Gentile and Pastry Chef Anna Belmattino

“I like to imagine that it was fate that brought us together, and that is exactly how it went. My work is my passion, everything is perfectly intertwined.”–Anna Belmattino, on how she came to be the baker for Forno Gentile. Gentile is not exclusively an artisanal Pastificio. Forno Gentile (Forno meaning “oven”) features refined baked…

Reverence for Land at SALCIS Image

Reverence for Land at SALCIS

“Pasture is the main resource of our sheep,” says Antonio Morbidi, current president and third generation of the Morbidi family to operate SALCIS. “To continue having the highest quality of milk, it’s necessary to keep the earth as it has been left from our fathers.” Located in Siena in the Tuscany region of Italy, SALCIS…

Making Liquid Gold in Crete Sustainably at Biolea Image

Making Liquid Gold in Crete Sustainably at Biolea

“He loves being outside in the olive groves and particularly has a talent for picking snails!” Chloe Dimitriadis says of her 2-year-old son, Orpheas. Chloe marks the sixth generation of the Dimitriadis family to run Biolea (Bee-oh-lay-a), a family-owned company that estate- produces and bottles stone-milled, cold-pressed, organic olive oil on the island of Crete…

CastelineS Olive Oil: A Blend of the Pure and the Technical Image

CastelineS Olive Oil: A Blend of the Pure and the Technical

“No one born in Provence can live without the scents of the garrigue scrubland, the gusting Mistral, the sun’s caress and the magic of the olive trees that shaped the local landscape.” –Catherine and Jean-Benoît Hugues, CastelaS, Baux de Provence Jean-Benoît Hugues’ admiration and deep respect for the centuries-old olive trees in Provence, France turned…

All in the Name of Love (and Art): Castello di Ama Image

All in the Name of Love (and Art): Castello di Ama

“My oldest memory is when as a student I came here for the olive harvest. The purity and fragrance of the smell of the EVOO just after the pressing in our mill is so unique and it still makes me very happy.” -Lorenza Sebasti, CEO and Managing Director of Castello di Ama Nestled in the bucolic…

Introducing Italian Rice from Cascina Oschiena! Image

Introducing Italian Rice from Cascina Oschiena!

“When the paddy field is flooded, especially in the spring, it is then that the rice landscape offers its most spectacular aspect: the reflections of the sky, trees, mountains and farmhouses create optical effects as in a mirror, the farmhouses themselves look like islands in a beautiful lagoon.” –Alice Cerutti, of Cascina Oschiena I’m right…

Meet Lydia, the Cheese Maven! Image

Meet Lydia, the Cheese Maven!

“I was afforded lots of unique experiences and invitations and as a rule I always just said yes.” — Lydia Burns, founder of Savvy Squirrel Consulting (accredited cheese courses) Consulting with the Rogers Collection team as self-titled Cheese Maven for Education & Outreach, a quirky but apt title (maven means ‘connoisseur’ or ‘expert’) that steers…

Meet Leska, our Staff Writer! Image

Meet Leska, our Staff Writer!

Meet Leska, our Staff Writer! As the re-opening date of June 8th came closer and closer, my anxiety increased. What would something I had done for so many years now look like after an unprecedented pandemic? Prior to COVID, I had already felt a lack of enthusiasm for my job. And now, the thought of…

Tomatoes from Gentile: Summer in a Jar! Image

Tomatoes from Gentile: Summer in a Jar!

“Tomatoes for us in the south (of Italy) mean summer. When we see fresh tomatoes at the local store, it means summer is here, the beach, friends, the panino caprese with mozzarella that we take to the beach…and caponata with fresh tomatoes, tuna, olives and red onions… summer mode: ON.” —Giuliana Galati, Export Manager for…