Taste of Italy

Blog

  • Join us Thurs. 7/14 for a reception at the Carter Museum in Ft. Worth: Whistler, Sargent, Venetian glass and Prosecco!

    Join us Thurs. 7/14 for a reception at the Carter Museum in Ft. Worth: Whistler, Sargent, Venetian glass and Prosecco!

    On Thursday, July 14, IACC partner Jeremy Parzen, author of the popular Italian food and culture blog Do Bianchi, will be leading a Prosecco tasting at the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth.

    Jeremy, who studied in Venice as a doctoral candidate, is not only a lively speaker but also an expert on all things Venetian.

    The event will be followed by a lecture on American painters in Venice during the 19th century and how they were influenced by the Murano glass works there. (The image above is an engraving created by Whistler during his time in Venice.)

    Alex Mann, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator at Telfair Museums, and Carter curator Maggie Adler will be leading the discussion.

    Guests will then have the opportunity to view the museum’s current exhibit, “Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass:American Artists and the Magic of Murano.”

    Click here to reserve for this free event, including the wine and food tasting and a cocktail hour. Spots at the Prosecco tasting will be given on a first come, first served basis.

    We look forward to sharing a glass of Prosecco with you in Ft. Worth in July!

    The Prosecco wine and food tasting has been sponsored by the Italian government’s ongoing Extraordinary Italian Taste campaign, which promotes authentic Italian wines, foods, and foodways.

  • IACCTX helps Italians abroad obtain Italian citizenship.

    IACCTX helps Italians abroad obtain Italian citizenship.

    Many countries allow for dual citizenship with the United States, and every government has its own set of immigration policies and citizenship laws, which in turn shape the eligibility requirements and the conditions one must meet in order to apply for dual citizenship. Notably, the Italian government’s requirements to apply for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (by descent) are less strict compared to other countries, which make Italian citizenship one of the easiest citizenships to acquire in Europe. Most importantly, unlike other countries, there are no generational limits that will prevent you from applying for Italian citizenship by right of blood. In other words, it does not matter if you apply through your most recent ancestor or through your most distant ancestor since there is no limit in the number of generations one can go back. For more information about the eligibility requirements to apply, the application process and the benefits that Italian citizenship entails feel free to visit ICA’s website.

  • IACC congratulates its new board members.

    IACC congratulates its new board members.

    The Italian-America Chamber of Commerce South Central would like to thank the newly elected members of its board: Massimiliano Tosi and Carlo Di Nunzio who now join Frank Cerza, Roberto Noce, and Franco Valobra who are now embarking on their second term.

    The current board is comprised of the following members:

    Brando Ballerini, president
    Edoardo Ascione
    Paolo Valente
    Niccolo Lorimer
    Andrea Benedetti
    Roberto Noce
    Filippo Spezzapria
    Massimiliano Tosi
    Carlo di Nunzio
    Frank Cerza
    Franco Valobra

    Our team would also like to thank previous members Federico Farina and Elena Hofmann for their service to the chamber and the community. And we would also like to recognize Mary Ann Remollino-Ellis and Amine Matta who also ran for board positions this season.

    The energy and enthusiasm that all of our members bring to the table are key to the success of the IACC and its engagement with our community. Board members, new and old, and board member candidates, we thank you for your service!

    About the IACC newly elected board members:

    Frank Cerza is a partner in the Business and Corporate Services and Real Estate practice groups at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and is Chair of the firm’s Italy Practice Group.

    Architect Carlo Di Nunzio is the recipient of numerous awards for his work, which has been featured in leading magazines like Texas Magazine, Houston Lifestyles and Homes, Houston House and Home, Luxe, Beautiful Homes, and Beautiful Kitchens.

    Roberto Noce is a leading member of the oil and gas community in Texas and has worked for a number of top companies. In 2003 Roberto joined the Saipem Group of Companies to start up a newly acquired offshore engineering company, Moss Maritime.

    Massimiliano Tosi is the Event & Community Relations Manager at Eataly in Dallas where he focuses on promoting Italian high-quality products, tradition, and hospitality. He is an MBA who has years of experience in the food and wine industry.

    Frank Valobra, whose family has been in the jewelry business since 1905, is the owner of two prestigious jewelry stores in New Orleans and Houston. His family also owns a shop in Turin and in Lugano, Switzerland, located on the city’s famous Via Nassa.

  • Moscato d’Asti DOCG Master Class and Lunch, June 16 in Dallas.

    Moscato d’Asti DOCG Master Class and Lunch, June 16 in Dallas.

  • Italian food world mourns the loss of Adriano Grosoli, the “king” of traditional balsamic vinegar.

    Italian food world mourns the loss of Adriano Grosoli, the “king” of traditional balsamic vinegar.

    “Our Adriano has left us,” wrote his daughter Mariangela late last week on Instagram (image via the Aceto Balsamico del Duca dal 1891 Instagram). “He was a great father and a tender grandfather. His example of love for his family, passion for his work, and admiration and respect for his co-workers will always be with us.”

    Not only was Adriano Grosoli, 93, a beloved family man. He was also one of the pioneers of aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena — traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena. And it’s thanks to him that food lovers in the U.S. first began to pay attention to this pillar of Italian gastronomy.

    Grosoli began managing his family’s acetaio, Aceto Balsamic del Duca dal 1891, in the 1940s. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that he and a handful of other now iconic producers decided to refashion the balsamic vinegar trade that the products would travel to the U.S. among many other influential markets. Before that time, balsamic vinegars were known and consumed almost exclusively in Emilia where they are produced. Today, in no small part thanks to Grosoli and his family’s company, the vinegars are found all over the world and are served in top restaurants.

    In its obituary, the Italian national daily La Repubblica called him “the father and legacy” of traditional balsamic vinegar, a “pioneer” whose vinegar “was the first to be tasted in the U.S.”

    The popular Emilia regional daily Il Resto del Carlino called him the “king of balsamic vinegar.”

  • Nana’s Creole Italian Table: A new book on Sicilian cooking in New Orleans by IACC partner Liz Williams.

    Nana’s Creole Italian Table: A new book on Sicilian cooking in New Orleans by IACC partner Liz Williams.

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce South Central couldn’t be more thrilled to share the news: IACC partner and founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, Liz Williams, has published a new cookery book this month, Nana’s Creole Italian Table (LSU Press 2022).

    Not only is Liz a leading authority on Italian-American cooking in the U.S. She is also the director of the IACC’s New Orleans office, which opened in early 2020.

    “In a kaleidoscope of flavors and fragrances,” says IACC director Alessia Paolicchi, “Liz Williams reveals Nana Elisabetta’s secrets in marrying authentic recipes from southern Italy with locally discovered ingredients, spices, and culinary traditions. Getting to know the different generations of Liz’s family, you’ll learn how hundreds of thousands of Sicilian immigrants socially integrated through the main point they had in common with New Orleanians: respect for the food.”

    In her new book, says Italian food and wine historian Jeremy Parzen, another IACC partner, Liz “weaves the personal and the epochal throughout the arc of this delightful and essential recipe collection. Each dish, paired with a family anecdote, is a pretext to explore New Orleans’ history as an expression of the American experience. This wonderful book is sure to take its place among the classics in the southeastern U.S. gastronomic canon.”

    Click here to read more about Liz’s new book on Amazon.

  • Dispatch from Houston by the legendary Darrell Corti, featured Taste of Italy speaker and “tastemaker” to a generation of Americans.

    Dispatch from Houston by the legendary Darrell Corti, featured Taste of Italy speaker and “tastemaker” to a generation of Americans.

    Above, from left: Rick Mindermann (Darrell Corti’s assistant), Ed Revak (a Houston-based spirits distributor), Darrell Corti, and Jeremy Parzen (Taste of Italy co-organizer and emcee).

    Darrell Corti, says celebrated food writer Colman Andrews, co-founder of Saveur magazine, “is one of those people whose importance is far greater than the name recognition.”

    The quote comes from a 2019 Los Angeles Times profile of Corti entitled “How Darrell Corti became a tastemaker in California food and wine.”

    Not only is Darrell, the owner of the legendary Corti Brothers grocery store in Sacramento, one of the top Italian-focused buyers in the country. He is also a legacy “tastemaker” whose encyclopedic knowledge of world gastronomy has introduced generations of Americans to the joys of traditional balsamic vinegar, countless iconic Italian wines, Spanish olive oil-cured tuna, and myriad other culinary treasures.

    “Darrell opened my eyes to products from around the world,” says Alice Waters, the founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley and one of America’s farm-to-table pioneers. “He knows everything about everything.”

    That quote comes from a 2008 Los Angeles Times piece, “Corti Brothers store began a gourmet-food revolution.”

    On the occasion of his time in Houston for Taste of Italy, Darell also wanted to experience our city, enjoy our restaurants and food shops, and visit our museums. When the curator of Asian art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston heard that Darrell, a noted collector of Japanese art, was coming to town, he insisted on giving Darrell a personal tour of the Asian collection.

    Yesterday on the Corti Brothers blog, Darrell’s assistant Rick Mindermann published this extremely detailed dispatch about the trip.

    We couldn’t have been more proud to welcome Darrell to our city. And it is with great joy that we share their notes from their time here.

  • Dream team for Chianti and Texas BBQ tasting, standing room only!

    Dream team for Chianti and Texas BBQ tasting, standing room only!

    It was standing room only on Monday at this year’s BBQ and Italian wine tasting and seminar at Taste of Italy, featuring celebrity pit master Ara Malekian of Harlem Road Texas BBQ.

    Chef Ara (above, second from right) was joined by a true “dream team” of panelists including Tom Dobson (left), the Italian wine buyer for Spec’s (one of the largest wine retail chains in the world), Eric Sandler (far right), the food writer for CultureMap (one of the most widely read lifestyle sites in Texas), and Italian wine and food historian and educator Jeremy Parzen (second from left), author of the blog Do Bianchi.

    The wines — six different Chianti — were selected by the Chianti Consortium (Consorzio Vino Chianti), the event’s title sponsor, and were tasted blind by a group of 50+ attendees, including leading restaurant trade members, writers, bloggers, and influencers.

    Tom and Jeremy spoke at length about Sangiovese’s incredible versatility as a gastronomic, food-friendly wine that works well with a wide range of meat dishes, including — and especially! — Texas barbecue.

    Eric, a Houston native and expert on Texas BBQ, also enjoyed tasting the wines, noting that it’s only natural to pair a “steak-friendly” wine with beef-centric Texas-style smoked meats (the two main cuts used are brisket and rib).

    Chef Ara prepared a classic brisket for the event. But his second dish was more unusual: Pork belly that had been cured with the same seasonings used to make pastrami and then smoked in the traditional Texas style.

    Both dishes worked exceedingly well with the wines and Chef Ara declared that Chianti could possibly be the best wine ever to pair with this style of cooking.

    Now in its third year, the Texas BBQ and Italian wine seminar at Taste of Italy has become a bona fide Houston tradition. This year’s event was another smashing success.

    The organizers of Taste of Italy couldn’t be more thankful to the Chianti Consortium for their support.

  • Congratulations to the winners of the Villa Sandi Houston Sommelier Competition!

    Congratulations to the winners of the Villa Sandi Houston Sommelier Competition!

    Congratulations to the winners of the Villa Sandi Houston Sommelier Competition!

    Above, center from left: Tony Elsinga (1st prize), Mark Fusco (2nd), and Carlos Rosas (3rd). Well done and well deserved! And thank you to everyone who competed! It was a great event.

    Candidates in the competition underwent a series of exams: Theory (arguably the most challenging), blind tasting, and service.

    The winner of this year’s gathering, Tony Elsinga, was awarded a $750 stipend and a all-expenses-paid trip to Vinitaly, the annual Italian wine trade fair held in Verona next month.

    The second runner up, Mark Fusco, received a $750 stipend while the third runner up, Carlos Rosas, received a $500 stipend.

    All three winners received a 3-liter bottle of Villa Sandi Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG.

    Even for those candidates who didn’t place in the competition, all agreed it was a formidable learning experience and an opportunity to hone their skills with the guidance of their colleagues.

    The organizers would like to share their special thanks with the Villa Sandi winery and estate for the generous support that made this year’s competition possible.

  • 320 attendees, 45 Italian brands, 200+ products. Thank you for making Taste of Italy 2022 a spectacular success!

    320 attendees, 45 Italian brands, 200+ products. Thank you for making Taste of Italy 2022 a spectacular success!

    Click here for a Facebook album of photos from the fair.

    More than 320 attendees, 45 Italian brands, 200+ Italian wines and food products, 3 seminars presented by leading food and wine professionals, 1 sommelier competition.

    We thank everyone — exhibitors, presenters, sommeliers, and organizers — for a fantastic Taste of Italy 2022, now in its 8th year and now back in-person after a two-year hiatus.

    “We had expected a smaller turnout back when we began planning this year’s event in late 2021,” said Italy-America Chamber of Commerce South Central deputy director Maurizio Gamberucci. “But the response and attendance at the fair was an indicator that food and wine professionals are hungry and thirsty for Italian wines and foods. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”

    “It was such a thrill,” said Taste of Italy emcee and panel moderator Jeremy Parzen, a Houston-based food and wine historian and educator, “to see so many Texas restaurant professionals excited to taste, learn, and interact with the Italians who traveled from Europe to Texas especially for the gathering. It was great.”

    Highlights of this year’s event included: Talks by Darrell Corti, a leading U.S. expert on Italian gastronomy, and Dino Borri, CEO for Eataly in the U.S.; a seminar on pairing Texas BBQ with Chianti led by celebrity pit master Ara Malekian and Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson; and the awards ceremony for the winner, and second- and third-runners up in the Villa Sandi Houston Sommelier Competition.

    If this response to this year’s Taste of Italy is any indication of what to expect for next year, we know we’re going to need a bigger ballroom!

    Thanks again to everyone who made it such a memorable and rewarding experience.