20 December 2009What a year it has been.......another 365-day snapshot summary of our lives. Has 2009 really been any different? In some ways, I think it has.December has always been my month for reflecting. Is it the shorter days? The culmination of another year of life ready to make an exit? All the 'stuff' associated with the holidays? Hmmm...... As December approaches I look forward first to the winter solstice.....when days begin their ascent toward greater lengths. I look forward to the quiet moments of the 25th....to simply be in the moment and experience the sensation of complete, unadulterated gratefulness..... the sensation you feel when you are certain you are a part of something perfect, magnificent and infinite. Peace within. But the celebration for me really begins as the old year relents to the new and reveals the possibility of all-that-is-yet-to-come. The time from the 26th to the first of January is joyous. The new year is about hope, change, promise- its about the possibility itself: the possibility that anything can happen. What will we create, dream, conceive?!?2009
BOCCONATO Trattoria took on her own identity in 2009- as a mainstay in the rural foothill community of Fair Play, as a place to enjoy Italian Soul Food, and as a restaurant that survived an economic crash not felt in the U.S. since 1929. Giovanni and I have been blessed by those who continue to make the drive to see us, spend their hard-earned money on dining out at our place and genuinely appreciate the unique experience the setting and Giovanni's culinary genius have to offer.What makes Giovanni's food so special? I think its because he's special. So, I'm married to this chef and in many ways we have a normal marriage, with ups and downs and conversations that can go nowhere fast; but all the spaces in between--------his intentions are alligned with that infiniteness-------- he inspires me daily.Chef Giovanni's ingredients are whole, seasonal, fresh.....local. Okay, his recipes are simple, Italian, traditional, family heirlooms..... many chefs are doing this now.....its got to be the soulfulness. Yes. The Soulfulness. And the greatest joy that has come from owning this restaurant is creating something that some people really do understand. As human beings, as creative entities, we recognise all of the creative endeavors that resonate deeply within us....its all the same vibration.....art, music, food, wine, poetry.....Giovanni is an artist. We are grateful to those who appreciate his contribution to the 'greater good'.This year has been quite a challenge.....it has been for so many of us. It has been humbling, full of doubt, challenges, redirection, hopefulness, creativity and faith. So 2010 will be simply magical.....we're all thinking this, believing this and manifesting something grand.We're feeding people without menus! An idea that has been coming for some time now. Imagine a dining room full of guests on a Saturday night in 'downtown' Fair Play (in the middle of winter no less) all asking the chef to simply feed them...surprise them......ahhhhh.....The intrepid chef, doing his thing, that he does best....creating magic with Italian food and wine.
FALL has arrived at BOCCONATO TRATTORIA and FAIR PLAY!Time continues to fly by.....its already November 1st and really, the older you get, the faster time moves. The only sure way to combat this is to head to the culture where time is always notably SLOWER.......Noi andiamo al Italia!!!!Giovanni and I announced our latest tour to Italy in September and we have guests signed up for our MARCH 14- MARCH 27, 2010 spring trip.We've decided it was time to head to Tuscany and Umbria for spring and have begun creating our itinerary. We'll spend time in Chianti, Montalcino, Montefalco.......we'll of course stop in Assisi and absorb some of the magic there....we have so much to be grateful for......We recently changed the menu at BOCCONATO......tomatoes are sadly gone....but mushrooms are in! We're making a mushroom sformato and also soups are back!No Menu- No Corkage Mondays continue to be a hit with the locals and as change is inevitable, so is some constancy....this fall we welcome Charles B. Mitchell back to our community. I think he bought the winery back in October of this year....so, benvenuto, Charles! We've already spotted him skateboarding down Perry Creek Road.We have some new wines on our list...a rosso di Montalcino and a new Brunello....we also have a simple pino nero from the Veneto that is simple but lovely.....The screenplay is almost finished, now its time to put it out there for all to read.....its really been an exciting process and I can't wait to get to another writing project....Well, happy fall everyone and happy time change......until next time, ciao. ciao!! Sheri
This weekend marks the last full weekend for us at Bocconato Trattoria for the month of July. I can't believe August is around the corner and we can begin looking forward to a break from hot July weather. Local rumors have surfaced that our lease ends in July and Giovanni and I are moving to Italy......I wonder where in Italy we're going?!? And how do local gossipers know about our lease terms? Hmmmmmm.......Molto interresante! This latest bit of news immediately inspires two thoughts: 1) what do I want to manifest next in our lives, e.g., living in Italy, a restaurant in a big city, a movie deal, an amazing novel? and 2) I simply must learn to ignore gossip. This begs for me one of the eternal questions associated with living in a small town: Can residents in small communities really support the people in it? Is there a collective community consciousness that is inspiring and prosperous-minded in a genuine sort of way or will there always be people who surreptitiously denigrate the possibility for others' success by secretly wishing those around them actually fail? Does this have to be the nature of some people? Its critical we wish others well......for a million reasons.......for sure, and at the very least, its good prosperity.I don't think people realize how powerful their thoughts are. I don't think people have any idea of their effect on the quantum underbelly of all of this. I've been on the planet long enough to know that the human condition has yet to change. But, alas, I'm not giving up hope........I know really great people in Fair Play and our customers are over-the-top amazing human beings........Giovanni's cooking draws foodies with a spiritual bent from all over Northern California, Nevada and beyond. We're helping nudge souls through food, wine and dialogue (this is my part in all of this). In the meantime, I will keep reading Joseph Campbell, Deepak's Quantum Healing, the Bagadvaghita and Eckhart Tolle. And I will be sure to meditate to keep my auric body strong.....protecting my sensitive self from non-sense.Allora........Magnifico! I plan on creating this Italian relocation next. The 'small' talk, ironically, has inspired me......I would love to move to Italy. I would love to be in a culture that is significantly slower-paced, even while Europe becomes more and more Americanized.....it remains different. Molto facile....let's see, my areas of choice would be a small town in Piemonte, somewhere outside of Alba or Bra. I wouldn't mind living in the Veneto either....somewhere outside of Verona. Our access to Alto-Adige and Friuli would be easy. We could drive to Modena for the day to pick up our traditional balsamico, have a nice lunch and get home long before dark. We could take short trips to Vienna, Prague and Munich. There is so much to see and I have to see it. I really do.This weekend at Bocco: We celebrated Joy's birthday this past Friday night at the restaurant......Christie Clary was there....so we sat down and had dinner together. It was a lovely girls' night out. Giovanni made us farinata (a traditional chickpea crepe from Liguria), baked pear and smoked provolone skewers, local organic watermelon salad with Parmigiano and balsamico and honeydew melon bisque.Christie and Joy had the cannelloni and I had pasta chitarra with homemade pesto that only Giovanni can make (and Ligurian Grandmas).Matricia showed up with her friend Kathy....we drank some Pinot and gabbed until 12:30 in the morning. Giovanni, God bless him, waited patiently for us as we girls laughed and talked.G and I woke early yesterday morning for the farmers' market in Placerville. We bought heirloom tomatoes and our supply of vegetables for the week. Exhausted, I went back to Bocco and spent the morning changing our menu. We added panzanella salad, CAPRESE (this is over the top, I had two yesterday-one for lunch and one for dinner), and crostini.Tracie worked last night.....her last night before she goes on maternity leave to bring beautiful Ava into the world. I will miss her terribly. She's a great manager; a brilliant, conscious human being and an all around lovely woman (and great mom). Its amazing how people come together. Don't take the conscious, lovely ones for granted! Its a reminder, directly from God, to trust the mystery.We worked hard yesterday and through the night. We were busy....a reminder that occasionally the recession doesn't exist for a moment. Phil and Joy came in for dinner. David and J.P. came in without their kids (David's parents were home babysitting for them). People ate outside...the weather was cool and everyone seemed happy.I sent out an e-mail earlier in the day, talking about Tracie, tomatoes and the menu change. Sure enough, Christie got the e-mail and had to come in for panzanella. So, I got to sit down again with some genuine people (Christie, Phil Bill and Joy), and have dinner- two nights in a row.How lovely, there are definite perks in the restaurant biz.I have so much more to write....but its time to get back to work...Matricia and I are writing tonight. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.....Bocco stays busy and I sell a screenplay.Until next time......ci vediamo presto:)
Today marks the day of my new blog.....Italian soul food. I was writing under Bocconato Talk, so named after my restaurant. Somehow I was not inspired. I thought it was kind of quirky and quippy and visitors would come in droves to be a part of the 'talk'.I am now sharing a part of my life on the Internet here and on our facebook page 'Bocconato Trattoria'.....Giovanni is planning our menu for tomorrow night. We're changing it all the time now because the produce is at its peak. Asparagus is gone and tomatoes are coming in, so.....caprese salad is back.....!We're doing a ten-mile salad.....all of the ingredients are within a ten mile radius of the restaurant. It doesn't get better than this....I just joined 'local harvest.org', an organization that supports local farmers across the country. If you know you're visiting somewhere in the U.S. and want to find a resaturant with good ingredients, you can go to this website and type in the city. But its much more than that, focusing on supporting local farmers and producers of quality products. Christie Clary, who own Clary Ridge Ranch, and makes nocino from her walnuts, told me about the website.We're open for dinner on Monday nights- for our almost famous 'no menu-no corkage Mondays'. Whatever Giovanni feels like making for the night is what we put on the chalkboard.Now this is Italian soul food....rabbit in a clay pot.....ribbolita soup.....slow-cooked short ribs....I think its time to get vitello tonnato back on the menu.......Until next time....ciao, ciao!
