FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Pizza Making With Chef Anna

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Homemade Pizza

One of the events on the DaVinci Wine Storyteller Experience itinerary that I was most looking forward to was pizza making with Chef Anna. Wood-fired pizza has been a long time favorite of mine, but experimenting with a wood-fired oven has never been within reach.  The folks at DaVinci changed this by providing us not only with a wood-fired pizza oven, but an outdoor variety overlooking Tuscan vineyards and a lovely Chef Anna to guide us through the process.

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Chef Anna, who has been preparing fabulous meals for us throughout the week, graciously let us in on her secrets for perfect pizza napolatena. Secrets which didn’t involve measuring cups or spoons, only general ingredient proportions and modifications based on the feeling of the dough in our hands.

Pizza Dough

Triple zero flour and fresh yeast {both of which I had never cooked with}, salt, sugar, and water.  So simple.

Pizza Dough Rising

We let our dough rise underneath crisp, white linens in the cool Tuscan breeze. That alone was a sight worth seeing.

Rolled Pizza Dough

When it came time to roll the dough, it was much tougher than I expected.  I felt as if my dough had failed because it seemed like it barely grew with each pass of the rolling pin.  But after a little bit of patience {I was being watched by Chef Anna, after all} and a lot of small progress, I was left with a large, round-ish palette of dough, ready for toppings.

Wood Fired Pizza

I dressed the dough with Chef Anna’s sauce, thinly sliced red onion, salami, crumbled mozzarella, and a dab of gorgonzola here and there.  And 90 seconds later, when my pizza was pulled from the fire, it was almost unbelievable that I was responsible for such a good looking pie.  And the taste?  Well, it was wonderful enough to earn the vote for best pizza!

I did agree with Felipo {the pizza judge} that all of our pizzas were great in their own way.  Karen‘s pizza had fresh rosemary that was growing wild at the Casale, Jennifer‘s veggie pizza was a lighter alternative, and Celeste‘s heart-shaped pizza was as delicious as it was adorable.  We spent the remainder of the evening sharing our pizzas, pairing them with DaVinci Pinot Grigio.  All of us were shocked that a white wine could go so well with pizza, but the night ended with four pinot grigio pizza fans.

Welcome To Casale Di Valle!

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Vinci 01

It seems like just yesterday I received the phone call letting me know I had been selected as one of four storytellers in this year’s DaVinci Wine Storyteller Experience.  Details were provided, time flew by, and before I knew it, I was flying across the Atlantic wondering what I had gotten myself into.  Obviously it was going to be great. Obviously. But I couldn’t yet picture how it would all come together.  The flight over felt much like Christmas Eve – if the Santa list was forgotten, courage to sneak a peak through wrapping paper was lost, and present destiny was in someone else’s hands.

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Thankfully I had a day in Florence to adjust.  A day to walk miles and miles from one side of the city to the other and back.  A day to live in a typical hotel, with a typical staff, and typical amenities.  A day {after 20 hours of travel} to completely wipe myself out and sleep the heaviest of sleeps.  I needed this exact combination of things to prepare me for what was about to come.

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As soon as we arrived to Casale Di Valle, we were welcomed by gorgeous Tuscan views, a warm-hearted crew, and the comfort of knowing that every experience during this upcoming week would be better than anything we could have anticipated.  Every sight we saw was magical.  And how could it not be?  We were in the middle of a 16th century hunting lodge with 360 degree surrounds of vineyard.

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After touring the property, each of the storytellers were led to their rooms.  My path consisted of walking up a stone stairway with rope handrails, down a long, narrow hallway that branched off to a secondary kitchen, sitting area, and large, formal dining room, which led me to the Rose room.  A room so cozy, I couldn’t wait to unpack my belongings and call home for the next week.

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After a few minutes to let it all sink in, we regrouped downstairs for lunch under the gazebo.  A gazebo with a built in pizza oven that we’ll soon be using to bake homemade pizza!

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I could dance around adjectives for hours to find a way to describe our lunch only to arrive back at the word perfect, so I’ll stick to lunch was perfect.  Bruschetta, salamis, prosciutto, grilled bread drizzled with olive oil, a selection of cheeses, and an abundance of DaVinci pinot grigio – I couldn’t have dreamt up a dreamier meal.

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We cheersed the first of many cheerses and, once again, let it all sink in.  We are here, at the Casale Di Valle, for the next week.  And in the next week we will create memories that will be incomparable to anything any of us have ever experienced.

To follow along with our adventures in real-ish time, follow FoodFash on Instagram and Facebook!

We Won A Trip To Italy!

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Wow, where to begin!  Earlier this year, I saw a post on Facebook advertising a “win a trip to Italy” contest hosted by DaVinci Wine.  I clicked on it, had fun filling out an application that allowed me to share my favorite vacation stories, submitted various pictures/videos/blog posts, and went on my way. A few weeks later, a random NY number popped up on my phone and I answered {thinking it was a supplier for work}.

What a surprise to find out that what I expected to be a work call was actually someone calling to notify me that I had been selected as one of 12 finalists in the 2014 DaVinci Wine Storyteller Experience!  The rest of the call went something like “Oh my goodness, thank you!  …oh, the winners are selected by voting?”.  I should have been completely excited, but the memory of another Italy contest came rushing back and the feeling of coming in dead last clouded my excitement.

I pushed the negativity aside and began promoting the contest in a way that I hoped would attract support without annoying friends, family, and followers {my ultimate contest promoting fear}.

The contest ended on July 31st.  How five-ish weeks had come and gone, I was uncertain.  I had plenty to focus on though, with the opening of a new restaurant.  I knew the announcement of contest winners would sneak up on me just the same.

On August 1st, I rushed home after work to change into yoga clothes and make a quick return at Free People before heading to class.  As I was mid-return, my phone rang and another unknown NY number appeared on the screen.  My heart pounded. Would they really be calling me this soon to let me know I didn’t win?

They wouldn’t.  They had good news.  And before I even had a moment to wonder how the contest would turn out, I knew the outcome.  I squealed and looked around, wishing I could share my excitement with someone, anyone but the sales clerk processing my return.  I held it in, bypassed yoga out of fear that my heart would explode from happiness {it felt possible}, and made the appropriate calls.

Now that flights have been booked, draft itineraries have been sent out, and the formal announcement has been made on the DaVinci Wine website, I am so thrilled to shout off the social media rooftops how much I appreciate everyone who voted {or wished they could have found the time to vote}!  I can’t wait to spend SEVEN days in Italy with DaVinci Wine, Jennifer {travel writer}, Celeste {photographer}, and Karen {food blogger}!

I head out in just a few weeks.  On September 19th, I fly from Austin to Florence, where I will have a day and change to myself before meeting up with the group. There is a wonderfully curated itinerary from September 21st through 27th that I can’t wait to share with you once finalized – stay tuned!

{thank you!}