Having grown up in the industrial side of New Jersey the closest I came to a horse race was at the OTB on the corner watching the monitors.  So when I was invited to attend this years gold cup in The Plains Virginia I jumped at the chance.  Being a rookie I was not sure what to exactly what to expect so I threw on a Polo instead of a tee and we headed out.  Upon arrival it was hard to believe how many people were there, the place was …

It is my goal this year to get into the local farmland every Sunday to check out hidden jewels as well as visit farm stands and get my fruits and vegetables for the upcoming week.  So this past Sunday the journey took us to Tilghman Island on the Chesapeake.  We unfortunately got a late start to the day but we were on a mission to have some seafood on the water.
It was a beautiful day and the drive was entertaining through windy roads as well as the high speed portion …

It is my goal this year to get into the local farmland every Sunday to check out hidden jewels as well as visit farm stands and get my fruits and vegetables for the upcoming week.  So this past Sunday the journey took us to Tilghman Island on the Chesapeake.  We unfortunately got a late start to the day but we were on a mission to have some seafood on the water. 
It was a beautiful day and the drive was entertaining through windy roads as well as the high speed portion …

Springtime always reminds me of Rhone style wines. Maybe it is because Rhone style wines can be very versatile.
This passion for Rhone starts in no other place than the Rhone Valley of France. Go figure…..The Rhone Valley extends south from Burgundy to Provence. It is divided into the Northern and Southern Valley. Each area has its own style of grapes, environment and climate. The Rhone Valley produces more wine than any other region in France next to Bordeaux. The main component to the area is the river. If not for …

Beautiful warm spring days like today make everyone smile and breathe a sigh of relief that winter might indeed be finished for this year.  Our own Chef Bryan Moscatello is excited that Ramps are coming back in season, along with gorgeous Morrells.
Today reminds me of our travel to Italy for research in developing the menu at Potenza.  If you work with food and wine “research” is actually a wonderful thing, it’s all about taste and travel.
On our Potenza trip we spent a week or so tasting our way throughout Tuscany, …

It seems as far back as I can remember, wine has always been a part of my life. As a child growing up in NYC, I was always eagerly awaiting my father coming home from working in the Garment Center and on Friday nights he always brought home a bottle of wine. He thought wine made dinner a little special. The wines that were brought home were very simple, I remember the Chianti wrapped in straw, Valpo and Soave. Bolla was a big name back then. But so were Zenith …

The ancient culture of Sicily is amazing. It is the largest island in the Mediterranean and has always been of great strategic importance in that part of the world. One of the principle reasons behind it being the most conquered country in human history, the Greeks, Byzantines, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Moors, Normans, Aragonese, Spanish, French and Germans just to name a few. With them came their culture, art, food and architecture.  Sicily has also been known for its agriculture and rich volcanic soil. The Greeks cultivated olives and wine …

Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
On the road, and passing through my home town, I realized how ugly California is this time of year, everything is brown and dried out, perfect time of the year for those grass fires you always hear about on the news.  It makes you appreciate that California really is seasonal, despite the jokes from east coasters, there is warm, hot, and really hot, with some rain scattered in between.  This weather is what forced me to move to the beautiful micro-climate …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
Last week I took a weekend getaway back to my childhood on a trip to the jersey shore, Long Beach Island to be specific. The shore’s fresh seafood was the inspiration for last week’s post about my favorite dish fresh clams with linguine.  That first night was all about that simplest of dishes and it was every bit as good as I remembered the only part I hadn’t remembered was the work of shucking 100 or so little neck clams but I worked through it as I …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello, posts his first weekly blog bringing new ideas for fresh cooking.
Most people don’t think of the Jersey Shore as the center of haute cuisine, but my days at the beach taught me how to cook fresh and simple.
Some of the best summer days of my youth were spent clamming in the waters off Long Beach, NJ. We’d spend hours in the muddy sand digging up clam after clam. The best places to find these delicacies were tidal flats that were exposed at low tide. Like good …