L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 8 Feb. 14, Sat. – Club Paesano's Annual Mardi Gras Dance, Cedarville Park, 3800 E. Powell Loop in Gresham. Gates open at 6:00pm; dinner begins at 7:00pm; dancing to live music at 8:00pm. For information, contact Marc Battilega, metromarine@mac.com Feb. 22, Sun. – Italian Hour on KBOO 90.7 FM from 9:00 to 10:00am. Contemporary and classic Italian music, featuring news of the local Italian community. Listen online at www.kboo.fm Feb. 22, Sun. - La Scuola Italiana di Portland presents Festa di Carnevale for Kids! from 3:00 to 6:00pm at Valley Catholic Elementary School, located at 4420 SW St. Mary's Drive in Beaverton. For more information, email info@scuola.us or call 971-270-0470. Feb. 27, Fri. – La Scuola Italiana di Portland presents Festa di Carnevale for Adults from 7:00 to 10:00pm at Caffe Umbria, 303 NW 12th Avenue in Portland. For more information, email info@scuola.us or call 971-270-0470. Experience Authentic Regional Culture in Italy with LivingItalian Italian Chef Offers Cooking Classes at Nicoletta's Table Mezzogiorno and Sicily. "Our son was 13 years old and it was important to us that he learn and appreciate his her- itage and regional culture," pro- f e s s e d B i l l . " A n d t h a n k s t o social media, he stays in touch with Italian friends and relatives he met over 15 years ago." I n 2 0 1 0 , B i l l a n d C a r o l decided to take a chance. They packed up and moved to Soriano n e l C i m i n o . T h e y f o u n d a n apartment and a car and began exploring Alto Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany. Three months l a t e r t h e y f o u n d t h e m s e l v e s working for a local firm con- d u c t i n g c u l t u r a l t o u r s a n d r e g i o n a l c o o k i n g c l a s s e s f o r s m a l l g r o u p s o f A m e r i c a n s , Australians, South Africans, and Canadians. They also managed multiple vacation apartments, the housekeeping and kitchen staff, and ground transportation. "It was an incredible learning experience," says Carol, "But, in spite of the company's promises, it lacked the authentic regional, cultural experience we sought to share. So we returned to Florida to develop our own concept." O v e r t h e y e a r s , B i l l a n d Carol have met hundreds of peo- ple who wanted to experience authentic Italian culture on their o w n b u t h a d n o i d e a how. When they described their experiences, the response was usually the same: "We'd love to explore Italy on our own but we d o n ' t k n o w h o w . W e d o n ' t speak Italian and we're afraid of g e t t i n g l o s t … o r w o r s e y e t , ripped off." Those comments were Bill and Carol's inspiration to offer a better travel experi- ence. LivingItalian's services start with a free two-hour phone con- sultation to develop a profile of the client's expectations, travel experience, budget parameters and preferred travel dates. This information forms the basis of a preliminary travel plan. Bill and Carol Sansone start- ed LivingItalian in 2012, intent on sharing their years of experi- ence living, working, and travel- ing independently throughout Italy. Almost 40 years ago, they decided to explore the regional cultures, traditions, food and history of southern Italy where all of their grandparents were born and raised. They wanted to know, "What would our lives be like had all our grandparents remained in Italy?" "LivingItalian is more of a state-of-mind than it is a busi- ness," says Bill. "We offer itin- erary planning and advice to independent travelers who have already experienced the one or two week, guided group tours of t h e u s u a l d e s t i n a t i o n s . O u r c l i e n t s a r e p e o p l e s e e k i n g a more authentic Italian lifestyle and regional, cultural experi- ence. Our itineraries connect clients' expectations with local providers of accommodations, car rentals, cooking schools, wine makers, etc. in Italy for an authentic Italian experience." All of Bill and Carol's grand- p a r e n t s c a m e f r o m s o u t h e r n Italy and made New York City their new home. Carol's family settled in the Bronx, while Bill's f a m i l y s e t t l e d i n M t . V e r n o n . A f t e r m a r r y i n g i n 1972, they lived at Fort Dix, New Jersey for a year followed by two years at the NATO HQ i n N a p l e s . A f t e r B i l l ' s d i s - c h a r g e , t h e y t o u r e d I t a l y , F r a n c e , S w i t z e r l a n d , a n d Germany for several months and then returned to Washington, DC to begin their careers. Since the mid-1980's Bill and Carol have returned fre- quently to Italy for long vaca- t i o n s . I n 1 9 9 9 , t h e y b e g a n spending their summers with their son in Carol's ancestral C a l a b r i a n v i l l a g e , C i r ò M a r i n a . F r o m t h e r e t h e y e x p l o r e d m o s t o f t h e Once a client approves the preliminary travel plan, they develop a detailed itinerary that includes destinations, sugges- tions for ground transportation, accommodations and local con- tact information. The itinerary can be fine-tuned and allows the client to book their reservations, arrange payment directly with the service provider in Italy and make changes on the fly. "We encourage independent travelers to step outside their c o m f o r t z o n e t o e x p e r i e n c e authentic regional Italian culture and food traditions," say Bill and Carol. "Of course, everyone wants the well-known pizzas, pastas, cheeses and wines but t h o s e a r e j u s t a f r a c t i o n o f Italy's culinary treasures and traditions. We joke that there's a n I t a l i a n l a w t h a t r e q u i r e s tourists to eat gelato at least twice a day." W h e n a s k e d w h a t t h e y t h o u g h t w o u l d b e t h e m o s t important thing to do in prepara- tion for a trip to Italy, Carol responded, "Read, read, read and read some more. This is to d e v e l o p a p e r s o n a l mission." They recommend the B l u e G u i d e s f o r I t a l y ' s r e g i o n s . T h e y a l s o s u g g e s t checking out Facebook pages like LivingItalian and websites like Slow Travel that contain valuable information for novice independent travelers. Bill says, "Why spend time and money just to see places that you can watch on cable TV from the comfort of your living room? Go to Italy to engage the people and discover new tastes, sights, and sounds away from the big group tour buses. It's all about avoiding the beaten path and exploring the paths less traveled." In other words, live like an Italian. Bill and Carol encourage independent travelers to step outside their comfort zone to experience authentic regional Italian culture and food traditions like grappa tasting TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON Alessandro Cassuto an execu- tive chef and trainer for the Lorenzo De Medici Academy in Florence, Italy will be making his way to Portland at the end of February to offer his time and talents to the local community. He is offering two Sunday cooking classes at Nicoletta's Table and Market Place, located at 333 South State Street in Lake O s w ego on F ebruary 22 and March 1, from 4:00 to 7:00pm. Cost for each class is $75 per person. The classes will include four courses with wine, and par- ticipants will be able to take home their recipes so they can recreate the menus at home. Cassuto spent time as CEO and Managing Director for a multi-national company before he decided to quit and follow his true passion of becoming a chef. "I do really believe that food is love!" states Cassuto. " I also specialize in restaurant startups, supporting entrepreneurs in staff training, marketing, business planning, managing costs con- trol, organizing food events, and of course cooking lessons." Alessandro Cassuto is a mem- ber of the professional team at Lorenzo De Medici Academy, which is the biggest European University of students abroad. He also consults and offers his skills as a chef at Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, which is based in Tuscany. Cassuto has spent many months studying with some of the best Michelin Stars Chefs in Italy. "Nicoletta's Table is excited to have Alessandro come and work with our staff and teach our customers the basics of Italian cooking," says, Shari Newman, owner of Nicoletta's Table. To participate in Alessandro's cooking class, contact Shari at Nicoletta's Table, 503.699.2927 or info@nicolettastable.com. For more information, visit them online at www.nicolettastable. com TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON Alessandro Cassuto, executive chef and trainer for the Lorenzo De Medici Academy in Florence, Italy, is in town to teach cooking classes at Nicoletta's Table and Market Place

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