Team Italia is returning in July, 2012!
We will post more information about fund raising, planned activities and other adventures as more information arrives.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A little bit of coverage
Our friends at Chef Educator Today magazine were nice enough to cover the Italy trip. Take a look at their article at: http://chefeducatortoday.blogspot.com/2010/07/delcastle-students-get-taste-of-italia.html (copy and paste if link isn't visible)
Big news in a few weeks about the NEXT TRIP for Cooking Without Borders!
Big news in a few weeks about the NEXT TRIP for Cooking Without Borders!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wheels up :(
Chefs Mullen and Berman write:
Tonight was, simply put, amazing! We spent the evening at the Le Caniette winery with our new friends and countrymen from Ripatransone. The view, of course, is spectacular, overlooking the Ascoli Valley. We played host to the Mayor of Ripatransone, as well as many of those responsible for our adventure here. There were students, families, cooks, children and revelers, alike. The innovative kitchen was draped in glass, nary to miss one spectacular glance out the windows to see the grape vines stretching across the hillside.
Food? Our antipasti was a dry-cured pork loin dressed with a salad of radicchio, olive oil and 50-year old cooked wine. [Yes, cooked wine. Do not mistake cooking wine for this delicious ‘dressing.’] The primi piatta was pillows of pasta wrapped around a vegetable mixture of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes gently snuggled in with fresh mozzarella, all baked in a tomato-bechamel sauce. The entrée, a porkette-style treatment of turkey leg-thigh roast. Indescribable! The boned-out roast was stuffed with rosemary and garlic then rolled in a crust of salt and splashed with olive oil imported all the way from the side of the hill on which we were dining. Impeccable flavor. Amazing experience. Life-changing event of which we could not possibly have hoped to go any better as we wind down our journey through this province.
Tomorrow, we are gathering ingredients from local vendors and making our bon voyage meal at our host’s home. We will bid Italia a heart-breaking ‘ciao’ following dinner and, I am sure, a long night of reflecting on the journey. Nearly two years in the making, arduous fundraising, hurdles and challenges, this trip is coming to an end. Many of our students making the journey with TeamItalia will not be returning in the fall, as they have graduated and are finishing their tenure with our program as the plane touches down in Philadelphia. The others will have the classroom as their audience to share what was, hopefully, an experience worth sharing. Either way, the students and us as teachers, leave Italy as markedly changed individuals, hopefully wiser for the experience of the past two weeks and everything leading up to this moment. With this, we close this living journal and seal this chapter of our online presence in Italy. We will, as time goes by, drop in to share developments in promoting our “Cooking Without Borders” program. It is our hope to host students from Italy in the very near future and make a return trip to this wonderful place. We will also post reflections from the students on their escapades in Ripatransone after we return to the States.
So, for now, buona notte and ciao! Grazí to everybody that followed along and supported our mission. Wheels down in Philly on Wednesday!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Past Few Days
Ashley Anton Writes:It's been an awesome few days. Friday night was our night out in the town as a whole group. We walked around and mingled with the towns people. It's great to be able to understand them knowing only a little of the language. With the hand motions and the expressions they showed made translating a little easier.
Saturday night was the first night of the Meat Festival. During the day Thursday, we assisted in the butchering of 4 cows. We watched them take apart the pieces and then told us to cut them into different pieces to be used for different purposes. Most of the meat was ground for hamburger while the rounds and ribs were cut into pieces to be used as steaks. We also said fair well to our friend, Dario who assisted us in translating. It's crazy how much we take advantage of the simple things. Without someone there to help makes it quite difficult.
Today, we had the day off. I took advantage of this time and slept in and then joined the group at lunch for some amazing pasta, as usual, and a roasted pepper and olive stuffed beef with a side of sauteed kale. Due to our free day, we retreated to Quercus Park, an adventure park where we spent the next 3 and a half hours, zip gliding and making our way through various courses. The pictures below were taken during our time spent there. We all had such a blast. From the Chef's being a little nervous to the falls and laughs as we made our way back to the bottom of the course.
We have about 3 days left now. I cannot believe time is going by so quickly. I feel like we've been here for months. It's going to be hard to re-adjust to the time change, sleeping arrangements and the daily activities. Oh, and especially the food! Coming back is definitely in my agenda.
Saturday night was the first night of the Meat Festival. During the day Thursday, we assisted in the butchering of 4 cows. We watched them take apart the pieces and then told us to cut them into different pieces to be used for different purposes. Most of the meat was ground for hamburger while the rounds and ribs were cut into pieces to be used as steaks. We also said fair well to our friend, Dario who assisted us in translating. It's crazy how much we take advantage of the simple things. Without someone there to help makes it quite difficult.
Today, we had the day off. I took advantage of this time and slept in and then joined the group at lunch for some amazing pasta, as usual, and a roasted pepper and olive stuffed beef with a side of sauteed kale. Due to our free day, we retreated to Quercus Park, an adventure park where we spent the next 3 and a half hours, zip gliding and making our way through various courses. The pictures below were taken during our time spent there. We all had such a blast. From the Chef's being a little nervous to the falls and laughs as we made our way back to the bottom of the course.
We have about 3 days left now. I cannot believe time is going by so quickly. I feel like we've been here for months. It's going to be hard to re-adjust to the time change, sleeping arrangements and the daily activities. Oh, and especially the food! Coming back is definitely in my agenda.
Ropes course... high in the sky!
Paul writes: We just returned from the Quercus Park rope course, and I never had so much fun! Quercus is a ‘Parchi Avventura’ loosely translating to ‘adventure park.’ It is a suspended rope course, with tension lines drawn between trees, some as high as 30 feet up! There were obstacles, such as a balance line or ladder-type path or zip line.
At first glance I had doubts, and even at the first obstacle I was frozen with fear, the wind blew as the boards were swaying and it took a good five minutes for me to get going but once I did, I enjoyed the course. The zip-line was my favorite part because I flew through the trees, with the wind in my…….helmet, and watching my other classmates, and teachers, conquer their fears. I had a blast and will remember that experience forever!!
Tonight, we dine at the Beef Festival and will be taking in some great music. Tomorrow, we are heading to a winery for our final cooking class and dinner with our friend, Chef Capecci. Ciao, for now.
At first glance I had doubts, and even at the first obstacle I was frozen with fear, the wind blew as the boards were swaying and it took a good five minutes for me to get going but once I did, I enjoyed the course. The zip-line was my favorite part because I flew through the trees, with the wind in my…….helmet, and watching my other classmates, and teachers, conquer their fears. I had a blast and will remember that experience forever!!
Tonight, we dine at the Beef Festival and will be taking in some great music. Tomorrow, we are heading to a winery for our final cooking class and dinner with our friend, Chef Capecci. Ciao, for now.
A flurry of pictures..
Roof top view:
A platter of amazing calamari at a sea-side cafe in San Benedetto:
Paul and Jose trying some porchette from the market:
Dressed up for a night on the town:
In the cooler with the cattle for the Meat Festival:
Local offerings:
At the open-air market in Comune Ripatransone:
A platter of amazing calamari at a sea-side cafe in San Benedetto:
Paul and Jose trying some porchette from the market:
Dressed up for a night on the town:
In the cooler with the cattle for the Meat Festival:
Local offerings:
At the open-air market in Comune Ripatransone:
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