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$3.50 cup/$5.50 bowl $8.50 $9.95 $7.95
$13.50 $16.50 
$20.95 $16.95
$18.95 
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| I was born in 1959 in Basilicata,
the arch in the boot of Italy. When my older twin brothers
left home to attend hotel and restaurant school, their education stole
my attention, and I became fascinated with cooking and serving food. Each
time they returned home, I made them teach me everything they had learned:
bits of English, how to open a bottle of
wine, how to clear a table. In a short time
I became my mother’s dining room helper
and later, her sous-chef. I have great memories about our time around the dinner table. My mother loved to cook healthy and delicious |
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In the United States, it is probably the most authentic Italian restaurant an Italian chef could aspire to work in.In Italy, cooking traditions vary from region to region. Just as my mother influenced me with her culture, so have chefs from all of Italy. Creating this menu of Basilicata allows me to share my own culture and the food memories I had growing up. I remember what my grandfather taught me so many years ago in Basilicata: enjoy all that you do, |
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meals for our
big family (six children, parents
and grandparents)
and was most happy when we finished our meal. This was a big influence on me
when
I chose my career; I began working in kitchens in
various restaurants in Italy until I met my wife Jennifer
in Florence and we came to Los Angeles. After
working in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles, I came
to Il Fornaio in Irvine
and have been here
ten years. |
eat well and stay respectful
of the seasons. For life is too short not to derive pleasure from your
daily tasks.
Approach
all you do with a desire to improve your
understanding of what you experience,
and your life will be a happy journey indeed.
Buon Appetito! |
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 The
mountainous terrain and the difficult soil of Basilicata have helped to
create a
cuisine of simple hearty peasant dishes. Raw materials most often come
from land in the immediate vicinity; the original ingredients that go into
the dishes are entirely local, pure and undoctored. Basilicata likes its
sauces strongly seasoned, its sausages and treated meats spiced and its
cheeses sharp.
Olive oil is the most important product of the region, but its most well-known products are preserved meats. The local sausages are so highly regarded in the north that they are both imported and imitated. |
They are described as “lucanica” (or “luganega” after Lucania, the name first given to Basilicata) to indicate the flavor and quality of the Basilicata products. These are the sausages featured in Ravioli alla Lucana (ravioli with sausage, fennel, ricotta, pecorino and parmesan with fresh tomato sauce and basil) and they are not to be missed.
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The
spicy seasoning of Basilicata promotes thirst and the region’s
Aglianico del Vulture is one of the best wines in all of southern Italy.
The volcanic soil of Mt. Vulture produces a distinctive red wine reputed
to have tonic qualities.
