VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO, TERUZZI E PUTHOD, 2000

This dry white wine from the hillside town of San Gimignano is crisp with a delicate floral fragrance and flavors of almonds. Its medium body and lively fruit make it ideal with the spiedini, risotto and branzino.

bottle $26.00 glass $6.75 1/2 glass $3.50

CHIANTI CLASSICO, IL FORNAIO, 1999

This single-vineyard Chianti Classico has been carefully selected from grapes grown in Il Fornaio's own vineyard, Casanuova. Located in the beautiful hills above Siena in the heart of Tuscany, our vineyard's low-yielding vines produce a medium-bodied dry wine brimming with rich, earthy aromas complimented by cherry, violet and vanillin flavors. The perfect complement to panzanella and pancotto.

bottle $25.50 glass $5.95 1/2 glass $3.00

CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, NOZZOLE, 1998

This full-flavored Chianti Classico Riserva is produced in the heart of the northern Chianti Classico zone. Nozzole, just outside the town of Greve, is a place of exceptional beauty and a has an extraordinary microclimate for grape growing. This luscious wine is full of concentrated plum and cherry aromas and flavors which match nicely with the antipasto Toscano and crespelle.

bottle $37.00 glass $9.50 1/2 glass $4.75

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO, CASTELLO BANFI, 1998

Produced from Brunello grapes, this is an elegant and velvety, full-flavored, full-bodied red wine with rich cherry and red currant aromas and explosive flavors of ripe berries and spice. Its excellent balance and long-lasting finish make it a great match for the pappardelle and agnello.

bottle $38.00 glass $9.75 1/2 glass $5.00

have spent most of my life in Tuscany and am reminded of my roots every day I am in the kitchen. When I use olive oil I think of the first press of olives from my grandmother’s farm, and how we poured it on bread still warm from the oven. Preparing Panzanella always reminds me of the summertime when the tomatoes would ripen and we picked them from the garden along with fragrant basil to make this unique Tuscan-style bread salad. When I receive my fresh produce in the morning in Del Mar, I can’t help but taste my memories of Tuscany.

I grew up in the town of Botticino, up on a mountain not far from Lucca. My father had a paper mill, where there was a lot of water and many chestnut trees. There were ten people in our family and my father’s mother cooked for us every day. I still remember the crepes made from chestnut flour she would fill with fresh ricotta made by friends who raised cows and sheep. Every day she would prepare a meal different from the day before.

When I was about ten I went to live with my mother and grandmother near Florence. My grandmother owned a farm in San Gimignano and most of the food we ate was produced there. I had only her olive oil and wine until I moved to the United States. Every Sunday we would have a big family dinner, using ingredients raised on the farm. A special treat for dessert was vin santo. The vin santo that came from the farm was unbelievable – velvety and sweet. When I was older, I would dip biscotti into this sweet wine and lose track of how many cookies I had eaten!

My first job was as a dishwasher in a trattoria in Florence when I was sixteen years old. It was a typical trattoria: small, with only two cooks and one dishwasher. It seemed that one day I was washing dishes, then one day I was cooking! I prepared and cooked everything on the menu; that was how I learned to cook. I finished school at eighteen and got a job as a pasta chef in another trattoria in Florence. Carmen, a woman who cooked there, taught me a valuable lesson I remember to this day: to make each pasta dish the best, even when you have a lot of customers to serve, not to be sloppy, and to do the right thing every time.

I owned a restaurant in Florence, much like a small pub. An American tourist came in to eat and we became friendly. She ended up staying in Italy with me and later became my wife. We moved to the United states in 1986 to be married, where my first job was in an old-style Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. But I didn’t understand what they were doing, coming from a trattoria. I liked simple food, not lobster and veal together on one plate in a rich sauce. I realized how strong my Tuscan roots were and began to cook in restaurants where I could express them. When I first visited Del Mar, and saw this beautiful restaurant, I said to my wife, “I want to work at Il Fornaio!” I began to work at Il Fornaio in Del Mar in January of 1994, where I continue to cook in the Tuscan style.

Bread is very important in Tuscany. I love bread, so it is wonderful that at Il Fornaio we make our own bread fresh every day. Be sure to try our Schiacciata con Uva, a focaccia with raisins and rosemary. To me it captures some of the best flavors of Tuscany!

I often think about my Tuscan roots and how proud I am of the history and influence of my home region. I am always surprised to see so many people try to copy Tuscan food. Maybe I am a little naive - I have always cooked these foods, always eaten them. I don’t really know any other way. Most important to me is the freshness of the product, the quality and the simplicity. I try to find the flavor in the product, not in what you add to it. That is my philosophy, it’s very simple! I hope I am able to share this with you through the foods you eat tonight.

Buon Appetito!