A-M-azing!

A-M-azing is a term created by fellow student here at Mami Camillas. I borrow it to reflect upon few things these past several days.... amazing....

A-M-azing morning sky's

A-M-azing views of Sorrento and surrounding areas

A-M-azing experience at Il Buco

A-M-azing culinary nibbles

I have mentioned time and again that I think the skies here are the most lovely and blue I have ever seen. I am greeted daily by this glorious site! I must wonder if it is the reflection of the water combined with the sky that causes it to be so blue? The honeysuckle has bloomed and everywhere I walk I air is bursting with this wonderful spring fragrance. The mere smell of it takes me right back to being a very little girl and playing in our drive way on Ridge Street, we had honeysuckle growing near our side door to the house. It filled the kitchen and TV room with such a sweet fresh aroma.

My walks through la citta (the city) have taken me to new places I have seen from a distance but had not traversed. I happened upon the series of steps that send you to the bottom of a gorge area and down to Marina Piccola. I then walked the winding via L. de Maio back to Piazza Tasso. I have walked the small side streets off of Corso Italia to find new and interesting ways back to my home away from home. Each excursion sprinkled with the vibrant culture of this small town and these people. You have to get off the main roads to see the real people of Sorrento and Sant'Angello as these are bustling tourist locations... and the season had definitely begun! It seems that 2-3 ocean liners arrive weekly and bus loads of folks come from the surrounding cities to see this little slice of heaven on the Bay of Napoli.

My experience began a week ago at Il Buco. Let me just say that the Italian class I took didn't help too much with my preparations for kitchen communication! Ciro (Cheer-O) is the main chef that I work with, he is also incidentally the only one who speaks fluent English. But hey, I am the stranger in their kitchen and so it weighs on me to be very good at sign language and such in order to understand the tasks I am to complete during my time there! As well as using my little dictionary as much as possible to "get it". They are WONDERFUL!! Each of the Chefs (there are three) and the line cooks are willing to show me what they do, how they do it and to let me help out.

I could not have drawn a more lucky straw with my assignment to Il Buco. This restaurant is a Michelin Two Star and the kitchen is BEAUTIFUL!!! Unlike many restaurants in the US (those I have seen anyway) the investment has been equally dispersed between the dining room and the kitchen. American restaurants tend to lean to more dining room space to account for more tables, in theory more revenue generation. Il Buco has an intimate dining room and a decent sized kitchen complete with a custom built Molteni range and Electrolux commercial products. Having worked for Electrolux I am familiar with both lines, Molteni is owned by Electrolux and is far and away the preferred chef chosen equipment. The Molteni unit is roughly 15 feet long and includes a 3 basket hot water bath for cooking pasta, a flat top griddle & grill, 6 large cook anywhere Induction burners, steam table for baine marie's & large work area. The kitchen also includes a salamander, a deep fry station, 2 steam convection ovens & 4 portable induction burners. Marble and stainless steel counter tops, numerous refrigeration drawers, a walk in, smaller built in refrigerator units and freezers. It is a chef's dream kitchen and I have been given the opportunity to experience this luxury! How lucky for me!!

The schedule is mine to make. If I work in the mornings I arrive at 9:30am and assigned any number of various tasks. Here is a list just to name a few...

Clean Squid ... three step process, turn the head inside out, remove the brains and other organs; turn it over and slice the heart/gland area to release the black blood type liquid, then flip over again and remove the mouth.

Chop parsley

Peel lemons and julienne the rind for the lemon risotto

Form small bite sized "hamburgers" out of ground veal & pork

Slice the buns for bite sized "hamburgers"

Slice cherry tomatoes into thirds for bite sized hamburgers

Slice mini cucumbers (pickles) for bite sized hamburgers

Quarter cherry tomatoes

Remove pits for olives

Clean anchovies .... separate with fingers & remove the bone, divide in two slices, soak in olive oil

Dinner shift begins at 6pm and we set up the stations for service. I have worked the pasta line and the grilling station. During these events I assist the chef and have gotten to prepare a few dishes on my own to send out. Now... I think that only being there a week is pretty cool! This is a very exclusive and expensive restaurant. It's all built on consistency and quality. I am thrilled to simply be involved in the process. I can't even list the things I am learning regarding the workings of this A-M-azing kitchen!!

Meals for the workers are cena familiare (family style). We all sit down around 11:30am and 7:00pm to enjoy a meal together and prepare for service. The food is really plentiful and delicious. On average there are anywhere from 10 to 16 people at any given time. The majority of us are kitchen staff and the balance is made up of dishwashers, servers and the owner. It's a very family atmosphere and even though I don't speak the language well enough to regularly participate in conversation I am very welcomed and feel very comfortable and very much a part of the group. On my third night there I was offered a ride home by Ciro on the stipulation that I stop with the group for a beer at a local watering hole. Very fun! The next two weeks here will go very quickly as I work one or two shifts a day, taking the opportunity to learn all that I can in this experience and wish I have been grated!! A-M-azing!!

Just after my last post our little group of culinary students made a trip two hours into the mountains to a little village called Avellino. We went to an A-M-azing winery called Mastroberardino. It is one of the oldest and most respected winery's in southern Italy and it's still being run by the 10th generation of the Berardino family. We tasted 3 wines; a white, rose & a delicious red. I wanted to purchase some and send it home but because they distribute in the states... that was not an option. So... I had to buy some to pack in my suit case... afraid I would not find it in Atlanta!? Regretting that plan and considering consuming prior to my departure! This is what happens when you taste/drink wine and then immediately head to the winery store. A lesson I should have learned in France and Napa Valley....

I know that some of you are missing my stories about fellow students... there simply have not been an abundance of ones to share. However, a new fella has arrived from Chicago. He is an older student and a bit of a neck (red that is). This is all going to sound rather judgemental and much like the story I will share but in reverse.... but here goes! A young lady arrived last week and her luggage had been lost in transit to Italy. One of those character building experiences she was handling the situation really well! The airline did have a bead on her items, they had been left behind at JFK and were in route to Sorrento and due to be here within 24 hours. In my experience, since 9/11, it's really unusual for items to not STAY with passengers. But it does happen... Anyway, in discussing the situation Hip shared a story about having to wait for passengers that didn't show up for a plane and when they didn't get to the plane having to wait for their luggage to be found and removed from the plane storage area. The young lady commented in wonderment as to where they were, I laughed and said probably in a bar enjoying a beer and Neck says... or in a Mosque. And right there I had a complete and total view of this man's opinions .... I just looked at him across the table and said how totally inappropriate that comment was. He has made several other comments that continue to solidify my initial perspective. Needless to say, I steer clear and am SO thankful to NOT be in the kitchen with this group!!

Yesterday after working the morning shift I took a little walk and ended up at Bellevue Syrene. This lovely old hotel rises from the foundations of a Roman Villa dating back to the II Century B.C. and had been owned by an Emperor of Rome. This villa was built on that foundation in 1750 as a summer home for the Count Mastrobuono & his family. In 1820 it became a small hotel. There is a lovely restaurant bar that overlooks the bay and Mt. Vesuvius. Just breath taking!

Wednesday I decided to take my evening meal at a lovely little spot in Sant'Angello. Ciao Toto is owned by a young man and a friend of the family here at Mami Camilla's. I had an A-M-azing meal! Beef Carpaccio, Branzino (Italian Seabass) and Panacotta were my choices along with a great bottle of wine. Unfortunately... my system is not used to raw meat, especially beef and I have felt the effects for several days. As wonderful as it was the evening of dinner, I won't be choosing that antipasto choice again any time soon! UGH!

Prior to dinner on Wednesday a few of the other girls and I made a trip to Herculaneum. This little village was also destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius on August 24, 79AD along with Pompeii. It was buried in superheated pyroclastic material that solidified into volcanic tuff and changed the landscape forever. The ocean beach front is now roughly 1 km farther than it was in 79AD. The town is preserved much differently than Pompeii and the place was A-M-azing! Enjoy the link and walk through this bit of history with me.

My time is drawing to a close... only a few weeks left. Many things to see, much food to eat and TONS of things to learn in the Kitchen!!

Ciao, finche la prossima volta!