Michael Chiarello's Blog

Year after year, it goes without saying, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Yes, there’s always a lot of buzz in our kitchen – Grand Central Station comes to mind – with friends and family ALL in the game of making this next holiday a memorable one.

I love it. Love the energy and passion around creating a dish that might have been made for 3 generations without a single change year after year after year. And I appreciate something entirely new which is more a decision to “just try it” and let’s all be surprised. No matter what you create, Thanksgiving is a not-so-gentle reminder to be thankful…grateful…appreciative of all that we have – and share those words over the dinner table to each and every guest.

I came across a few more favorite Thanksgiving dishes here if you are so inclined (and have the time) to try something new. Grazie.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushrooms with Burrata

Spice Rubbed Whole Roasted Turkey with Gravy 

Fennel Spice Rub 

Panettone stuffing

Roasted Branch of Brussels Sprouts with Fennel Spice

Fresh Apple Crostata

For a print out of the recipes, please click here:

 

 

 

 

Hard to believe it’s now July 4th weekend….looking forward to relaxing with friends and family over our outdoor BBQ. Hot fire. Cold beer! It’s been six months of “pedal to the metal”…which is not good necessarily good for one’s sanity…but we’ve been non-stop at Bottega, Coqueta, Chiarello Family Vineyards, and our most recent project – NapaStyle Yountville.

I am super excited about our creative and marketing partnership with the Yountville flagship store, which sits directly across from Bottega.  We’re going to use this store as a lab…for food…for wine…and maybe some hand-crafted beer….and for now…all the best fruits that are in season. No kidding, I am taking fruits from my vineyards as well as from my favorite farmers and bottling jars of Fig & Rosemary Marmelata & Saffron Peach Marmelta & Blenheim Apricot & Toasted Anise Marmelata & on and on and on. Also made some grape seed oils…those are grapes from my vineyards…Syrah, Cab…these oils are so flavorful and light…perfect for salad dressings or just dipping.

We’ve got much more in store…more to make, to taste and to share!

 

Rarely in the world of restaurants and special events – my world – is there “down time”…or an off season…a shoulder season…it’s Napa Valley and we play host, (and chef and winemaker and tour guide) to millions of visitors near and far pretty much year round. 2014 presented itself with a litany of fantastic events for me personally; I use the word presented because in fact so many of these affairs I consider to be true presents, or gifts. In June I was asked to create Sophia Loren’s 80th birthday party dinner – a humbling honor as I recalled what my mother would say to me about Sophia, “if it wasn’t for Sophia Loren, we’d never have made it to the front of the line.” (She was talking out us…the Italian immigrants).

Another gift was this in November during the Napa Valley Film Festival I devised what I call a “food noir affair” for the Weinstein Company as an ode to their film Imitation Game. The table was the “set”, each course was a different scene, and the people brought it to life.  And then creating a dinner for the high priestess of food and wine, (I should say Food & Wine, the magazine) for the most lovely Dana Cowin was such a treat.

2014 was an amazing year on so many levels. It started off in a puff of smoke…quite literally as I appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show; no – not me making a grand entrance through a billow of clouds and mist but me practicing my liquid nitrogen dragon breath as I was concocting a liquid nitrogen gin-n-tonic for Jimmy. That was a gas! Super fun! I think I lost my voice for a day after that one.

On a more serious note, I – we – were undeniably proud to be nominated as one of the James Beard Best New Restaurants. Coqueta made it to being part of the top five finalists and I was off to NYC for the ceremonies. Just being part of this crowd of five was a privilege – those 80,000++ hours of work on creating what Spanish means to me paid off in big ways. I am also super proud that later in 2014, Coqueta was awarded the People’s Best New Bar by Food & Wine magazine. Over this past year Coqueta has evolved into something of an artist workshop (which stands for Bottega in Italian ) for me and my team…exploring new dishes and doing a deep dive into our cocktails….creating homemade tonics and infused vodkas….it’s art and science all of the way.

2014 also had a trend for me about “duality” – or better word might be contrast. It was a year of using technology to improve what we do or help support things we want to create…think 3D printing…but with all of the technology we’ve been focusing on terroir…to use a word from winemaking…the earth. I took my team to our Chiarello Family vineyards and we stomped grapes to make verjus. The next day I’m on a panel (a panel of 2!) with the CTO of Monsanto. Really?!  We couldn’t be farther apart in our approach to farming, and yet there was a common goal of feeding the hungry and reducing the obesity. Such opposition in our beliefs but having a common goal…that’s contrast. The next week I am back in Napa Valley and able to give a large check (thanks for our fundraising from our bike event, the Bottega Gran Fondo) to Clinic Ole. That’s the good stuff for sure this year.

Focus: that’s probably the word I used second most next to the word I used all year long: storytelling. We aren’t making food just to fill an empty plate; we are thoughtful and intentional in our deep desire to stir an emotion around the food – and to offer what I tell my team all the time…it’s about the flavor memory. There is a difference between taste and flavor. Our job is focused upon the flavor…that’s where we make the experience more meaningful…more profound…

New Year’s Eve…all out effort for both restaurants…down the rabbit hole of creativity. It was a study in art at Coqueta and a study in fashion at Bottega. Pictures tell the story…a chef’s interpretation of art as food. 

2014 was a year of stories, storytelling, color and black and white. We were awarded and honored along the way…but I have to say what I am most proud of is my wife, Eileen, and her new venture, her vision to make change…big big change in the clean food and farming movement. Barnraiser…I’ve written about it, FBooked it…but it’s more than me telling you…it’s you experiencing the site, learning about the people making a difference and supporting those you believe in…I believe in them all…thank you Eileen.

Here’s to 2015…may your kitchen be full (gray salt…gotta have) and may you share your stories around the table to those who matter most.  Come visit San Francisco or Yountville and toast to good health and happiness! Buon Anno! 

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”  Sophia Loren

I was invited to cook for Peter Mondavi Sr. 100th birthday, just as I had been for his 75th, a quarter of a century ago. I see the photo of us standing in his kitchen – me gangly, undeniably big-headed and yet humbled to be in the presence of this founding father of Napa Valley.

Now, upon his 100th I stop in my own tracks?  How often do we think of that one day we might see this number? What might that feel like? How do you even get there?  I knew that my only gift would be to honor the greatness of his family and the work he did to turn Napa Valley into something truly extraordinary. During the course of creating this dinner, I did take the cliché trip of a stroll down memory land.

Being of Italian heritage myself, I feel a bond with a lot of the Italians and Italian-Americans in the valley, but there’s a special place in my heart for Peter Mondavi Sr. Week in and week out, Peter had lunch at my restaurant Tra Vigne, and he always had a story— in half-Italian, half-English—and a hug for me on the way out. Back when Napa Valley was slow in the winter (the good old days!), we might do only a dozen lunches, but Peter’s table would be four of them.

Years ago, I was able to ask him what he wanted to be remembered for:

“I just want people to remember that our family has been a major factor in the industry, having gone through thick and thin here in Napa Valley, when others came and went. We stuck with it through the hard times and were able to keep our heads above water during those tough years. 

That’s why I purchased all the land we have outside the home property. In those early days, the big corporations would come in and outbid us and we’d lose the grapes.  I said the only way we’re  going to survive is to have our own vineyards.  [Today, Charles Krug is one of the largest landholders in Napa Valley.] So I guess I’d like to be known as a solid citizen. Not a fly-by-night.  In other words, put it this way: we’re here to stay.” – Peter Mondavi Sr. 

A dinner for 100 to celebrate 100. A few courses to share:

The Pasta: Cappelletti en Brodo  “Little hats” stuffed with duck in broth parmigiano-reggiano

This was Peter’s favorite childhood meal, and his sons told me in unison that he always ate this dish as a young boy.

Entrée: Vitello Arrosto e Risotto Alla Milanese  Wild herb roasted milk-fed veal with saffron and bone marrow risotto

Peter Mondavi’s favorite dish is veal – veal roast, veal osso bucco. It’s been said he orders (never frozen) veal from a purveyor in New Jersey. He also loves Risotto Milanese and again his sons told me they remember him eating the veal and pasta together.

Every meal has a story. Every good story should have a meal. There was nothing better than seeing Peter, his family and dear friends sparkle among the beautiful setting in their Redwood Tasting Room at Charles Krug.

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A long day’s work. A steaming bowl of pasta. A glass of wine. And most importantly, conversation around the dinner table; to me, that’s the path to longevity. I raise my glass to my friends and family who too have put their heart and soul and pitchforks, tractors, aprons and pans to making Napa Valley what it has become today and yet never forgetting the seeds, which were planted.

Harvest at Chiarello Family Vineyards is around the corner and absolutely one of my favorite times of year. The winemaking process is as much a mental activity as it is physical. I’ve often thought of the winemaking process as a series of decisions, from where and how to plant your vines, to how long to age your wine in barrel, up to the final decisions about whether to fine and filter your wine before bottling. Vintners make different decisions every step of the way, which explains why no two wines are alike. The Napa Valley wines I like best have some essence of the winemakers in them, some hint of their character and spark.  

Wine critics like to talk about terroir—meaning all the physical elements that characterize a vineyard, from sun, soil and slope to the way the wind comes up in the evening. They say the best wines are those that express the uniqueness of their terroir. But I think that definition misses something. With due respect for the critics, I’ve come to believe that wine is much more than just grapes, soil and weather.

When I moved to the Napa Valley three decades ago, I didn’t realize I had made a decision that would change my life. I had been looking for a good place to settle, but I didn’t know that this picturesque wine valley would become the home I never wanted to leave.

I’ve grown up with wine—my parents are southern Italian, from Calabria—but suddenly I was meeting the real people who make it. I was cooking for them (and sometimes with them), sharing wine with them, hearing their stories, feeding their children. Napa was unveiling itself to me in a human and personal way. The more time I spent with vintners and growers, the better I understood and appreciated the wines they made.

I drink Schramsberg sparkling wine, I always picture the late Jack and Jamie Davies. I remember the stories they told me about struggling to restore the rundown property, and how hard they worked to create an audience for fine American sparkling wine. I remember hearing how Jack and Jamie led the fight to keep a highway from running right through the valley. And I remember  Jamie’s funny stories about taking all her employees to the White House so they could see where Schramsberg wines are poured. When I taste their wine, all these memories come rushing back.

When others drink Napa Valley wine, I want them to taste more than just the fruit, oak and tannin. I hope they will taste the history and the effort in every glass from the likes of Mondavi, Trefethen and Duckhorn and such winemaking stars as Larry Turley and more recently Thomas Brown.

For me, it’s not about the pH balance or the wines’ ratings and scores. What moves me are the stories about risk-taking, about winemaking philosophy, about career highs and lows. I’ve often thought of the winemaking process as a series of decisions, from where and how to plant your grapes, to how long to age your wine in barrel, up to the final decisions about whether to fine and filter your wine before bottling.

Vintners make different decisions every step of the way, which explains why no two wines are alike. Napa Valley is indisputably wine country, but Napa’s appeal goes beyond wine for me. Its physical beauty, architectural richness, multicultural heritage, and the local passion for good food, art and music are among the other reasons why I’ll never leave. Today, Napa Valley is an international symbol of wine quality and of respect for the good life. But that image didn’t just happen: many strong-willed people, dedicated and hardworking people consciously created it. When you know such stories, every glass of Napa wine conveys more richness, complexity and pleasure.

I was brought up in a family that believed in sharing stories as a way of holding on to heritage and memory. I hope that when you learn about the stories of these early Napa Valley vintners’, you will share their stories and help keep their legacy alive. Salute.

To read more about Michael Chiarello’s stories, click here to purchase Napa Valley Stories written by Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher.

Bottega turned five this past February.  Over those nearly 2,000 days of breaking bread with people from all over not just the United States, but around the world, I’m going to share with you a visual thread that has been there from the start…literally a thread, lots of them: the Tommy Bahama camp shirt.  Season after season, those printed shirts have become iconic with Napa Valley, not just sipping a glass of wine on the terrazzo at Bottega.

When Tommy Bahama came to me a few months ago, and asked if I was interested in talking to their company about “how do I relax?” and participate in their annual “relaxation day” campaign, I first had a quiet chuckle. No doubt I was honored to share my voice and thought…maybe putting on a Tommy camp shirt would just auto-relax me? I thought some more…relaxing for me is a process…it’s getting up in the mountains on my bike; it’s gathering up the kindling and logs to make a roaring fire; and it’s something even deeper to me these days… It’s about living a sustainable life. (You can see my Q&A here).

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This is where I am at in 2014:  living a sustainable life starts with relaxation. You can’t do good for others until you do good for yourself.

My wife Eileen and I recently launched Barnraiser, an online crowd-funding community, “raising the roof” for change. From healthy and artisanal foods to community kitchens to educational and organic farms, Barnaiser is the place to meet the modern day heroes and innovators behind these projects, share their inspirational stories and fund their success.

Taking care of one’s self, doing good for others, and ensuring we are doing all we can for our children and the planet is what matters most. Then we all might be able to relax.

Grazie per il vostro tempo

Sustainability to me starts with understanding the life-cycle from origin to end and every touch point in between.

I recently had a few folks from my team (both Bottega and Coqueta) join me at Chiarello Family Vineyards to make verjus. Of course my first question to the group was, “do you know what verjus is?” Happy to report that they were able to explain that verjus is the pressed juice of unripened grapes; and there were plenty of cabernet grape clusters on the ground, which were used for this key field project.

Why the beautiful clusters on the ground? What we did with the grapes is called “dropping fruit” or “thinning fruit” – cutting off bunches of grapes to allow the vine to focus on ripening the

grapes that remain on the vine. Dropping or thinning fruit ensures quality and timely ripening. If too many grapes are left on the vine, the resulting wines tend to be one dimensional, thin and flabby, because the vine could not evenly and fully ripen all the grapes.  Most often times, grape skins and stems are composted and folded back into the soil, but this time we wanted to reuse for multiple cooking purposes.

We gathered, washed, stomped and then filtered the juice into five gallon glass containers. A bit of citric acid was poured in the gallon to stabilize the juice, and the bottles were closed. These unripened pressed grapes have a semi-soft, somewhat sweet-tart taste. Since they are unfermented there’s no alcohol – the result is a super great ingredient for salad dressing, sauce – the way you would use vinegar or wine when you cook. We’re all feeling good about working with the land…technology free for day….and creating flavors that will last…even if it’s just a memory…

 

Sophia Loren grew up in abject poverty. Her father abandoned the family, her mother was overwhelmed with life, and her grandmother somehow saved them by managing to create masterful meals out of nothing. Food became nourishment, family, life to her, and she has carried her appreciation for creative magic in the kitchen throughout her life.

When asked to be part of Napa Valley’s Festival Del Sole event, “Bella Italia!”, a tribute to Sophia Loren, I knew that this evening had to not be about “checking the boxes” and simply serving up classic Italian fare. Rather, this had to be something extraordinary, meaningful and memorable…in honor of Sophia and, to celebrate her son, Conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. as he premiered his L.A. Virtuosi orchestra.

I spent about a week of late late nights delving into Sophia’s journey and how her experiences could be transformed into the menu. I’m from an immigrant Calabrian family. My grandmother always reminded us that, if it wasn’t for Sophia Loren, we’d never have made it to the front of the line.

I also became deeply passionate about Carlo’s own story…growing up with a world famous mother and yet staying grounded and focused on his music. And so I share with you the menu, the stories behind a few of the dishes, and my gratitude for being part of a most spectacular evening.

Please click here to read the San Francisco Chronicle’s review:

Appetizer Station: Pizza (Fritta) Montanera Starita

We created a Pizzeria Starita made famous by the film Gold of Naples with Sophia (it was her breakthrough role). She works at Starita in the film and after you see the clip you will understand why she is who she is. Although she was born in Rome she grew up in Naples.

About the pizza:  This is a very interesting method of first making dough crisp in olive oil and finishing in the wood burning oven.  Fresh uncooked tomato sauce, smoked buffalo mozzarella, pecorino.  Even without making crispy fried dough, the ingredients, especially for summertime are just perfect. It’s all about tomatoes right now.

My Bread: Carta Musica

We wanted to honor Carlo’s accomplishments as a composer.  We were able to use sheet music, the Sinfonietta of Sophia, as in imprint into the dough. A special 3Dprinter gave us a stamp for the dough; the stamp was dipped in squid ink.

About Carta Musica: Carta Musica is a thin cracker-like bread from Sardegna (sometimes described as Sardinian parchment bread).  The name is in reference to its large and paper-thin shape, which is so thin before cooking that a sheet of music can be read through it.

When dreams turn into reality, and reality is the catalyst for change, we must a raise a glass. A toast to my wife Eileen who had the vision to start a movement of change: http://www.barnraiser.us

Barnraiser : a social and funding community for the sustainable food / farming movement.  For those of us who want sustainable food to be the standard, Barnraiser is a place to meet the innovators who are making this happen, share their stories with others, and fund their projects toward success.  When we all get involved in small, frequent ways it adds up to big things.   From healthy food businesses to community-based gardens and kitchens, school lunch programs and young farmers, organic land and heirloom crops, there are thousands of people working hard to move us to the tipping point.  By supporting the innovators, we create a sustainable food future for our families.

Please click here for Edible magazine’s recent issue about Good Food Activists.

Enjoy!

How did your passion for cycling start?

I didn’t get on a bike until after college. I had an injury when I was younger while playing soccer and as I grew older I couldn’t do the sports I had been doing. I was told that I could swim or bike. Since I didn’t like the thought of being stuck in a pool I tried cycling. It allowed me to be athlete and competitive again and not injure my body.

How did you decide to start racing professionally?

At the time I lived in Nashville and a local bike shop took me under their wings. I did mountain bike racing for 2 years but switched to road bikes because it was much easier. I could just step out my door and get on my bike instead of having to drive to trails. Coming from a team sport background I loved the camaraderie. Road cycling also offers more opportunities to race. I started dedicating all my energy into getting better.

What kind of bike do you ride?

A Giant Envie is my racing bike.

You recently moved from North Carolina to California. Are you still racing?

Yes, I’ve been on pro teams for the past 8 years of my life. But now I’m choosing races on a case by case basis. I work in Davis with their women’s cycling team and I started the Women’s Cycling Association to elevate women’s cycling in the public eye to raise more awareness that women do cycle and race professionally. One goal of this organization is to achieve equality in women’s sports so a woman cyclist can compete at the highest level and make a living. Salaries for female cyclists are so low that it’s not possible to make a living from racing. I want to change that by creating excitement around women’s cycling and bringing media and fans to the sport. This has been my passion for the past year.

Have you cycled in Napa Valley?

Oh yes. I’ve cycled and done training rides there. It’s such a beautiful place and one of my favorite places in the world to cycle.

How do you stay fit? Exercise-wise, what is a typical week for you?

Like many people I’m really busy so I try to maximize my time.  I ride 90 minutes really hard 3 to 4 times a week and then the rest of the time I ride easy to give my body a rest. I also do foundation and strength training.

There are going to be a lot of food and wine lovers at the Bottega Gran Fondo. What is your favorite food and wine indulgence?

I love all things dessert and I have a glass of red wine every day. If I had to choose a favorite food I’d have to say Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon.

What about the inaugural Bottega Gran Fondo are you most looking forward to? 

I heard one of the rest stops on the ride will have lobster roll. I’m totally excited about that. I’m going to eat whatever I want and take advantage of all of the delicious food. This is a recipe for a great event: the food, the wine, the chef, and all in a beautiful place.

Anything else?

I’m so excited about the Bottega Gran Fondo and being able to represent female cyclists. I’m counting the days until it happens.