Christina's Cucina

An impassioned Italian Scot sharing how to cook authentically, and travel with enthusiasm.

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Course or Meal
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast/Brunch
      • Dessert
      • Main Course
      • Salads
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups
    • Cuisine
      • Italian
      • Scottish (British)
      • Other Cuisines
        • Asian
        • French
        • German
        • Greek
        • Mexican
        • Other
    • Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Cheese
      • Chicken (Poultry)
      • Chocolate
      • Eggs
      • Fish & Shellfish
      • Fruit
      • Legumes
      • Pasta and Rice
      • Pork & Lamb
      • Potatoes
      • Vegetables
    • Special Diets
      • Dairy Free
      • Egg Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Nut Free
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Types of Food
      • Beverages
        • Alcoholic
        • Non-Alcoholic
      • Bread, Cookies & Pastries
      • Cakes & Pies
      • Candies, Sweets & Confections
      • Dressings, Sauces, Syrups & Toppings
      • Jams
      • Pickles
      • Sandwiches & Snacks
    • Non Sequitur
      • “How To…”
      • My Rants & Recommendations
  • Travel
  • Work with Me

Home » Uncategorized » Taste of Italy at the Pico House in Downtown Los Angeles to Benefit IAMofLA 2016

Taste of Italy at the Pico House in Downtown Los Angeles to Benefit IAMofLA 2016

October 6th, 2016 | 24 Comments

Taste of Italy, LA 2016The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMofLA) held their annual Taste of Italy event in downtown Los Angeles on a perfect October evening, last Saturday.

Disclosure: I was given two tickets to the Taste of Italy in exchange for social media coverage. I was not compensated in any way. I am writing this post as I feel strongly about informing my readers about this event and I want to highlight the IAMofLA’s mission to foster the Italian American heritage and history in Los Angeles. 

The Taste of Italy at Pico House

In its eighth year, this fundraiser which is held at the historic Pico House and surrounding area, benefits the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles.  However, Taste of Italy also continues to be a wonderful event to raise the awareness of the amazing Italian food and culture which is available to Angelenos and visitors to our fabulous city.

In addition to the booths with mouth-watering samples of authentic Italian food and wine, there was a great line up of up entertainers, including a performance by the LA Opera, and Nick D’Egidio. Nick is a Frank Sinatra impersonator who wasn’t just impressive, but a nephew of a friend of mine! (See photos at the bottom of the post.)

Taste of Italy, 2016

Those of you who follow along and “know” me, will completely understand that I was a bit overwhelmed with so much authentic Italian food and wine, all in one place! I didn’t even manage to make it to every booth; there were so many choices and fabulous Italian cuisine (50 vendors)! The Taste of Italy was very well organized and had a great variety of both food and beverages.

Let me highlight some of the people, restaurants and companies that I encountered at the Taste of Italy event. My husband, Bob, and friend, Marina V, a talented singer/songwriter, joined me for the evening. See all the links to the websites below.

Taste of Italy, 2016 IAMofLA

LAMBRUSCO

My first stop was to sample some Lambrusco. No, not the sweet, fizzy, low-alcohol Lambrusco you know, this was a genuine Lambrusco. In order to be considered a proper Lambrusco, the percentage of alcohol needs to be 11% or higher. Wine Stop, a new wine store coming to downtown LA will begin carrying the “real deal” Lambrusco. I’ll be checking it out.

CLARO’S ITALIAN MARKETS

Claro's Italian Markets, LA

My favorite fresh Italian sausages (hot and mild) can be found at Claro’s Italian markets. They weren’t sampling their famous salsicce, but a pasta salad and marinated mushrooms. Definitely go to Claro’s for your fix of Italian foods; you won’t be disappointed!

APERITIVI and DIGESTIVI

Continuing with the Fernet-Branca booth, Bob, Marina and I sampled some amari and Vermouth to whet our appetites. The gang from Infinium Spirits were happy to get the party started! I was excited to taste some aperitivi I’d never had before, and really enjoyed them.

Fernet Branca booth at Taste of Italy

VINO TECA

Inside the Pico House, Sandro from WineHora Distribution introduced us to the Vino Teca brand. Distributing wine in a “bag in box” is his thing. Sandro explained that bad quality wine does not happen from having the wine in a box. Good quality wines can be put into a bottle or a box, and noted that air doesn’t ruin an open box of wine as it does in a bottle. Here is Marina tasting the wine with Sandro.

Vino Teca at Taste of Italy

AURELIO BARATTINI – ANTICA LOCANDA di SESTO / TRAVELING NATIVE

Unfortunately, we had just missed the food demo on the Pavilions stage by Chef Aurelio Barattini who flew in from Italy for the IAMLA event. Despite this, we were just in time for samples! Chef Aurelio was ladling out a farro and bean dish he’d made, and Andee from Traveling Native was drizzling the samples with extra virgin olive oil before serving them to attendees.

My first taste of the extra virgin olive oil told me it was very special. Aurelio’s face lit up when he heard my compliments, and announced, “It’s my olive oil!” He was so happy to hear that I appreciated his exquisite oil that he presented me with the bottle! Then I was the one who was elated!

Chef Barattini and Christina from Christina's Cucina at Taste of Italy, 2016

In this day of many fraudulent companies and faux foods, it was fantastic to meet the actual person who was responsible for this phenomenal extra virgin olive oil.

Maolina extra virgin olive oil

Chef Barattini has a farm with a restaurant called Antica Locanda di Sesto near Lucca, Italy, which I’m now dying to visit. Not only does he make his own olive oil, but he also produces wine! Andee from Traveling Native arranges small food tours with Aurelio. So far, there are two upcoming tours in March and July of 2017, although she can make private arrangements, too. I was delighted that they were at the Taste of Italy event.

Aurelio Barattini cards

TOSCANA

Although I was crestfallen that I had missed the pasta which was being prepared and served in a huge Parmigiano wheel from Drago Centro (understandably, it was all gone by the time I made it there), I had a surprise with ristorante Toscana, from Brentwood. They were sampling a white lasagna which the server described to me. In his Italian accented English, he explained that it was a vegetarian eggplant and zucchini lasagna, so I politely declined. I told him the only way I eat eggplant is pickled!

In true Italian style, he put some on my plate anyway, so I had to try it. The trio had a laugh when my eyes gave it all away–I thought it was incredibly delicious! I then requested a “real” piece, and of course, I asked to take their photo as they had converted me!

Toscana staff at Taste of Italy

PROVA PIZZERIA

Prova, from West Hollywood, brought their own beautiful, mosiac wood-burning oven and let’s just say, the oven wasn’t only for style. It was really good pizza. I’ll have to give them a visit to taste more than the two or three kinds that they were sampling that night!

DELUCA TRATTORIA

Provided wine samples; which was very much appreciated.

PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA 

Sliced bits of heaven for everyone to try!

DI STEFANO CHEESE

One of my favorite booths was the di Stefano Cheese company. They provided samples all of my favorite Italian soft cheeses, such as ricotta, mozzarella, mascarpone and burrata–oh my!

Di Stefano cheeses
Suddenly, I spotted what looked like caciocavallo (“horse cheese”, translated literally, but it has nothing to do with horses–go figure)! In fact, I then saw the label and I might have done a happy dance in public as the di Stefano staff noticed that someone recognized their cheese!

Caciocavallo isn’t a “look at me”, show-stopper of a cheese by any means. However, I grew up eating this cheese when I’d visit my family in Italy and it has such a mild, yet wonderful flavor, it is one of my favorites.

Caciocavallo cheese by Di Stefano cheese co.

Marina didn’t know what all the fuss was about, but then she admitted she’d never tasted burrata before! I was happy that she had the right kind of burrata (a really tasty one) for her first try, and she’s now among the ranks of the rest of us “burrata lovers“.

Marina V with her first burrata!

We were fortunate to catch the mozzarella cheese-making demo by the di Stefano cheesemakers! They were so much fun to watch and rather than hand out all the samples afterwards, they tossed some cheese into the audience, too! I even got a bocconcino to taste; it was warm and heavenly! These guys are making fantastic cheese! Watch the video below to see them in action!


As you can see from these photos, we stayed until the end of the Taste of Italy event, finishing off with some hazelnut gelato from Dolcenero, and smooth and refreshing Ferrarelle water from Italy. Next year, I’ll make it a point to get to more of the vendors, but it won’t be easy as there are so many!

Taste of Italy, 2016

Not surprisingly, I met my friend Raffaele from Foodiamo at Taste of Italy. Here is his article, including a mini video showcasing some of the food, from the night’s event. Click on the photo below~

Foodiamo covers Taste of Italy

Oh, and I can’t forget: Marina and I got goodbye kisses from Frank! (Nick D’Egidio)

Christina and Marina with "Frank"

So why did I tell you all about an event that is over? Simple! So you don’t miss it next year! Be sure to follow IAMLA on social media so you’ll be sure to put it on your calendar for next October!

Did I forget to tell you what was in the IAMLA bag that you see in the photos above? Each guest received a swag bag with these products inside!

Taste of Italy goodie bag

Don’t miss another post! Sign up below for my FREE recipes and travel posts delivered to your inbox.

Finally, here are all the websites I mentioned above, and I hope to see you at the IAMLA Taste of Italy, 2017!

The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles

The Wine Stop
Claro’s Italian Markets
Infinium Spirits
Vino Teca
Antico Locanda di Sesto
Traveling Native
Toscana
Prova Pizzeria
Deluca Trattoria
Prosciutto di Parma

di Stefano Premium Italian Cheese
Ferrarelle

and last, but not least, Marina V!

 

You may also enjoy these...

  • A Photo Recap from LA Times’ The TASTE, 2014A Photo Recap from LA Times’ The TASTE, 2014
  • Terranea Resort–a Luxurious Escape for Locals and Tourists Alike (Including a Fantastic Garlic Edamame Recipe!)Terranea Resort–a Luxurious Escape for Locals and Tourists Alike (Including a Fantastic Garlic Edamame Recipe!)
  • Warner Brothers Studio Tour, Hollywood, and Playing Tourist at HomeWarner Brothers Studio Tour, Hollywood, and Playing Tourist at Home
  • A Fabulous Day Trip from San Francisco to Experience The Napa Valley Wine TrainA Fabulous Day Trip from San Francisco to Experience The Napa Valley Wine Train
Older Post
Why REAL Blackcurrants (not Currants) Should be the Next Superfruit Craze and a Recipe for Blackcurrant Jam
Newer Post
Rapini and Besciamella Orecchiette (Broccoli and White Sauce Pasta)
336 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard

Country, My Rants & Recommendations, Uncategorized, USA · Authentic Italian, Cheese, IAMLA, Italian American, Italian American Museum, Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, Italian restaurants, LA, Los Angeles, Reviews, Travel, Wine

Reader Interactions

24 Responses

  1. Marina V says:
    October 13, 2016 at 11:52 am

    Great post, Christina! And it was so lovely to spend the evening with you tasting amazing Italian food! Grazie!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 13, 2016 at 7:39 pm

      I had a great time, too, Marina! Can’t wait until next year! :)

      Reply
  2. Nyssa P. Chopra says:
    October 12, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    That looks fantastic! Hard to go wrong with Italian food.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 12, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Actually, you can, if it’s faux Italian food! SO many people don’t know what real Italian food is, so events like these really open a lot of eyes (and taste buds)!

      Reply
  3. Jessica says:
    October 12, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    That food selection looks EPIC! You had me at Caciocavallo! I’m going to look into the museum, one of my friends is a very talented Sicilian artist, perhaps he can collaborate with them…

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 12, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      That’s a good word to describe the food, Jessica! That’s cool about your friend! :)

      Reply
  4. Jenna says:
    October 9, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    FUN! I’m sure the atmosphere was a festive one! I would love to attend an event like this–I’ll have to see if there’s something similar here in the Sacramento area.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 9, 2016 at 3:53 pm

      Thanks, Jenna! Yes, it really was a lot of fun- you know Italians really know how to party! :) If there isn’t one in Sacramento, you may just have to come down to LA for ours! :)

      Reply
« Older Comments

Join the Discussion Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



Newsletter

Most Popular Recipes

cucumber and cream cheese sandwich rolls

Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwich Rolls (with Lavash Bread)

Sicilian Whole Orange cake on a plate with oranges

Sicilian Whole Orange Cake (Using an Entire Orange: Peel, Juice and Pulp)

Perfect Yeast Doughnuts

Perfect Yeast Doughnuts (Donut Recipe with 3 Fillings)

Footer

More please…

pistachio cream zeppole di san giuseppe

Pistachio Cream (Light Pastry Cream Recipe)

two Irish coffees

Irish Coffee (Irish Coffee Recipe from a Dublin Pub)

3 profiteroles on a plate with a rose

Profiteroles (Choux Pastry Recipe) with Chocolate Topping

Mimosa cake with blossoms

International Women’s Day Cake (Torta Mimosa) for March 8th

pastry cream with choux buns and vanilla beans

Pastry Cream (Crema Pasticcera Recipe)

Guinness-cake-with-clover

Guinness Chocolate Cake (St Patrick’s Day Cake Recipe)

Return to top of page
Copyright© 20112019 · Privacy Policy · Log in

336 shares