A Whirling Exultation
Story by Molly Stevens
Photography by Luigi Nifosi
Typically when travelling for work, I use the flight time to read and bone up on wherever it is I am headed and what I am expected to do once there. Such was the case a few weeks ago as I flew from Boston to Milan and then onto Ragusa, Sicily to attend the third annual Cheese Art program (June 4 - 9, 2002). I had a lot to investigate as I had no solid understanding of what Cheese Art was and had never been to Sicily before. So I diligently reviewed every bit of program material, description, and background that I could find, and yet, after all of this study, interrupted only by a few scenes of Gosford Park and a rather cramped nap, I still felt no where near prepared. The event seemed to be about everything - science, culture, art, agriculture, food, wine, history, architecture, music, fashion, literature, and yes, cheese. At one point, it was described as a "whirling exultation of aromas and tastes". I wondered if this was this just Sicilian hyperbole or was I really in for something extraordinary and beyond description. I would find out soon enough.
Within a few hours of landing in Sicily, I found myself wandering around the maze of rooms of the
Castello Donnafugata, an 8th century castle high above the town of Ragusa. There were tables upon
tables artfully piled with hundreds of well-tended cheeses from all over the world available for
sampling. There were Sicilian wines and oils to taste. Breads and pastries. Candies and nuts.
Salts and garlic.
There were ongoing demonstrations of traditional crafts
(bread making, basket weaving, ceramics, cheese making, and so on), a stage
for a puppet show, a display of cheese as art (a personal favorite of mine)
and rooms set up for serious seminars and conferencing.
As I wandered and
consulted my program, I realized that Cheese Art was intended to make your
head spin - indeed a full-tilt whirling exultation. There was something for
everyone: kids (Cheeselandia), dedicated academics, gourmands, oenophiles,
cheese makers, cheese importers, and people like me who just have an
endless appetite for tasting good food and wine, for meeting passionate
individuals, and for learning new information. Over the 5-day festival,
there was time to experience most every corner of the event, to relax
into rhythm of the experience, and to come away inspired by the depth and breadth of Sicilian expression.
A real highlight of the program was the side trip to the Consorzio Ricerca
Filiera Lattiero-Casearia (CoRFiLaC), a vibrant organization dedicated to
preserving and promoting the gastronomical heritage of the region and the
real headquarters for Cheese Art. The CoRFiLaC offices are housed in a newly
renovated villa on the way to Marina di Ragusa complete with high tech research
laboratories, traditional cheese making facilities, and an upstairs culinary
arena christened the Mediterranean Institute of Culinary Art in Sicily.
Airy and bright, the demonstration kitchen and arena holds around 50 guests
in comfortable tiered seating allowing full view of the work station
equipped with gas burning range, a brick bread oven, conventional ovens,
and generous counter space. Video monitors discretely mounted above
insure that there is not a bad seat in the house. A fully equipped commercial
kitchen located behind the demonstration area allows the staff to graciously
prepare tasting samples without breaking the flow of the demonstration. Each
seat is set with linens, glass, and cutlery for enjoying the generous tastings,
along with complimentary wines, that are served throughout. All in all, not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
During our visit, we were served lunch on the balcony terrace outside the Mediterranean Institute of Culinary Art in Sicily. The menu was a joint effort by a group of local women along with a pair of restaurant chefs. The kitchen was a torrent of activity culminating in a glorious spread laid out under a canvas canopy for us to savor languorously on a bright, hot Sicilian afternoon. What better endorsement for preserving these traditions!
MENU:
- Antipasto of salame, prosciutto, and Ragusano cheese
- Diverse focacce di Ragusa
- Fava bean puree
- Cavetelli with sweet tomato sauce and sausage
- Baked rice with tomato, Ragusano cheese and sausage
- Braised Rabbit with green olives, celery and potatoes
- Caponata with eggplant, pine nuts and greens
- Selection of Sicilian desserts
The Mediterranean Institute of Culinary Art in Sicily plans to run classes open to the public in the fall of 2002. For more information, contact Vanya Tumino, tel: 0932 660 425, or e-mail micas@corfilac.it
Molly Stevens is a freelance food editor, writer and cooking teacher living in Northern Vermont. She is the co-author of One Potato, Two Potato (Houghton-Mifflin), and a contributing editor for Fine Cooking magazine.
