“About 10 years ago, I was driving down a two lane road through some of the most beautiful scenery in Tuscany. It was a road I knew well for I’d driven it every day over the past two years. It led from the small rural town where I live to the medieval city of Siena. Looking at the golden rays of the setting sun pouring over the green fields of winter wheat, I shook my head in disbelief, exclaiming out loud, “Holy Cow!! I’m actually living my dream.”

I live and work in Tuscany, teaching cooking classes, leading culinary and wine tours and sharing what I’ve learned about regional Italian cuisine with visitors from all over the world.

If I had gone to the library to consult a book on “How to Live and Work in Italy,” I’d still be sitting there, frozen under the avalanche of information on work permits and visas requirements. But I followed a path and, like Alice, fell down a hole into Wonderland.

My passion for good food, prepared with loving care and shared in a convivial setting, was instilled at an early age. I grew up in an Italian-American family on the east coast. We also lived in Verona, Italy for four years. I went to college; I worked in corporate America. The excellent salary I made went towards traveling, throwing dinner parties, eating in top restaurants and drinking fine wines. But it wasn’t enough.

When I was 36, I received a small inheritance from an aunt–enough to pursue a dream and change my life. I wasn’t in a serious relationship and I didn’t have kids. “If not now, when?,” I wondered.

I quit my job, sold my house, put my stuff in storage and took off to Italy for six months. After attending cooking school in Bologna, I traveled around Italy, watching the seasons change. I was blown away by the elegant simplicity of the food and how the dishes changed as the months went by. The cuisine of northern and central Italy was unlike anything I’d experienced in my southern Italian family upbringing.

I was fortunate enough to spend the last two months of my sojourn on a rural estate, Spannocchia, where I worked in the kitchen in exchange for room and board. Situated deep in the wooded hills south of Siena, it was my first exposure to Tuscan cuisine.

I loved the simplicity of the dishes: the strong flavors of rosemary and sage, the reliance on what was growing in the garden in the late fall, the celebration of harvest, wine, and new olive oil. I worked with their Tuscan cook to formulate her recipes in English.

When I returned to America, I started culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York. An internship with Odette Fada at San Domenico restaurant continued my education in regional Italian cuisine. I worked in restaurants, making $8 an hour. It was a pittance of what I’d made in my corporate job, but I was so much more fulfilled.

In the spring of 2000, I returned to Spannocchia for a visit. The owners, who by now were my friends, asked me to stay for the season. I jumped at the chance, planning to return to the “real world” at the end of the year.

Immersing myself in Tuscan culture and traditions, eager to learn as much as possible, I yearned to share my experiences with people who shared my passion. The visitors to the estate were the perfect foil. At the end of the year, rather than move back to the U.S., I stayed and found my own apartment in town.

Never before had anything felt so right. I learned that when you encounter road blocks, you don’t beat your head and work harder to overcome them; you look for the road that is wide open and sunny, and walk down it.

In 2001, I built a website, choosing the name, Ecco La Cucina, which means “here’s the kitchen.”

Gina Stipo, Ecco La Cucina

I applied for and received a visa and went through the bureaucratic nightmare of filing every year to renew my permit to stay. I am now a permanent resident.

What began as simple classes teaching pasta has grown into culinary workshops on Tuscan cuisine; week-long culinary tours throughout Italy; market visits and winery tours. My sister has become my partner in the U.S., and we make a great team.

By showing up, working hard, developing relationships and giving people value for their vacation dollars, I’ve built a solid reputation and a strong business. Life in a foreign country wasn’t always easy, but what I’ve learned is immeasurable.”

I keep saying to you, dear reader, ICDT–I Can Do That! If Gina can do it, so can you! But you must create your own adventure, your own path.

If you would like to know more about Gina, perhaps attend her next week-long Tuscany classes and culinary tours in June, you can visit her website and plan your trip now!

The news that he is closing his restaurant comes as a huge surprise to many who have long admired his vision. He was a pioneer years before the eruption of the current crop of avant garders and creative thinkers. He was a prophet who arrived in a culinary desert a tick before his time. Even so, he surely must be tucking a little smile into his top pocket as he surveys his extraordinary accomplishments as a leader in the evolving American food revolution.

If I had to record the three best meals I have had, one would be Charlie’s salmon luncheon.

He prepared the meal for the food press. The Norwegian Salmon Fishing Trade Association sponsored it.

I think it was probably the first time any of us had experienced what became known as a tasting menu; tiny course followed tiny course like principal dancers performing solo or in duets in an exquisitely choreographed ballet. Miniscule renditions of salmon appeared in fourteen glamorous poses. We gasped with delight as each model morsel strutted forth from the kitchen runway to pirouette onto our plate.

What a triumph it was.

Without a doubt Charlie Trotter’s next incarnation will be just as dazzling.

Bon voyage, Charlie as you complete your Master’s Degree in philosophy and political theory. The teacher becomes the student in preparation for the eagerly anticipated next class act.

Photo Courtesy of VegNews.com

Today vegetarianism is no longer simply a passing phase for the famous. It is becoming ever more mainstream. Millions of Americans have adopted this diet, and the converts are growing every day.

Even those who still enjoy meat are giving vegetarians greater respect, although we still find it difficult to imagine that a superstar athlete or a Commander in Chief would, or could, get to the top on a diet of beans and rice. T. Colin Campbell, professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, says it well:

“It’s my guess that there’s hardly another myth in nutrition so insidious yet so intractable as that which encourages us to believe that consuming lots of high-quality protein — basically the stuff of animal-based foods — makes for fitness, bigness, and strength of body. Rooted in antiquity, this myth began to sprout in the minds of men (especially men, it seems) long before protein was identified and named.”

The myth took root in the belief that we could get our strength, our agility, and our ability to soar to unimaginable heights only if we consumed the flesh and bodies of animals.

Much later, in the early 19th century, when scientists identified protein as being more or less equivalent to the flesh of animals they worshiped, it was heralded as the treasured nutrient. In the words of famous chemist Justus von Liebig, it was none other than the very “stuff of life itself.”

A remarkable shift in perception is occurring.

Choosing a vegetarian diet is now equated with having respect for one’s own health and the health of the planet. Those who can afford to buy the best organically grown produce are building a wide range of new vegetarian meals and taking a fresh look at classic meatless dishes from around the world.

Innovative vegetarian dishes are appearing with increasing frequency on restaurant menus. Offered as a summer garden of colorful vegetables and fresh pasta in a bowl drizzled with fruity olive oil, a generous spoonful of Parmesan, and a handshake of freshly ground black pepper, which of us would feel deprived?

In Western industrialized countries, there are more vegetarians than ever before — yet in a parallel shift there are more hamburgers eaten than ever before. It’s also interesting to note that Eskimos, who eat a traditional diet consisting almost entirely of meat, have a very similar life expectancy to that of Indian Hindus who are strict vegetarians.

Go figure.

Jobs for Vegetarians

• Become A Produce Buyer for Restaurants: Buy a truck. Pick up the produce from a group of farmers and sell it to restaurants and retail markets.
• Start a Store: Sell vegetarian specialties.
• Write About It: Find a sponsor to finance a free newsletter to be given away at farmer’s markets, specialty food stores and grocery shops. Include seasonal recipes. Look to Vegetarian Times and terrific Mollie Kazen for inspiration.
• Teach It: Launch a vegetarian cooking class, even bigger, launch a vegetarian cooking school.
• Be Passionate About It: Look to VegNews.com as a start in your search.

As chefs achieve levels of celebrity, they very often feel the need to give back to the community that supports them. This is a natural impulse for men and women who work in a field that, by definition, offers sustenance so it’s no surprise that chefs are very generous people.

It’s in the Stars

Cosmologists know that when a bright star explodes, it scatters seeds that give birth to new universes. That is the vision behind Share Our Strength, the hunger relief and anti-poverty organization founded by Bill Shore in 1987. This humanitarian organization has become one of the largest in the United States but, says Shore, “Size and rate of growth are not the point. Impact is. And the reason for that impact is the new way we’ve engaged people; not by asking them for money, but by asking them to contribute of themselves, through their skills, talents and passionate interests, thereby connecting them to their communities in ways money never could.”

Share Our Strength (SOS) is about sharing strength. It helps culinary communities organize fundraisers in their city or region. So far more than more than $65 million has been raised and distributed to 450 groups that work to end hunger and poverty by helping people in need. SOS has inspired hundreds of humanitarians who have become leaders in their own communities in the fight against hunger and poverty. Chefs continue to be deeply committed to sharing their personal skills by participating in a series of food and wine tastings, and seated dinners and brunches that take place annually across North America.

Share Our Strength is hiring now. Check the web site: www.strength.org.

Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition Policy, provides evidence from recent research about child nutrition. It reports: “In addition to having a detrimental effect on the cognitive development of children, under nutrition results in lost knowledge, brainpower, and productivity for the nation.” There are opportunities to provide healthy food for children at all levels of their education.

Chefs (many with famous names,) join together to raise funds for humanitarian purposes. You can also consider UNICEF, The World Bank, International Red Cross and of course food banks everywhere.

Iron Chef Cat Cora and Bobby Flay co-founded Chefs For Humanity: “a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals whose objective is to raise money for hunger relief.

See too:

Children’s Defense Fund – www.childrensdefensefund.org

Bread for the World www.bread.org

Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition, Tufts University

God’s Love We Deliver – www.godsloverwedeliver.org

Meals on Wheels – www.mealsonwheels.com

Second Harvest National Food Bank Network – www.secondharvest.org

UNICEF, Oxfam, The Peace Corp and The World Bank are among the many international relief agencies that welcome job applications from food people.

I had asked her what she wanted to do when she graduates. I complicated the question by asking her not what she likes to do but what she loves to do.

In response to what she clearly thought was a dumb question, she answered: “I love to go shopping.” Everyone in the class laughed but I thought this was a really useful piece of information.

I told her about a former colleague at Windows on the World restaurant who is a tabletop consultant. She scours manufacturers’ showrooms for the latest designs of china, glassware and distinctive serving plates for several upscale restaurants. My student now does the same thing. She works part-time as a tabletop counselor and the rest of her time as a prop stylist for a food photographer.

She goes shopping everyday.

When a chef wants a tagine or a mandoline or any other piece of specialized equipment, she knows exactly what it is and can lay her hands on it immediately. She finds the cobalt blue plate for serving the smoked salmon and the lavender dish for the chocolate cake.

She found her “bliss” — her perfect food job.

“What we eat and why we choose the foods that make up our daily diet; the ceremonies that surround food; how it underscores our sameness and differences; its mythic and symbolic importance; the joy of plenty; the fear of famine and deprivation — all are occasions for reflections on the human condition.

Why do we tolerate the prevalence of widespread hunger in a world of abundance? What roles do culturally determined food preferences or the power of science, politics, or global trade play in determining who will be well fed and who will starve?”

There is an unending trove of material available, if you want to enliven your cooking classes with some food stories, or enrich your copy if you write about food, or even develop a syllabus for a new  high school or college level course.  For example, this is how I approached a unique series of gastronomy lessons.  I developed some menus and used the prism of food to talk about several areas that I personally found interesting.  Happily the students did too. This is one of my menus:

Oysters Garnished with Sevruga Caviar

Roast Beef

Or

Spiced Crispy Chilean Sea Bass in Ginger-Cardamom Broth

Locally Grown, Organic Mixed Green Salad Seasoned with Salt & Pepper

Lemon Juice and Virgin Olive Oil Dressing

Red Wine and Imported Sparking Water

Cheese Platter and  French Bread

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Tea  or Coffee

This menu provides the framework for discussing the following:

The history of oysters: trade issues involved in banning of imported caviar

The carnivore and the vegetarian diet

Role of chefs in boycotting endangered fish i.e. bass and politics of foie gras

The discovery of fire and its role in the evolution of the human race

Organic farming and genetically engineered crops

The impact of citrus fruit on the global economy

The symbolism of olive oil

The history of the spice trade

The physiology of taste and smell

An examination of issues related to appetite and hunger

The changing face of wine and the influence of advertising and packaging

Water: the most vital issue facing the world

The reasons behind the recent interest in artisanal cheeses and slow foods

The history of bread

Flourless chocolate cake as it relates to fads and trends

The impact of tea and coffee on the health of the consumer

The inevitability of change and present and future impact of technology on upscale dining.

What fun!

Culinary tourism.

Tourism is a huge and rapidly expanding industry and culinary tourism is becoming a niche market that is experiencing impressive growth.

Anyone with a love of food can get started by simply getting to know the neighborhood.

Plan a tour of  a cheesecake factory, an ice cream plant, a ranch or farm and a farmer’s market, two or three ethnic groceries and a specialty food store.

Explore local wineries and plan a wine tasting. Visit a brew pub. Attend a class at a cooking school. Organize a talk with a culinary historian, cookbook author or television star.

Visit an artisanal baker and a cheese maker. Maybe there is a a chocolate maker or a smokehouse nearby? The yellow pages directory can provide you with many more ideas. Think about organizing a fishing trip. Make reservations for breakfast, lunch and dinner at restaurants you know and love.

I’m sure you will have many more ideas.

Here are few rules though:

Never surprise the businesses you plan to visit. Schedule a specific hour well ahead and make every effort to avoid their busiest time. A homemade food gift from you to the destination owner will surely be greatly appreciated.

Have frank conversations with vendors about whether they can expect payment, or if their compensation might be in form of goodies sold to tour participants.

Consider how many tourists you can handle at a time.

Settle all the details regarding the number of clients you can handle, transportation, accommodations and payment for meals. For a two day tour, you may enter into an agreement with a bed & breakfast owner.

Decide how to market the tour.

Give your company an appealing name and one that is easy to remember.  Don’t be cute and inscrutable. Food Lovers Market Tour is a better name than Have Thyme?

Build and constantly update your web site. Tweet and post your information on other social networks.

Join culinary organizations and local clubs where you can network.

Seek advice from others about fees to charge.

Consider hiring a marketing professional as a consultant.

Prospective clients may also be identified by talking to real estate brokers and kitchen designers about recent home buyers. Talk to religious groups about new arrivals to the neighborhood.

A convention and visitors bureau may be willing to distribute your sales materials. So too may beauty parlors and doctors and dentist offices where patients are often left waiting with nothing to do but read old magazines.

Keep a dedicated telephone number for your business.

Determine other marketing venues i.e. wwwShawguides.com, state tourism department.

Good luck. Start planning today.

The idea of eating well, (or, at least better), increasingly begins before the beginning. It has become accepted that pregnant women should watch what they eat to better ensure that their well-nourished babies get a huge head start in life.

I would not have believed this had I not seen it with my own eyes. Decades ago, at the moment the government in the U.K. instituted the National Health System, it was decided that all graduate nurses who wished to specialize in a specific branch of medicine, were required to first become midwives. To this day I have never understood the logic of this, but in order to concentrate on my chosen field of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, I trudged to Aberdeen, Scotland, to assist in the birth of 50 babies. (Fifty was the number required to achieve certification.)

All this is a preamble to say that when we nurses arrived on the obstetrics ward we could often match the contented babies to their contented mothers. The fractious, restless, sometimes low birth-weight babies, could similarly be identified with their Moms. Failure to thrive doesn’t occur at the moment of birth, but as  a result of  poor nutrition during gestation.

The risks and rewards of securing a healthful diet have lifetime consequences. Fortunately we can already see healthy and nutritious food choices taking up more shelf space in supermarkets.

Healthy food is now prepared in hospitals and company cafeterias, in schools in school systems and colleges, museum restaurants, spas, in the military and upscale retirement homes.

Local farms are providing farm-to-table fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meats and free-range chickens and sustainable fish for restaurants. And farmers’ markets are gaining more fans.

This rethinking of the food everyone will be eating is gathering momentum not only to those who can afford the very best but for everyone.

We are also seeing large food processing companies and chain restaurants  improving the nutrient profile of their foods. These are small steps, admittedly, and perhaps the cynics will be justified in sniffing that these are more public relations moves than a genuine interest in improving the diet of a very large planet. But steps, no matter how small, are still steps that offer employment for many good cooks and culinary school graduates.

How can you get in on this? How do you get started?

Decide which specific sector of the vast, ever-expanding food and hospitality field appeals to you, and make a goal to join it. For instance, Sodexo and Aramark have employees working worldwide in institutional food service, sports stadiums and facilities of every kind. Their customers are seeking fast yet healthy choices.

Check out the web sites of companies known for promoting healthy, delicious foods, such as Wegmans and Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Explore the employment opportunities in menu development for your local hospital and school systems. For instance, consider volunteering to teach a class of kids how to start their own school garden and develop recipes from their harvest.

Lastly, track down specific trade magazines and check out the classified pages that list job openings.

These suggestions are merely a start. You will find your own way. Whether you agree or disagree with the new Health Care Reform, there are food job opportunities to seize.

Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob

I’ve met many students who want to write about food and I  try my utmost to be encouraging. It’s always been difficult to earn a decent living as a writer but I can’t remember a time when it has been more challenging.

Even so, there are doors that are open a crack and with a little ingenuity and masses of determination it is possible to push them wide open.

It is important to know, what exactly, a food writer does. Scott Jones, Food Editor of Southern Living and a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) grad describes it well: “Writers research, write, edit, proofread, and check facts (including testing recipes) in jobs such as: newspaper columnist, cookbook author, and restaurant critic. As a food editor for a publisher, you’ll review cookbook proposals and take an accepted book from contract to print. Editors also work for magazines, newspapers, and television shows, setting the content and style of their food section or programming. In this field, you’ll need strong writing skills, knowledge of culinary principles, and familiarity with current consumer and industry trends.”

That all sounds good. So, let’s look at the bad news first. The prospects of landing a job as a syndicated newspaper writer are slim and getting slimmer. The possibility of finding work as a regular newspaper columnist are thin and getting thinner as circulation and advertising numbers shrink, and few funds can be found for opinion pieces. Many resort to simple seasonal recipes with text, recipes and photographs provided free by commodity boards. Cross off newspapers as a potential employer unless you decide to become a hard food news journalist where hyper-local is the current trend.  This job has to be undertaken by a local writer.

How about food magazines?  As we all know, Gourmet is gone. The bad news here is though a fortunate few manage to secure freelance writing assignments. They are a precious few and they are, (sorry to say), often big names or “known” to the food editor. So forget about FOOD & WINE, Bon Appetit or Saveur and the other giants in the field.

This brings us to all the good news. The familiar food magazines do not provide the only home for your writings. Go to any of the major booksellers, and scan the incredible number of magazines that offer opportunities you may not have previously explored. Look at local publications too. Often the chamber of commerce or real estate groups publish their own (sometimes very handsome) magazines as do medical groups and other special interest organizations. And don’t forget about food blogs for food magazines.

Wegmans is just one of the many excellent supermarket publications, and then there are the huge number of trade magazines: FOOD ARTS, Chef magazine and Chef Educator Today, Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, Restaurant Hospitality, Tea Times, Mushroom Growers, as well as catering and specialty food industry publications. Check online to find the names of the astonishing number there are.

There are other ways to dip your toe in the food writing world. There are food writing courses and coaches and writing programs to choose from, though I highly recommend New York University Steinhardt Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health.

But whichever direction you decide to travel, you must write regularly. The difference between a writer and a professional writer is the professional never gives up.

There are three reasons a writer becomes successful; no one knows what they are.