It’s been quite an experience here. Packed trains that pull into the station and then, well, stop. Everyone gets the boot- it doesn’t matter if you planned to end your journey at that particular station. Work stoppages we’re told are not uncommon. No worries, in the end you somehow get to you destination albeit much later than planned. Dining is a relaxed affair- restaurants seem uninterested in turning tables and you usually have to ask for the check. Twice.
We’ve been calling this our “Discovery Tour”. Here to study food and packaging trends and new product innovations. What we find interesting is that the SIAL expo, with food manufacturers from virtually every continent, “clean label” is the phrase du jour. The new is what’s old, so to speak. A return to real food ingredients, simple. This discovery we find reaffirming, for it’s what MTG is all about. Let’s hope what some see as a trend in fact endures as the standard.
More show time today. We found a few very intriguing concepts we think our customers will love and we know we can craft in the Kitchens of More Than Gourmet.

Quick note from a packed train in Paris. We’re at the SIAL international food expo exploring new product concepts for MTG. We’re also getting re-acquainted first hand with French cooking and cuisine, from rustic to elegant, “take away” to full tasting menus. The whole time here we’re reminded that while the core of MTG is classic French stocks and sauces the application is universal.

Here’s a photo of the famous fish market in Venice.  It’s a fascinating place, especially in the wee hours of the morning as the fishermen unload the fresh catch and set up their stalls in the market.  Get there early, with the locals, to hear the banter, the bartering, and see the displays.  A memorable experience!

The Baur Bed and Breakfast in Acqui Terme, Italy is a peaceful and beautiful location, with great innkeepers and nestled in the heart of wine country.  If you like wine, you’ll like this area.  If you like to cook, you’ll enjoy time with Diana in her rustic kitchen. Some folks wanted a photo of the Baur B&B, and happy to provide one here.  If you ever go, say hi to Diana and Misha for us.

There were quite a few specialty stores – real jewels – I happily discovered while in Italy (in Venice, once found I could not find again)! It’s nearly impossible to find your way back to a nice discovery there.  My favorite gelato stand will, I fear, be forever a figment of my imagination. My repeated efforts to retrace steps ended in frustration, satisfied only by a gelato at some other new discovery.  There are food gems everywhere, really, and you don’t have to go to Venice to find them.  In the Denver area you’ll find Tony’s Market.  Actually, a few of them.  They’re terrific.  They have a robust web site where some of us go from time to time to find a great recipe, or we go to their Chef Mick’s blog for some great food chatter.  Check it out, they are a cook’s goldmine nestled in the grand mountains of Colorado.

Just spent a glorious 10 days in Italy exploring the cuisines of Venice and Acqui Terme in the Piedmont region – a cooks paradise – and a place where time seems to stand still.  Small towns unchanged for decades, old cathedrals, and vineyards on rolling hills as far as you can see.  It’s wine country here, home of the hazelnut (think Nutella), and black truffles.   They know quite a bit about risotto, too, and I had the delightful experience of preparing a terrific pumpkin risotto with Diana Baur who with her husband Michael are the innkeepers of Baur Bed and Breakfast.  They were most gracious hosts who say their inn is “more than just a place to rest your head” and it’s true.  In an idyllic setting in the hills outside Acqui Terme, the Baur B+ B is a refreshing and serene place to unwind, enjoy some good Italian wine and some very fine local cooking.  Michael gives terrific wine tours, and Diana offers cooking classes.  Great fun, and if you are ever headed to this region I highly recommend their inn. Diana’s pumpkin risotto recipe will be posted on our site soon.

Venice is an altogether different experience. It’s a magical city, you feel like you are on the set of a Warner Bros. movie. If you like fish, this is a place to be.  On Tuesday mornings, you can go to  The Mercato del Pesce – the fish market, and watch the fisherman set up their displays for sales that day.  It’s an experience I’ll never forget and anyone that visits Venice ought to see.   A delightful restaurant in Venice is Pane Vino in Campo del “Angelo.  If you go, ask for Memo.  He’ll make you feel like your a guest in his home.