When a Restaurant Becomes a Book
/
In December 2015, I sat down at Ristorante AGA in Northern Italy with 7 other friends. That 4-hour dining experience became the impetus for my book, The Genomic Kitchen. The rest is history you could say. Except, that on my Facebook feed this week, Alessandra Del Favero, co-owner of Ristorante AGA posted that AGA is opening in New York! I always knew that Chef Alessandra and her husband Oliver Piras were doing something extraordinary. Their table expresses the flora and fauna of the Dolomite mountains and ingredients from the local region, in creative and illuminating ways. The first chapter of my book describes the unique perspective of this chef duo and how their menu fueled the writing of my much requested book.
This blog article is a journey through the Dolomite region, meals I have eaten at AGA, and an interview with Oliver Piras. The words I write are taken directly from my book. Read. Watch. Listen. Enjoy. And when you’re done, grab my book (print or digital). Buon Appetito.
“In November 2015, a small group of friends decided to try to snag a table at Christmas time. How would we fit eight people into a restaurant that has four tables booked well in advance? Lots of correspondence and a few days of “domani domani” and then that long-awaited jewel of an email: December 23rd, tasting lunch for eight.”
“We drove from our rooms in the charming alpine ski town of Arabba, through forty-five minutes of winding, narrow, steep scenic passes shrouded by the towering Dolomite peaks down into Cortina, and then on to the tiny village of San Vito di Cadore..”
“We walked in to find that AGA had simple, beautiful, pine-board walls, a serving table at one end of the room, and four diminutive, modern tables with equally sleek, yet simple chairs. The restaurant serves two sittings each day. No fussy folded napkins or tablecloths. One sprig of fragrant juniper in a simple vase as table decor. “
“The restaurant faces east to the mountains, so its many windows allow shafts of sunlight to enter the restaurant at a shallow angle, offering subtle illumination of the otherwise spare space.”
”That afternoon, the staff presented a tasting menu of eight courses, which somehow turned into thirteen, with Oliver and Alessandra coming out to introduce each one. Both were adorned in timeless chef attire—classic white tunic half-covered by an almost denim blue apron complete with a subtle AGA logo”
“First, on the table there is always homemade bread and butter. The flour is sourced from Padova, two hours away, and the bread is produced with an active starter in AGA’s tiny kitchen. Butter whipped-up from local cream infuses the nutrient landscape with precious omega-3 fatty acids whose reach, in the Genomic Kitchen, goes far beyond classic “heart health” wisdom to “good for your brain.”
“A lovely velvety risotto of rice grains collapsing into a soothing creamy “broth” enriched with fermented umboshi plum and fragranced with the skin of a local cheese. The dish was dusted with smoked Chinese green tea, where green tea itself is a dominant source of the bioactive molecule catechin, often referred to by its full name ECGC-epigallocatechin gallate.”
“Oliver has a deep dedication to the art of fermentation, evidence of which is found throughout his dishes. The fermentation that Oliver works into his menu creations seed the beneficial bacteria in the gut….”
Oliver discusses the influence of fermentation on his culinary ideas in the interview below
“Fish is from local streams. Pigeon, hare, and other animal proteins are raised from area farmers dedicated to conserving the art of raising the finest meat in its natural environment."..”
“..more omegas would appear later in the wild hare ravioli and, once again, the menu is infused not only with flavor from wild food but also with the optimized nutritional advantage that does not exist in factory-raised or industrial-farmed food equivalents..”
Winner of the 2015 emerging chef award in Italy, Chef Oliver Piras discusses his view of food for health in my interview at the end of the blog..
A fun farewell after a wonderful meal by Chefs Oliver Piras and Alessandra Del Favero
Listen. Read. Watch
Take a tour of the menu and food of AGA
Take another photographic around the area where Ristorante AGA is located
