April Newsletter from Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

april 2018 newsletter

One of the great things about my job is that I get the chance to collaborate with such fantastic people. One of my big ‘aha’ moments came when I realized that I could invite visiting chefs and writers to help me lead Week in Italy tours. I didn’t have to try too hard to convince my friends to join me. I mean, a week in Italy? Who’s going to pass that up? I’ve already done a few tours with my friend, radio host Evan Kleiman, and last month I invited New York Times writer Melissa Clark to join me.

I’ve known Melissa for ages, but this is actually the first time we’ve ‘worked’ together. If you can call it work. It actually seemed like one long cooking/cocktail party. Melissa lead two classes in our space Monti Kitchen, and the rest of the time we spent walking around Rome with our guests, visiting markets, visiting shops and of course long delicious lunches and dinners. And then Melissa and her family stayed an extra week, so we could just play. We even managed a weekend up in Umbria at our villa there.

My big project for the next two weeks is to get our terrace in Rome ready for spring. We don’t have a big terrace, but it’s big enough for a table and six chairs. And Domenico has managed to plant every citrus known to man in pots (comes in handy for cocktails). But it’s been quite a few years since we spruced it up. We need to replace the furniture (impossible to find something I like) , redo the tarps that provide shade (white or striped?) . And flowers. We can always use more flowers. Do you have a big spring cleaning project too?

what's new

Spring also means that I’m coming out of my winter hibernation and that our tours are starting up again, big time. We just finished the Week in Rome Tour with Melissa and next week we are hosting a husband and wife who do a private week on their own with us each year. (yes, this is a thing). And we’re really excited about our Week in Umbria tour May 6-12. We actually have 2 more spaces left, if you’re interested. I’m also offering a last minute discount of 10% if you mention the codeword ‘truffle’. Just send me an email.

Sophie and I are both busy doing market tours here in Rome, in Testaccio, Trastevere and the Campo de’ Fiori neighborhood. We are already almost booked through June, but still have some spaces left.

And I’m super excited to be hosting my first Dining With Elizabeth events in the next month! I’ve been wanting to host dinners or lunches for a long time and I’ve finally gotten my act together to make it work. It’s a private meal for up to 8 people and takes place in our space Monti Kitchen. Let me know if you’re coming to Rome and I’ll tell you more about it.

Well, the Puglia tour is certainly popular!! Even though the tours don’t take place until May and October 2019, they are almost completely sold out!!

Here is a complete schedule of our Week in Italy Tours that are coming up:

Week in Umbria May 6-12, 2018 (2 spots left)
Week in Umbria October 21-27, 2018 (1 spot left)
Week in Rome November 11 - 2018
Week in Rome March 17 - , 2019
Week in Puglia April 7-13, 2019 (3 spots left)
Week of May 19-25, 2019: WITH EVAN KLEIMAN
Week in Puglia October 6-12, 2019 (2 spots left)
Week in Umbria October 20-26, 2019
Week in Rome November 10 -, 2019

For more information about any of these tours, just send me an email and let me know which tour your are interested in.

videos

Is anyone else watching Trust, the new mini series about the Getty family? It’s fabulous! So much of it was filmed in my neighborhood of Monti. My neighbors and I are developing a drinking game that hinges on how many times we see the little yellow 500 that is always parked on the corner of our street.

I’m late to the game (no pun intended) for playing video games on my iPhone. I just never thought about it much. But now I’m totally obsessed with owning my own Food Truck. Does anyone else play food-based games on their phone?

travels

We had a blissful weekend up in Umbria, even though it did rain part of the time. For lunch we fired up the pizza oven one day, but by night is was cold enough to light the fireplace inside and cook a huge steak Sophie had bought in Tuscany. We also went to our local restaurant were we special ordered tiny game birds that were hunted locally. They were roasted over the fire, and were delicious and I’m glad I tried it at least once.

I love going up to Florence for the day, and so Melissa, Gillian and I took the train up one day. After a walk around town and a snack, we met my friend Rolando for lunch at Sostanza and had - in addition to a humongous bistecca - one of the best artichokes frittatas in the world.

Domenico, Sophie and I spent Easter weekend in Bari. We even went on a little adventure, taking the local train down to Monopoli (only a 30 minute ride) to try out a new restaurant where we will be going one evening during our Week in Puglia Tour.

what I'm reading

Traveling the cobblestoned streets of Rome through the eyes of Jewish general Flavius Josephus

Who knew that Alice Water’s egg spoon was so controversial?

I’m definitely looking into hiring a virtual assistant. I never knew that was even a possibility!

Thirsty? Livia Hengel to the rescue, with a list of 40 of Rome's best wine bars that will keep you hydrated during your next trip.

Just say no to vitamins.

So much upkeep!!

Thank you David Lebovitz for updating your ice cream book. My old one is in shreds.

and finally....

I’ve been on a dinner party roll lately, and my last two posts have been about some fun ones. Here is the menu from one of the classes that Melissa taught, and here is our menu (plus a savory tart recipe) from our Easter lunch in Puglia.

It was great fun getting to chat with radio host Nathan Fong while I was in NYC. If you’d like to hear me (as well as a bunch of other friends and colleagues) you can listen to the podcast here.

REMEMBER: I’ll be in the States promoting my book, Eating My Way Through Italy in May/June. The schedule is here, with all the links where you can sign up. Space is limited at many of the events. I’ll be in NYC, Boston, DC, Los Angles and San Francisco. Hope to see you there!

ANOTHER REMINDER: If you pre-order my book it helps A LOT in terms of eventual sales and visibility. So if you are thinking of buying it (and I hope you are!) I’d be forever grateful it if you pre-order it now. That way it will magically show up in your mail box as soon as it is published on May 29.

Grazie!!

x,e

Divided geographically, Eating My Way Through Italy looks at all the different aspects of Italian food culture. Whether it’s pizza in Naples, deep fried calamari in Venice, anchovies in Amalfi, an elegant dinner in Milan, gathering and cooking capers on Pantelleria, or hunting for truffles in Umbria each chapter includes, not just anecdotes, personal stories and practical advice, but also recipes that explore the cultural and historical references that make these subjects timeless. Pre-order now.