A hands-on cooking class culminating in family-style dinner served with wine.
At 18 Reasons we feel strongly about respecting our food systems and keeping waste to a minimum. When it comes to offals, we know most people struggle with the culturally ingrained "yuck factor." Well, most of us do, but not our favorite Italian resident, Viola!
After turning skeptics on to bitter vegetables for five years, she is now intent on bringing the unsung deliciousness of sweetbreads, livers, heads, necks, hearts to the home stoves of the Bay Area. Join Viola as she shares her feelings and stories about animal welfare and sets a path to turning Yuck into Yum!
MENU
Fegatelli di maiale in rete — Pork liver in caul-fat with wild fennel and bay
Animelle fritte—Crunchy sweetbreads
Sugo di rigaglie di pollo—Chicken gizzards sugo
Trippa con erbe aromatiche al profumo di limone—Lemon scented tripe with aromatic herbs
Coratella di agnello in umido—Braised lamb offal
Lesso povero (zampetti, lingua e guanciola) con salsa verde e salsa piccante—Humble poached meats (pigs' feet, tongue and shank) with salsa verde and spicy sauce
Fagioli con le cotiche di prosciutto—Beans with prosciutto skins
Viola Buitoni, a direct descendant of the famed pasta and chocolate family, hails from Perugia, in the heart of Umbria. She came to the US for college, but soon after attending NYU as an economics major, she was drawn back into her genetic passion for food. She ran an Italian catering business and had a shop showcasing the best of Italian food on Madison Avenue in NYC. After moving to San Francisco in 2004 to start a family, Viola can now be found giving lectures on Italian food traditions and trends, and teaching cooking classes in collaboration with 18 Reasons, SF's Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate, Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School, Draeger’s in San Mateo and Blackhawk and Pepperberries in Eugene, OR. Since 2013, she has been a brand ambassador for Baci, the iconic Italian chocolates made by Perugina, the worldwide confectionery brand founded by her great grandfather. Viola has also produced food articles and cooking videos for MissionLocal.org. Recently, she began speaking on panels about tradition and innovation in food production and leading groups to explore local and artisanal food systems and producers in Italy. You can follow her adventures and find information on traveling with her at www.violabuitoni.com.
