The Chef and the Grape

By Kristof Gillese

au·then·tic

ôˈTHen(t)ik/

Adjective of undisputed origin; genuine. “the letter is now accepted as an authentic document.” Synonyms: genuine, real, bona fide, true, veritable.

Thank you very much Google but it seems to me as though you have missed the very heart of what this word truly means, for what is authentic (especially when it comes to Italian food and wine) if it is not passion, dedication and tradition? Indeed this was proven to me in short order just the other week when I was fortunate enough to share an evening dining with friends, old and new, at La Quercia in the Kitsilano district of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Eyebrows raised? You think that the Pacific Rim is hardly the place for discerning palates to adventure into traditional regional Italian fare? Well… such thoughts are easily understood as I, myself, would have shared them only a short time ago but be prepared to set those prejudices aside~! For authenticity, no matter the subject matter, inevitably falls back onto passion to keep things genuine and the dedication to keep tradition true and real.

Though I may claim some small understanding of regional Italian food; having plied the trade of chef for almost 30 years and having married into an Italian family, I do not claim to know it. I know a few things and enjoy learning about the rest. This night at La Quercia was a true learning experience due to the phenomenal efforts of Chef Adam Pegg and his heart-of-house brigade and wife Karin Pegg and her front-of-house team. The evening was a reminder of how elegant casual dining can be and what beauty can be found in the simplest of food.

But I’m drawing out the suspense too long; here was the menu:

There is a rhythm, a flow, to a great meal; and it all begins the moment the guests arrive. As I arrived at La Quercia I was greeted like an old friend, with warm smiles and a chilled glass of Prosecco. And as hands were shaken and seats were taken fresh focaccia, still warm from the oven, made its way to the table to cosy beside plates of extra-virgin olive oil. The simplest of ingredients; some flour, a bit of salt, some water, a dab of olive oil… and the low rumble of conversation melted to a gentle murmur as we allowed the moment to be.Forget about stopping to smell roses – take a moment to smell this bread! Heaven.

And it set the stage for what was, to me, to become one of the great Italian meals of my life. The execution of each dish was flawless but the big “take-away” for me, as a foodie, was the massive effect the quality of raw ingredients made. It’s something I’ve known for years and famously Chef Thomas Keller of 3-Michelin fame The French Laundry says:

“If two chefs of equal calibre and skill cook two separate meals the only thing that makes one better than the other becomes the quality of ingredients.”

So, you see, in my heart I knew this to be true but in my mind I simply couldn’t understand the need to use a 7-year aged rice to make risotto. Then Chef Adam Pegg made us a dish that I pride myself on my ability to create: Risotto funghi *(mushroom risotto). I first learned how to make proper risotto many many years ago and know that even picky eaters love it when I make it… Chef Adam blew my mind with his; a silkiness to the texture that I’ve never tasted before, a creaminess balanced by perfectly al-dente texture. I turned to the dining companion to my left who worked for the Italian Chamber of Commerce and asked his thoughts. Was I just tasting “real” risotto for the first time and, as a non-Italian, confusing “real” with “great”?

“I’ve eaten in 3-Michelin star restaurants in Italy. This is one of, if not the, greatest risotto I have ever had,” he replied gently.

And that was when Karin Pegg brought out the tin of 7-year rice used to create the masterpiece. Their “secret weapon” she shared… not to be used in everyday cooking but, when they wanted to celebrate a special evening, this helped elevate their already top-tier cooking to the next level. And the Franz Haas Pinot Nero to pair? An absolutely classic combination that brought out greatness in both the food and the wine… the work at this northern Italian winery is among the very highest caliber from the country and brought a balance to the dish that even now I can still taste.

Though I would be hard-pressed to choose between the risotto or the pasta as being the highlight of the evening; Chef Adam showing us all how these humble foods, when given the proper respect, are capable of brilliance. The ham in the All’amatriciana sauce was allowed to render slowly to create the flavor base for the sauce, coating everything with its slightly salty/smoky perfume… the gentle tomato a soft canvas for the authentic Pecorino Toscano cheese to round out the flavor edges. The saltiness of ham was given more dimension, the bright acidity of tomato tamed and brought back to balance… but it was simple food. Peasant food really. Ham, tomatoes, pasta. All elevated from “food” to an “experience” by passion, dedication, tradition.

And perhaps the greatest example of this that night was in the very simplest dish. Truly peasant food this was something so utterly Old School that even the most ardent foodies at the table looked at each other with wonder and confusion. What was bagna cauda?

Anchovies; perhaps the humblest of fish, slow-cooked – almost confit-style submerged in olive oil – for hours on end until the fish have lost all structure and what is left is an anchovy-olive oil emulsion. Served warm, much like fondue, with crusty bits of bread and fresh, raw vegetables to dip and dunk and slather in the fishy-oily goodness.

My Italian companions at the table were speechless at finding this in Kitsilano.

“You would be hard-pressed to find this in a restaurant in Italy… even in Piedmonte where it originates you usually only get this when you go to someone’s home for dinner and their Nonna *(grandmother) is cooking!”

And as traditional as the dish was, the wine pairing was utterly UNtraditional: the Cavallotto Dolcetto d’Alba. Dolcetto is the softer side of red wine, almost always having an approachable acidity that make them easy to enjoy on their own and I never would have thought of pairing it with fish. And, yet, I know that Pinot Noir delights when put alongside tuna and salmon so why not? Why not indeed! This had us all entranced with its bruised plum/dark cocoa/iris and freesia bouquet… once again, not what one would ever expect to find harmony with anchovy and yet this simple fare found true resonance with everyone at the table.

Perhaps that was my true “take-away” from the evening… not just that quality of ingredients directly results in the quality of a meal; I knew that already. Perhaps I had been enlightened about something far more profound; that authenticity can be expressed through food and wine. And this feeling, this authentic passion and commitment that some chefs, some winemakers, some cheese-crafters have can be understood through the most universal language possible: the language of taste. I am an Irishman, born in Canada, and yet I knew when I tasted Chef Adams food that this was true regional Italian cuisine.

I knew that even though I’ve never been to Italy. I knew that because food cannot lie; it cannot be false or duplicitous. Food cannot be sneaky or conniving. Food can only speak the truth about what went into it and the commitment, the traditions, of those who crafted it. Maybe instead of voting for politicians based on their platforms and ideologies we should make them all cook for their constituents and whoever creates the most loved dish wins the seat? Ok, an untenable solution but my-oh-my that would be a voting process that would bring out the masses!

My humblest and profound thanks to the entire team at La Quercia in Kitsilano for crafting food and drink into an unforgettable meal. My thanks as well to our hosts for the evening, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, who are passionately supporting their artisans in Italian food and wine through the “Authentic Italian” initiative (#theauthenticItalianExperience) designed to share awareness of what is truly authentic Italian regional food and wine. Lastly my thanks to the brilliant members of media who shared the experience with me; it was an honor to break bread with you all.

As always, I look forward to continuing our conversation:

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @The Chef and The Grape

and now with weekly reviews on YouTube @Kristof Gillese

Sláinte!

– Kristof Gillese: Trained chef, certified wine steward and proud journalist. To chef Kristof it is the story that takes priority: to tell the tale of common people accomplishing uncommon goals. In the world of wine these tales are prolific. It is chef Kristof’s privilege to have worked with, and/or told the story of, luminaries such as Pierre-Henry Gagey of Maison Jadot, Nik Weis of St Urbans-Hof, Ray Signorello of Signorello Estates and Ezra Cipes of Summerhill Pyramid Winery; leaders in the industry. With almost three decades of experience working with the magical synergy between food and wine, chef Kristof is proud to share the stories of these amazing stewards of the land. These articles showcase a respect for the balance between our current mercantile economy and the-now-in-vogue ancestral farming methods/biodynamics/organic farming principles. All articles are written with a profound reverence for the family aspect to winery culture as, to this writers understanding, nothing has ever had a more far-reaching effect than the love and devotion for a parent to a child. All great wineries are built by parents for their children and grandchildren and it is because of this that chef Kristof writes.

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