Cooking Without Borders

We're going back!

2011-01-12T14:50:00.001+01:00

Team Italia is returning in July, 2012!

We will post more information about fund raising, planned activities and other adventures as more information arrives.

Delcastle Culinary - Cooking Without Borders

2010-08-17T05:44:00.000+02:00

A little bit of coverage

2010-08-03T03:18:00.005+02:00

Our friends at Chef Educator Today magazine were nice enough to cover the Italy trip. Take a look at their article at: http://chefeducatortoday.blogspot.com/2010/07/delcastle-students-get-taste-of-italia.html (copy and paste if link isn't visible)

Big news in a few weeks about the NEXT TRIP for Cooking Without Borders!

Wheels up :(

2010-07-20T00:30:00.007+02:00

Chefs Mullen and Berman write:
Tonight was, simply put, amazing! We spent the evening at the Le Caniette winery with our new friends and countrymen from Ripatransone. The view, of course, is spectacular, overlooking the Ascoli Valley. We played host to the Mayor of Ripatransone, as well as many of those responsible for our adventure here. There were students, families, cooks, children and revelers, alike. The innovative kitchen was draped in glass, nary to miss one spectacular glance out the windows to see the grape vines stretching across the hillside.

Food? Our antipasti was a dry-cured pork loin dressed with a salad of radicchio, olive oil and 50-year old cooked wine. [Yes, cooked wine. Do not mistake cooking wine for this delicious ‘dressing.’] The primi piatta was pillows of pasta wrapped around a vegetable mixture of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes gently snuggled in with fresh mozzarella, all baked in a tomato-bechamel sauce. The entrée, a porkette-style treatment of turkey leg-thigh roast. Indescribable! The boned-out roast was stuffed with rosemary and garlic then rolled in a crust of salt and splashed with olive oil imported all the way from the side of the hill on which we were dining. Impeccable flavor. Amazing experience. Life-changing event of which we could not possibly have hoped to go any better as we wind down our journey through this province.

Tomorrow, we are gathering ingredients from local vendors and making our bon voyage meal at our host’s home. We will bid Italia a heart-breaking ‘ciao’ following dinner and, I am sure, a long night of reflecting on the journey. Nearly two years in the making, arduous fundraising, hurdles and challenges, this trip is coming to an end. Many of our students making the journey with TeamItalia will not be returning in the fall, as they have graduated and are finishing their tenure with our program as the plane touches down in Philadelphia. The others will have the classroom as their audience to share what was, hopefully, an experience worth sharing. Either way, the students and us as teachers, leave Italy as markedly changed individuals, hopefully wiser for the experience of the past two weeks and everything leading up to this moment. With this, we close this living journal and seal this chapter of our online presence in Italy. We will, as time goes by, drop in to share developments in promoting our “Cooking Without Borders” program. It is our hope to host students from Italy in the very near future and make a return trip to this wonderful place. We will also post reflections from the students on their escapades in Ripatransone after we return to the States.

So, for now, buona notte and ciao! Grazí to everybody that followed along and supported our mission. Wheels down in Philly on Wednesday!

Past Few Days

2010-07-18T23:55:00.003+02:00

Ashley Anton Writes:It's been an awesome few days. Friday night was our night out in the town as a whole group. We walked around and mingled with the towns people. It's great to be able to understand them knowing only a little of the language. With the hand motions and the expressions they showed made translating a little easier.

Saturday night was the first night of the Meat Festival. During the day Thursday, we assisted in the butchering of 4 cows. We watched them take apart the pieces and then told us to cut them into different pieces to be used for different purposes. Most of the meat was ground for hamburger while the rounds and ribs were cut into pieces to be used as steaks. We also said fair well to our friend, Dario who assisted us in translating. It's crazy how much we take advantage of the simple things. Without someone there to help makes it quite difficult.

Today, we had the day off. I took advantage of this time and slept in and then joined the group at lunch for some amazing pasta, as usual, and a roasted pepper and olive stuffed beef with a side of sauteed kale. Due to our free day, we retreated to Quercus Park, an adventure park where we spent the next 3 and a half hours, zip gliding and making our way through various courses. The pictures below were taken during our time spent there. We all had such a blast. From the Chef's being a little nervous to the falls and laughs as we made our way back to the bottom of the course.

We have about 3 days left now. I cannot believe time is going by so quickly. I feel like we've been here for months. It's going to be hard to re-adjust to the time change, sleeping arrangements and the daily activities. Oh, and especially the food! Coming back is definitely in my agenda.

Ropes course... high in the sky!

2010-07-18T20:53:00.004+02:00

Paul writes: We just returned from the Quercus Park rope course, and I never had so much fun! Quercus is a ‘Parchi Avventura’ loosely translating to ‘adventure park.’ It is a suspended rope course, with tension lines drawn between trees, some as high as 30 feet up! There were obstacles, such as a balance line or ladder-type path or zip line.

At first glance I had doubts, and even at the first obstacle I was frozen with fear, the wind blew as the boards were swaying and it took a good five minutes for me to get going but once I did, I enjoyed the course. The zip-line was my favorite part because I flew through the trees, with the wind in my…….helmet, and watching my other classmates, and teachers, conquer their fears. I had a blast and will remember that experience forever!!

Tonight, we dine at the Beef Festival and will be taking in some great music. Tomorrow, we are heading to a winery for our final cooking class and dinner with our friend, Chef Capecci. Ciao, for now.

A flurry of pictures..

2010-07-18T11:53:00.008+02:00

Roof top view:

A platter of amazing calamari at a sea-side cafe in San Benedetto:

Paul and Jose trying some porchette from the market:

Dressed up for a night on the town:

In the cooler with the cattle for the Meat Festival:

Local offerings:

At the open-air market in Comune Ripatransone:

Pasta bits, rays of lights and notes from the field...

2010-07-17T19:30:00.002+02:00

Chef Berman writes: So, some random samplings, observations and conjecture from the last few days in Italy...
> It never rains in Italy. Ever. Yet, remarkably, everything remains verdant and full of life. How is this so?
> The sun rises around 3am, so it feels, with a vengeful heart and malicious focus. It is extremely bright as we wake, as though the sun simply can't wait to start the day.
> Everybody in his or her life, should feast on a meal of seafood whilst sitting in the plaza of San Benedetto; today, the 'antipasti' was a heaping platter of tender, sweet mussels and these little clams that are no larger than a dime. The 'primi piatti' was twists and turns of spaghetti tossed with more of those little clams, shrimp and squid, sweetly swimming in olive oil and tomatoes. The 'segundo piatti' was a family sized platter of calamari, so sweet and lightly fried, I am sure I felt tears welling in the corners of my eyes. By the way, $15 for the whole deal.
> Living with people in close quarters, without air conditioning in the confines of a convent on the hills of a small, Italian town will reveal much.
> When you look up at night, the stars are countless and wish not to be counted - they twinkle to spread light and illuminate the bumpy walkways between the buildings. The absence of the city glow and daily hustle and bustle makes for a profoundly different perspective; Always a Tigger... never an Eeyore.
> Wine in Italy = cheap. Soda in Italy = more expensive than wine.
> Plan to do nothing between the hours of 1 and 5 in the afternoon, as everybody goes home for lunch ('pranzo'). Everybody.
> It is hot in July. Hot. Amazingly hot. Indescribably hot. Always sweating and relief is in the form of the breeze that breaks as a Vespa jets by at Mach 3!
> I love cappuccino... here. It is simply prepared, one size, no fuss, cheap and tastes amazing. Hello, anybody from Starbuck's listening?!
> Everybody in Italy smokes.
> The world exists without the internet and text messaging. Revelation!

Ascoli Piceno and The Butcher

2010-07-16T19:32:00.001+02:00

Samantha Writes:
This morning the group woke early to the city in an oven-like state after a restless night due to the high temperatures. Unlike home, we’ve noticed, sun streams through the windows with the gusto of high noon at only six o’clock in the morning.
We made our way to breakfast at about eight to scarf down dry cereal and (to Chef Mullen’s horror) none of our usual espresso and steamed milk. The bus chartered for us by the city of Ripatransone to take us to the city of Ascoli Piceno, was waiting for us at eight thirty at the school where we had made gnocchi with Chef Cappeci the night before. The bus ride took about an hour in which most of us slept or admired the countless sunflower fields that zoomed past our windows.
When I first saw the city skyline from afar, it immediately struck me how closely it resembled Ripa except for much larger, and in the end I was not too far mislead. We were dropped off in an area of the city called Gioli (which was easy to remember as it sounded like “Jolly”) and walked to what seemed to be the city’s central piazza, standing in the shadow of a large cathedral not dissimilar to those we have encountered in Ripa. The group was immediately drawn to large fountains spouting ice cold water that was fit for drinking, as demonstrated by city residents. Ascoli Piceno had the same historic background as Ripatransone, paved with cobblestone and buildings displaying architectural wonders that can not be found in modern-day construction. Then again, we did drink in the air conditioning that graced the scores of shops and restaurants that lined the city’s streets.
Despite the ever-present heat, we enjoyed going through the outdoor clothing and produce markets and bouncing from store to store purchasing the best of local wares.

Forthcoming, there is, to the best of our Italian-language-lacking skills, a festival named something along the lines of ‘beef meat celebration’. Knowing that we are in town, the local butchers invited us to their arbotoir to see, and assist with, the breaking down of four whole cattle. The facility is rather primitive, but the intent is clear – we are in for one heck of a celebration in the next twenty-four hours. Some of the students swooped up some the primal cuts, knife in hand, and further butchered the cuts for use tomorrow. Ciao, for now!

Ascoli Piceno and The Butcher!

2010-07-16T19:22:00.009+02:00

On the road and in Ascoli Piceno:

From the butchery:

A bladesmith does his finest to refine the blade of Jose's latest purchase. True craftsmanship!

Gnocchi making with Chef Sandro!

2010-07-15T21:55:00.003+02:00

Italia Adventure

2010-07-15T21:47:00.002+02:00

Ashley Anton Writes: These past few days have been crazy busy. Yesterday was filled with shopping and site seeing from different landmarks, cafes and food markets. We traveled to San Benedetto to explore. Fashion is HUGE here; Prada shoes, Gucci glasses, fur coats etc. At one point, Chef and I were discussing watermelon and how we both were craving ice cold fresh watermelon. He told me how in Chicago they have stands of watermelon sitting in tubs of ice cold water and people can walk up and have a slice to cool down on a caldo (hot) day. What was ironic is that literally two seconds later, we stumble upon a watermelon stand. It was incredible. It was easily 105 degrees and we had been outside walking in the heat all morning. The feeling was outstanding. A cold slice of watermelon on a 10cent plate and a knife stabbed right in the middle. We spent an hour just hanging out with each other and our new friend, Dario. Then today, we had our second language class as well as another cooking class with Sandro. Learning a new language is difficult but intriguing. I want to become fluent eventually. At class we made gnocchi and marinara. We also made a pork loin with an arugula tomato salad. Classes are awesome here. Even with the language barrier, it's easy to understand what Sandro is saying because we all speak the same language, kitchen lingo. With only 6 days left, it feels like we've been here for forever. A new home possibly in the future? Maybe so.

Some pics from San Benedetto

2010-07-14T22:52:00.003+02:00

San Benedetto

2010-07-14T22:31:00.002+02:00

Chef Mullen Writes: The market day in San Benedetto was beyond words. After visiting the many markets and cafes, we were talking about how watermelon used to have seeds, were huge, and the sweetest red fruit your taste buds desired. Lo and behold, we stumble upon a place on the street cutting wedges of seeded watermelon to order. As we sat there at tables under umbrellas shielding us from the sun, slurping on sweet red nectar, we began the teachings of fun filled watermelon seed fights. We had fresh water buffalo mozzarella cheese, crusty bread, figs, dried sausages, prosciutto, and salami made it the feast we all have been craving. This day was near perfect and a little life altering. We caught the bus back to Ripatransone to get to our 5 o'clock cooking class with Chef Sandro Capecci. We've all been waiting to cook with him since we've cooked with him before in Wilmington. We made pan roasted chicken, Filled pasta(from hand rolled fresh) and Ragu sauce, We all sat down with Chef Cappecci and his 10 year old daughter Silvia. This was just another feast to remember.

Pizza class, parte duo

2010-07-13T14:53:00.006+02:00

Chef Berman writes: A busy day! We started with our first language class at 09:30. What a blast! We quickly moved through the useful grammar and pronunciation and went right into the food verbiage. Now we can actually order our dinner and not merely hope for the best when we dine out. Following the class, we moved to Le Cuccelo (The Snail) for another class on pizza making. Different from yesterday, we worked with a wood-fired oven using traditional (translation: no measurements/weights) methods to assemble the ingredients. Seeing two different methods in as many days has been a great learning experience. The sampling is even better. Our very generous instructors insist on showing us many toppings and their own personal favorites, all of which we get to eat following the classes... you will hear no complaining. To top it off, lunch was served at the convent immediately following the pizza class. We feasted on pasta dressed with 'salsa di spinachi con prosciutto' and 'involvtini,' little rolls of beef with even more prosciutto and zucchini nestled inside, green salad (that rivals ANY salad, anywhere!) and mixed vegetables from the convent's garden. The meals at the convent have all been simple, delicious and exactly what you would expect dining in this region. No pretension and twice the flavor!

We have a museum visit in about an hour, which is a welcome repast given the extremely warm weather. Like much of Europe, many folks take sanctuary in their homes during the hot afternoons. So, we too, shall take refuge in the museum.

Tomorrow, we travel to San Benedetto for the market. Our trip takes us down a winding, two-lane mountain road, overlooking the valley leading to the Adriatic coast, festooned with grape vines and olive trees. Ciao a Tutti! (I think that's hoe you say it)

Today in Italy...

2010-07-12T22:05:00.002+02:00

Ashley writes: I still cannot believe that we're in Italy. I can honestly say that I feel as if I were back at home. For only being here for 3 days I already know some back alleys and secret passages to get to different locations. Being here with my best friends and second family, exploring another culture and learning more about the career which I am deeply passionate about leaves me speechless. The pictures we have taken so far don't even begin to describe the beauty of Ripa and the culture we are experiencing.

Pizza class!

2010-07-12T21:55:00.004+02:00

Pictures from our Pizza-making class... yes... pizza-making in Italy. If you are going to learn, you may as well do it right!

A day at the beach!

2010-07-11T22:46:00.002+02:00

Samantha says: We spent the day at Grottomare, an active town on the Adriatic Sea. There is remarkable difference between the beaches here compared to those at home! The beach is in sections, under colored umbrellas complete with tables, chairs and restaurants just off the sand.If the beaches in Delaware were anything like these I think I would visit much more often! The ocean was warmer and clearer than any I have ever before experienced and a few members of our crew came across hermit crabs and starfish. Residents and other locals ride by on bikes and check out the tents selling everything from jewelry to purses and more shoes than one would care to count! Just off of the sand, restaurants, arcades and tennis courts line the sidewalk, bustling with locals and tourists alike, soaking up the sunshine. We enjoyed ice cream and real Italian pizza by the seaside with the crew to wrap up the day. Certainly a beach trip I will never forget! Buena notte!!

2010-07-10T21:44:00.003+02:00

Day 1

2010-07-10T21:38:00.001+02:00

Chef Berman writes: A long journey, both in time and energy made up our day. With planning for this trip starting nearly two-years ago, the endless flight and amazingly beautiful (but nearly as endless as the flight) drive brought us to the village of Ripatransone. All of us gave up our ‘European’ ghosts as we all shared crossing the Atlantic for the very first time. Smooth sailing on the nine hour flight, but cramped quarters made for antsy travelers. Add a good mix of “what time is it here? there? Wait, where are we?” and our adventure begins!

Entering the Fuciomi Airport, a rush of “oh my god, we are in a foreign land” swept over me. Every sign, every moniker, every announcement – pure Italian. This certainly was not a landing in Philadelphia! We made haste to grab our bags, all present thank you very much, and got on board our little bus/big van/NASCAR for the three hour bus ride across Rome, through L’Aquia, San Benedetto and Ascoli Piceno to Ripa. Sure, there are some pictures and there is certainly colorful verbiage, but there is no adequate way to put into words the sheer beauty in the surroundings we are all encountering. There are mountains that appear chiseled from the clouds from which they seem to meet. There are winding roads that serpentine, crawl and curl through tree-speckled hill after tree-speckled hill.

Remarkably, the pace in which we traveled would frighten the most hardened of New York drivers; the motorcycles and scooters zip between everything moving. There is a remarkable absence of turn signals and any discernable speed limit. Surprisingly, there is little traffic frustration, in that the traffic congests and clogs, creeping to a poured-molasses pace and poof! the race is back on. With so much amazing scenery, the view may grow old for the locals, but our bus ride was hectic with students racing from window to window, trying to capture exploding scenery.

Our arrival in Ripa was in a glorious fashion; the steep grade and blind curves revealed the landscape that we had all grown accustomed, from seeing the photographs to hearing the many descriptions over the last two years.

The food has already begun to inspire! Our accommodations are aptly suited; we have taken up residence at a convent established in the early-thirteenth century. Our authentic accommodations include meals prepared by the nuns in residence in the convent. We started with a devastatingly hungry crew. At this point, we had to take a moment to realize the impact of the next few moments; we are in Italy, as a group at a family table, high school students and instructors, partaking in pasta and a simple tomato sauce. Ethereal. Earth-moving. The palpable quality of the emotion was obvious and, almost, overwhelming. We feasted on the pasta, subtle sauce of tomatoes and house-cured olives; I may have an olive as good as what we experienced today, but probably none better. Our first mistake, though, that the pasta is merely a primi – the first course. We were famished so we feasted. Segundo, pork saltimbocca – a paper thin pork cutlet, a with a fresh leaf pegged to a blanket of pancetta, garnished with roasted red and yellow peppers. By the way, the peppers are from the city and the age came from the convent’s garden. Again, amazing. Simple, clean, delicate, perfect. A salad of romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers, olive oil and salt. Being that we are residing in the City of Wine and Oil, the dressing was indescribable! All the food was unpretentious and spoke volumes about what we should (and will be!) eating. And, yes, of course the salad greens were pulled from the convent garden. That’s how you should eat.

The sun is setting as we totally, indefensibly indulge in gellatto that is not the overly sugary stuff I have supped in the past. Rather, as Mayor Paolo D’Erasmo holds court with us, engaging our broken Italian, with his insight on the city’s history and gastronomic landscape, he tells us of the Orange Flag that holds high regards amongst the townspeople. You see, the orange flag hanging in the town square tells the country, the world, that the land is well preserved, the city is clean and kempt, the agriculture in penultimate. This is going to be an amazing adventure, indeed.

2010-07-03T14:36:00.004+02:00

Chef B writes: Hard to believe that one week from today, we will be "wheels down" at the Rome Airport. Our adventure started some two years ago with a happenstance meeting. And, now, we are heading over the North Atlantic for a 13-day journey that will surely create memories that will last forever.

The last-minute preparations include currency conversion (nightmare!), packing lists and trying to get on a sleep schedule that is, at least, close to the time difference in Ripatransone. Some of the more exciting pieces in preparing for the trip include selecting the appropriate traveling soundtrack, surely to include the Dave Matthews Band, and some trattoria music for mood, as well as some great reading material. Looks like Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw will be making the trip to provide fodder for the flight. Of course the requisite clothing, note-taking instruments and technology tools are all part of the packing list. We hope to liven up this online journal with some video in addition to still shots of the cooking classes, landscape, markets and towns we encounter. Trying to get the bugs out of the Sony Bloggie Video Camera is another challenge.

So, a week to go. It will be a slow week, accentuated with a flurry of activity as departure becomes eminent. Soon, boys and girls, soon!

How it all began

2010-05-30T16:20:00.002+02:00

In November, 2009, Paolo D'Erasmo, Mayor of Ripatransone and Chef Sandro Capecci, along with delegates from the region, spent time with the Culinary Arts students to create a menu and authentic fare for a reception at the Italian-American Cultural Center in Wilmington. The year prior, Chef Capecci worked with the students to produce food for some 2200 attendees at the Vendemia di Vinci Celebration on Wilmington's Waterfront. With a relationship established, including a trade partnership with the City of Wilmington, students were invited to travel to Italy to further explore the food of the country.

This page will be used to communicate the travels of the group throughout our stay in Italy.

A link to this blog can also be found on the Cooks and Bakers site, www.CooksAndBakers.com

The Cooks and Bakers Club at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington, Delaware is a crowd-drawing, volunteer cooking troupe that brings the kitchen experience to young children. All around northern Delaware, from the Ronald McDonald House to the Newark and New Castle Public Libraries to the confines of school itself, the Cooks and Bakers are introducing young participants to the unique science that is cooking.