Last week, I attended Florens 2012, the Florence Culture and Heritage Week in Florence, Italy. It was one of the most memorable conferences I have attended so far, and for several reasons. One, I got to meet the other 5 winners of Team Florens who had come from around the world, namely USA, UK, Australia […]

I was extremely excited when I heard about a “gelato for dinner” chefs event as part of Biennial Enogastronomica Fiorentina and Florence Culture and Heritage Week. If you have been following my blog regularly, you would know that I am the biggest lover of gelato in the world!

It is no secret that Florence is one of the best cities in Italy to eat. You can find fresh and local Tuscan fare at practically any restaurant or cafe you walk into. But the Biennial Enogastronomica Fiorentina is a food and wine event that is not to be missed.

Le’Maiala is the first barter restaurant in Florence. It is the only place where you can bring items such as vegetables, fruits, olive oil or wine from home and exchange it for dinner at a nice restaurant.

We tend to undermine the role of cultures in building stronger economies. But the fact is culture leads to tourism, tourism brings in jobs, and jobs build economies. Even the idea of foreign currencies and trading them through brokers like Libertex (look at the Libertex Gebühren here) have the ability to heighten and increase the […]

In my earlier post I shared a recipe for a heavy cream based panna cotta topped with mango coulis. Now, I will show you how to make a healthier version of this delicious dessert. It is great for people on diets and those looking to avoid sugar. It is actually a diabetic friendly recipe too. […]

This Easter I decided to experiment with a couple of panna cotta recipes. If you are not familiar with panna cotta, it is a light Italian pudding commonly found at Italian restaurants. The basic panna cotta is made with milk or cream, sugar, gelatin and vanilla. Fruit toppings are then added to enhance the flavor […]

Over the past few years, I have stayed away from lasagna, even though I love it. Reason being I was trying to heat healthy when given the option, and avoiding red meats. But when my friend, Sami brought over a large pan of her homemade organic lamb lasagna, I gave it a try and was […]

Instead of going out with friends for dinner, this Saturday night, I decided to host a pizza party at home. It wasn’t your typical order delivery and drink beer, rather a more mature and sophisticated pizza party for refined adults. I bought fresh ingredients including pizza dough and toppings to make two different kinds of […]

Making Gelato at home takes time and commitment. It is not difficult, but needs some advance planning. Here is a basic recipe to make your own Dulce De Leche Gelato. The first step is to make a base. This can be plain (which will be used in most flavors) or chocolate. 1. Combine 2 cups […]

          I have been making my own Gelato from scratch since last summer. It is a two-day labor-intensive but very rewarding process.  I have a new appreciation for it now that I am making my own. First thing I learned was Gelato is relatively healthier than ice-cream. Whereas ice-cream is made with 100% cream, Gelato […]

On March 20, my neighbor Daniel Sklar wrote: Sucheta served a lovingly prepared three-course meal for four.  She began the evening with an aperitif of red wine.  Her husband, Dipak, served as sommelier.  She expertly had on hand a nicely chilled non-alcoholic cold duck (a type of sparkling wine made from burgundy and champagne) for […]