Of Food and Language and Culture and Preservation

I’ve been quiet this week, gang, and I’ve got to tell you the reason. Before I do so, let me first warn you that this post is going to be a little bit long and mildly self-indulgent. I’m not going to talk about my products or try to sell you anything. Instead, let’s talk about food and culture.

I think you can learn a lot about a culture through their food. Something that I always notice is that food and eating and mealtime is a social event, no matter where you go or where you came from.

If you go to Prague and swing by a pub for some Schnitzel and a Pilsner, you’ll see lots of conversation & lots of laughter. To look around at these folks, you’d never think of the past they came from. If you were familiar with their history, you would look around at these folks and know how resilient they are. People can come in and shake things up and beer will still be called Pivo. And they will serve you.

If you go to Italy you’ll see people eating at long tables filled with food. There will also be smiles and laughter. Everyone sitting at that table, related or not, will be family. If you sit and eat and we share a meal, we’re family. Family is what you learn about the culture. It’s everything. Calamari is Calamari. And they will serve you.

If you go to France, you’ll see restaurants with Michelin Star ratings. Michelin Stars are awarded to the best of the best in the culinary field. Something to take away from this culture is the appreciation of art. Of all kinds. Food is an art like any other. You’ll go to a 3 Michelin Star restaurant and ask for Escargot. And they will serve you.

I grew up in Montreal. Montreal is a (the best) Canadian city in the province of Quebec. I am so lucky to call Montreal my hometown. I had the best of all worlds growing up. Quebec is a French speaking province.. so I had the luxury of the French culture, an Italian family, and I married a Czech. Although I’m Italian I’ve never felt that, by living in a French city or having Indian, Hungarian, Greek, Jewish, English (I could go on forever) friends, my culture was in any way threatened. No. I’ve always felt that having the good fortune to be brought up in such a metropolitan city was an absolute privilege. Nothing less than an absolute privilege. You can go to Montreal and you’ll see food from all over the world. Really. Montreal is a major foodie city. We’re not big ‘chain restaurant’ people. Montrealers love the diversity. We’ll eat anywhere. We love trying new things. We love the ethnicity. We love the authenticity. I love going to an Italian restaurant and hearing Italian spoken in the kitchen. In a French speaking province which is part of a mostly English speaking country, language has always been an issue. There are some (certainly not all) who are terrified that their culture will somehow be lost if we don’t make everything the same. It’s a little crazy. Yes. And, so is asking an Italian restaurant to call Pasta by any other name on their menu.

xo

L

Easter Traditions

The good times have rolled! Yesterday was Mardi Gras, gang. Mardi Gras is your last chance to party before the beginning of Lent. If you didn't get it all out of your system yesterday, the next 40 days and nights are going to be rough going for you, my friend. The good news is that at the end of your 40 days of giving up swearing, soft drinks, chocolate, wine, your sanity, the luxury of your choice, is Easter. 
We do Easter big in Italian families. It's right up there with Christmas for us. The whole family gets together and we eat - this never happens otherwise (lies.it happens every sunday).
Traditionally a roast lamb is served... except in my family, where we had pasta. We always had pasta. Why get complicated when we all wanted the pasta anyway. For Easter, though, we'd probably have Al Forno (in the oven w/ mozzarella oozing all over the place) which would make my cousin Marco especially excited - he's difficult. My grandmother used to put lamb in her sauce, though... so we've got that base covered.
For dessert we'd probably also get some pastries from the bakery around the corner from my grandmother's house. Most likely there'd be Cannoli, Lobster Tails and Sfogliatele. Cannoli are tubes of pastry filled with either sweetened ricotta and mini chocolate chips, or custard. The Lobster Tails are long horns of super duper flaky pastry filled with Italian Pastry Cream (my dad's favorite), and the Sfogliatele are like a smaller version of a lobster tail but instead of the pastry cream, they're filled with sweetened ricotta.
We'd always have Anginetti, which are also known as 'Italian Lemon Drop' cookies. They're light and a bit sweet, and a bit tart at the same time. Let me tell you this... my love for Anginetti didn't really come to fruition until much later in life. I'm a custard kind of girl. Custard and brownies are my weakness - FYI . Just in case we're ever on a gameshow and you need to know what my two weaknesses are.
 Now that I'm doing the baking, I've rediscovered Anginetti. I want my son to be raised with the same traditions (=food) I was raised with. These cookies were always around. Poor little things. As a kid I took them for granted. Now that I'm 26 (lies.) and have a family of my own, I've started making them. They're lemon. If you love lemon, and even if you hate lemon, you will love these airy, pillows of sunshine. I really can't get enough of them.
xo
L

Wedding Favors

Bomboniere, or favors, are gifts given to guests as a 'thank you' for being part of your special day. Traditionally they are accompanied by Confetti (Jodan Almonds). I spent five minutes days googling researching the  history behind Confetti... they are supposed to symbolize the 'bitterness' (almonds) of life... and the 'sweetness'(candy) of love. They're usually bundled in groups of 5 representing Happiness, Health, Longevity, Wealth & Fertility.  Who knew? I think Wiki just made that up. No one ever eats those things - except for my sister. It's good to always have at least one person in the family to dump your Confetti on. I kid. I'm only hating because they take forever to make and I can't do it. No one can ever make them as pretty as the store bought ones anyway, so save yourself the headache.
Times, they are a changin' in the wedding favor department. For one, not everyone does favors anymore. A nice change is that instead of letting your guests leave with a dust collector and some candied almonds, couples have started making donations to their favorite charities on behalf of their guests. I have nothing bad to say about this. I think it's a socially responsible thing to do and really really thoughtful on the bride & groom's part. I would rather leave a wedding with a note letting me know that a donation to a charity has been made on my behalf than get another ceramic figurine to stick in my credenza.
If you're not a crazy hippie making donations (I KID!) another wedding favor tip is to give your guests something useful. The best bomboniere I ever got? A pie server, an ice cream scoop and a napkin holder. Seriously. I use these things all the time.
These days budget is always a concern. Weddings are expensive. After paying for the venue, caterer, dj, photographer, dress, tux, officiant, yadda yadda, yadda yadda... the last thing you need is to start uninviting your dad's co-worker's sister (why is she invited again? where's that seating chart??? MOM!!!).
A great option is giving away food as a wedding favor. Everybody loves to eat! It shows your guests that you appreciate that they took a shower, put on the shoes that hurt their feet, and wore a tie to be at your wedding and it won't break the bank. I do a lot of wedding favors. I've done everything from caramel & chocolate covered pretzel rods to boxes of mini cannoli. Prices start as low as $1 per favor and can be customized to fit your theme & colors.  Here are just a few examples..
xo
L

 

These were for a Sweet 16

 

 

 

 

These can be customized with labels matching your wedding theme

 

 

It's Almost Wedding Season & We're Talking About Trends

While I am happy to provide my clients with some holiday/birthday party/Thursday evening/just because it's raining/or sunny snackery, a very large part of my business comes from the wedding industry.

Wedding cakes, cupcake towers, dessert tables, wedding favors. If you need something sweet for your big day, I'm your girl. Spring is always a busy time of year for weddings. The weather is usually gorgeous and things are fresh and in bloom and new beginnings are happening all over the place.

Trends are big in bridal. They come and go, and because of that a lot of couples are hesitant to step out of the box. The "what was I thinking" concern is a valid one. Meh... I say go for it anyway! Trust... take it from the girl who had a traditional Italian wedding reception in a hall. There was nothing out of the box about my wedding. Don't get me wrong. Loved my wedding. Had a great time. I'm even still married to the guy I invited to it ;)  

My point is that I see a lot of couples during our consultations, who spend more time discussing what everyone else would like to see happen at their wedding. I know planning can get overwhelming, but my advice is to remember that this day is primarily about you. It's your party & you should sit on hay bales and have a masquerade carnival Vegas night if you want to! The worst that can happen when you look back at those photos wondering 'what was I thinking' is remembering that you were thinking 'Right after these photos of me and the bridesmaids 'pretend laughing' are done I'm about to bust moves like a rockstar and get my Stanky Leg on!'

xo

L

Here are some examples of trends done well. (...if I do say so myself ;)

'Country Chic' - Simply elegant, really romantic

'Celestial' - Stars in the night sky. Not all cakes have to be white

'Speakeasy' - 1920's Flapper inspired cake

'Modern' - Clean lines, contemporary, geometric

It's Nutella Day!

It IS! It's a real thing! For true this time!! http://www.nutelladay.com/ see?!
There aren't many things that are as much a part of being a kid in an Italian household, as Nutella. Do you hear me? NUTELLA. not "choco/hazelnut spread". We go name brand when it comes to Nutella. No exceptions. When most kids had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in school (way back when you were allowed to send your kid to school with *gasp* peanut butter).. I had Nutella. It's like the Italian ketchup. We put it on/in/next to everything. Nutella in cookies.. Nutella on toast.. Nutella gelato.. Nutella croissant. Things are better with Nutella. True Story. If there was any question about my love for Nutella, check out my website or my facebook page. I've got Nutella in all kinds of stuff.
.......speaking of Valentine's day ...... here are a couple examples of Nutella divinity that we would all love to see wrapped in a big red bow on the 14th ;)
xo
L

My Favorite Things.

so we're on to day 2 of blogapalooza. I thought I might write about some of my favorite things tonight. I think that if I tell you a bit about the stuff I love, you might get a better flavor for me as a person (does that even make sense? probably not. where's that wine?)..
I don't know if I even really believe in favorites. I've never been a 'favorite' or a 'best' kinda girl. I never understood the concept of a 'best friend',for example.. I never really had a 'best friend'. I love all my friends. My motto has always been, you want to be my friend? fab. you don't? it's a million minus one, sweetheart. Move on. I don't lose sleep. Same thing with food. Do I have a favorite food? Not really. I love all food - ok.. organ meat, notsomuch. Unless you're talking about the chopped liver from Snowdon Deli... in which case, I'll make an exception (don't be grossed out.. slap that puppy on some dark rye and top with some caramelized onions and it'll change your life. really.).
I remember that as a kid growing up, whenever it was our birthday, my sisters and I (I have two - who are both older than me(lies.)) got to choose anything in the world we wanted for supper. My choice was always cold cuts. really.of anything in the world... I could have had chinese takeout, even! (chinese takeout was the fancy take out.. way more fancy than ordering pizza). I wanted fresh sliced cold cuts. I'm not a complicated girl.
Favorite pasta? Linguine... or spaghetti... I'm a twirler. Love the twirl. That being said... I'm pretty sure angels cry whenever people cut their spaghetti. If you're not going to twirl it, please order something else.
Favorite wine? (wait - I drink wine???)  Wet.
Favorite Holiday? Christmas. I'm obnoxious about Christmas. It is my absolute most favorite time of year and there is nothing in the world that makes me happier than having an entire house full of people. This past Christmas my husband's whole family came down from 'The North' to visit. There were 12 people in my house and I loved every single second of it. loved.it. .... my husband, meanwhile, may have broken out in to hives.. not entirely sure. I wasn't paying attention.
My parent's house was always the party house. Most Holiday's were at our place. My mom got that from my grandmother. My maternal grandmother was a party animal. Nonna Kitty (Katerina) could rock it like nobody's business. Her favorite song was 'Just a Gigalo'. I can't even tell you how many times that woman would be the only one on the dance floor busting moves to that song. So, I guess being the hostess with the mostest is in my genes.
 I can tell you that starting up linacucina is directly related to this. Hosting people and feeding them and having a part in making memories for them. That, is definitely my favorite.
xo
L

Here we go!

Ok, bb's! Here it is! I'm finally starting a blog. There have been many of you who have been nagging asking me to start a blog forev. So here we go. We're doing this!
Let's start at the beginning... picture it - Montreal. January. 1987(lies.). A sweet baby girl is born in to an Italian family. Italian from every angle.... my mom's side is Sicilian (don't mess.) and dad's side is from Petrella Tifernina, a village in the Province of Campobasso which is south of Rome. Mom was born in Montreal, but her parents weren't.. Dad was born in The Old Country and came over on the boat plane when he was little.
All my life, food has been in the picture. We're eaters, us Eye-Talians.... and drinkers. but we'll get in to that later.
Food = Love = Celebration = Family. Don't get confused. If you're celebrating anything with us, you're family. You don't need to be born in to the crazy to be considered family. Crazy is a good thing, though. Crazy is passion... and I'm not talking about passion as in "I stopped using aerosol hairspray because the environment is my passion" (yawn.).. Passion as in,  I can have an hour long conversation about which is the more 'king' of cheeses - Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano(obv, the King).
Food is always a topic of conversation. It gives me the warm fuzzies. I think that if food, or rather, the appreciation of great food, wasn't a part of my upbringing, I would be a sad sad girl. I truly can't even imagine it.
There's no secret sauce or fancy technique needed. The best food in the world is peasant food, in my opinion (it's my blog.. all of this is my opinion - so that's the last time you'll hear read me saying IMHO). Get yourself the absolute best ingredients and there's no way you can go wrong. Tomatoes, cucumbers and basil from my garden... the deepest green olive oil you can find, and some red wine vinegar can make my eyes roll in to the back of my head.
I tip my hat to the guys who went to culinary school and who can put together amazing dishes that look like they should be in a museum. Truthfully. That takes incredible talent, tremendous patience, an impeccable palate and discipline beyond my imagination. I will go to your restaurant and I will be humbled and in awe of your creativity. Seriously. I really really respect those guys & I think that the majority of their diners take for granted everything that goes in to their work (don't just toss aside the garnish folks.. it's usually there for a reason). That's not me, though. I never went to culinary school. I have never taken a cooking/baking/cake decorating class in my life. Really. Not even a class at my local craft supply store. The closest thing I've ever come to formal instruction is a frantic email about black piping to my sister's friend who actually did go to school and actually does own a successful bakery (xox Myriam). Everything I've done and do is self taught - with the help of my late aunt and grandmothers who I channel regularly while I'm cooking (don't look at me that way!).
I'm just a girl who comes from a big fat Italian family who loves to feed people. If you have been one of my customers, you have become part of my family. I remember every single one of you, what your event was, and what I made for you, and I have been as excited about your wedding / shower / baby / birthday / graduation / football party / store opening / charity event as you have been. I really have.
So there it is. My very first blog post. This is me. Lynn, from linacucina. Please be patient with the design of this page... I only started it a minute ago & it's going to change a bunch before I'm finally happy with it. I should also warn you that I'm a serial run-on sentence-er/fake word-er/over user of quotations-er/commas where they don't make sense-er...and I also drink wine. A lot. And probably usually right before I write a blog post. I'm telling you right now, I'm a little rough around the edges most times. Please don't be upset at me for it. I can't help it. I'm Italian & I can't use my hands to express my point in a blog. ;)
xo L