Maybe you can't take Amtrak to Italy but I felt transported to bella Italia last weekend when I arrived at the Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival. Yes, the title of the event is a mouthful but that is nothing compared to the bounty of exquisite Italian wines and food that I sampled devoured all weekend. And, the Ferraris, wow! I don't drive but being surrounded by all of those gorgeous cars I couldn't help but picture myself zipping around the Amalfi Coast - or better yet, being chauffeured by a gorgeous Italiano!
Hosted indoors and outdoors on the beautiful campus of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and presented by the Italian Trade Commission and in partnership with the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Festival was an elegant, entertaining, and eclectic 3 day celebration of Italy and Saratoga. This was my first trip to Saratoga and beyond its worldwide reputation for thoroughbred horse racing, I knew very little about this picturesque town north of New York City. Well, the horses may stop racing in September but Saratoga is still buzzing and the Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival is the perfect time to visit. Not only are hotels more affordable when the racing season has ended (I stayed at the Hilton in City Center) but the Festival allows visitors who love the foods and wines of Italy the rare opportunity to experience authentic Italian flavors in a quintessentially American city - it is an unlikely yet magical pairing. The Festival is an annual event, so I encourage you to follow the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to get updates on next year's extravaganza - it is the perfect romantic weekend or girlfriend getaway. Not convinced? I think the following pictures will persuade you!
The perfect risotto. So few ingredients, such big flavor.
One of the many highlights of the weekend was watching Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson (owner of the very hot Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem, winner of Top Chef Masters, Season Two) teach kids how to prepare a healthy pasta meal. The surprise ingredient in his meatballs? A dash of honey! Who knew? Chef Samuelsson was also honored at the opening night gala and presented with a donation to support his ongoing efforts to alleviate famine in the Horn of Africa.
I couldn't resist taking a photo with Chef Samuelsson. Of course, I had to tell him that I've eaten at Red Rooster three times.
This is the fantastic pizza that we all enjoyed after Chef Samuelsson's talk. The vibrant colors prove his point that you can't go wrong when you eat minimally processed food that is in season - the very essence of Italian cooking.
I learned plenty of new things at the Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival. First of all, I learned about sommelier Joe Campanale. Joe is the owner and beverage director of dell'anima, L'Artusi, and Anfora restaurants in New York City. Did I mention he is only 27 years old? The Festival included an amazing opportunity to taste Anfora wines with Joe. Anfora wines, you ask?
Joe taught us that Anfora wines are made using the ancient technique of fermenting the grapes in large terracotta vessels (amphorae). Do you see how orange that first glass of wine is? White Anfora wines are actually called orange wines because the skins of the grapes are not discarded and impart varying hues of orange to the wine. Unlike wooden barrels, the wine does not absorb the flavor of the anfora so the flavor of the wine comes through 100%. Joe said most people love or hate Anfora wines, there is no middle ground. The taste is definitely distinct. I suggest giving them a try. Interesting fact: white Anfora wines should be served at the same cellar temperature as the red, around 55 degrees.
The word authentic is completely overused but what could be more appealingly primitive than a succulent hunk of meat roasting over an open fire? We spent hours waiting for this Porchetta (boneless whole pig) to roast. It was sheer torture. Finally, when the moon appeared in the sky, the crowd gathered around to nibble on the perfectly juicy meat and the crispy skin. It was so worth the wait. And what did we do to pass the time?
We oohed and aahed over the beautiful Ferraris.
Legendary wine educator Kevin Zraly kept us very entertained, and I'm not just saying that because we sampled 8 glasses of wine (Well, I think it was 8. Surely, you understand if my memory is a tad foggy.) Zraly's Windows on the World Wine School has graduated almost 20,000 students and was named the Best Wine School in NYC by New York Magazine. Presented with the prestigious James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Zraly is not only a wine expert but one of the most engaging speakers on the planet. His one hour survey of Italian wine was so informative and laugh out loud funny. If you see me in an Italian restaurant, randomly throwing my arms in the air and shouting "Sangiovese!" (a red Italian wine), blame Kevin -he told us to do that!
Meet Marco. He was at the opening night gala and I noticed many ladies making their way towards his Birra Moretti table. Hmmmmmm.
You know it is a great food event when celebrity chefs attend. I was so excited to run into my buddy, the incredibly talented Chef Suvir Saran, at the opening night gala which was held on the stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center - yes, ON the stage. Suvir is the Executive Chef at Devi, the only U.S. Indian restaurant to earn a Michelin star.
The Saratoga Food & Wine Fall Ferrari Festival ended with a jazz brunch at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Inside our tent were tables laden with Italian meats, cheeses, wines and pastries. Delizioso! It was the perfect finale to my dolce vita weekend!

A warm thank you to the Italian Trade Commission and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for their hospitality! Grazie!