Fabio Viviani Talks Practical Cooking, Entertaining
By Micah Cheek
Halfway through my interview with Fabio Viviani, I had to interrupt the restaurateur, entrepreneur and Top Chef winner to catch up with the quote I was typing. He jumped at the chance to interrupt me back. “You can make it so much easier on yourself if you record everything, get a voice recognition program,” he said. “Get in the 21st century!” Viviani had just reiterated an attitude that has followed him through his restaurants, kitchenware collections and media outlets – keep it simple.
Viviani’s outlook is worth listening to, especially because of the media presence he commands. The “Fan Favorite” status he earned on his initial “Top Chef” appearance put the spotlight on the chef’s undeniable charisma, which he has leveraged into a variety of appearance and endorsements along with his restaurant interests. This media savvy has been placing him on everything from local newscasts to “The Rachael Ray Show,” and the videos just keep coming. Aside from the celebrity factor, the appeal is clear. Viviani is feeding the desires of consumers who want to cook more, cook healthier and do it all with a gentle learning curve.
Viviani’s history, growing up watching his grandmother cook and making his way up through the restaurants of Florence, made me expect to speak with a stickler for tradition. I was surprised to hear that three of his home kitchen essentials are appliances: a food processor, immersion blender and high speed blender, in addition to wooden spoons and a few good knives. And how good should those knives be? “A $30 knife is as good as a $300 one, as long as it’s kept sharp. A $1,000 dollar dull knife is not gonna work,” says Viviani. The chef’s standard fresh pasta recipe, a mainstay of his kitchen demonstrations and TV appearances, avoids the classic volcano of eggs in flour in favor of a minute or two in a food processor. When tradition comes up against practicality, practicality wins every time.
This jelly starts working in fifteen minutes while the pills start working in an hour. cialis no prescription uk A person requires stimulating and finding himself energetic by feeding a good amount of arousal tactics and if it fails the issue will require medical assistance. deeprootsmag.org levitra samples The magic of Kamagra on sexual health- Everyone, while suffering from a disease like diabetes. on line cialis I on line levitra have girls coming to me fearing pregnancy (and some really are pregnant). Viviani was raised with a bent toward this efficiency. “I grew up on food stamps. My grandmother was paralyzed from the waist down, and she was always cooking,” says Viviani. “I was witnessing her making a meal out of nothing.” Viviani’s family didn’t have the luxury of stringent preparation rules or of waste. This has informed the way Viviani’s recipes are crafted and executed. Viviani seems excited to encourage consumers to simplify cooking with fresh ingredients. The only time I heard him taking a serious tone was when we starting broaching the subject of home cooking. Viviani said he was expecting home cooking to continue to rise in prominence, and then things began to take a turn. “Eventually people will have to get back in the kitchen or else they’ll go to the cemetery,” said Viviani. “[If] people are lazy, then they get fat, and then they get sick and die.” Viviani has the same passionate outlook on food waste, recalling the times that his family could not even afford to throw away potato peelings. He says he often deals with people who think he can only advocate these changes because he has the expertise to cook in a healthy way. “People say, ‘For you, it’s easy,’” he said. But Viviani grew up watching someone with no formal training feeding a family in this way. “My grandmother was cooking for six people every day, and we didn’t even have food.”
I mention home entertaining, and just like that, Viviani’s usual cheer is back. “I think the best concept for home entertaining is tapas,” says Viviani. “As long as it’s not complicated and it’s easy to consume, everything is good.” Tapas are a good standby, because the format can be as formal as you like, and guests can easily get involved in the kitchen with simple room-temperature snacks. “Food is meant to bring people together. When you have a lot of people and everyone does their share, it’s fun.” Viviani recommends serving for parties on small wooden plates, because the style can be adopted for both formal and casual scenarios. The chef has lent his name to the Fabio Viviani Heritage Collection, a set of acacia wood tableware that fits the bill nicely.
When discussing wine pairings, Viviani said the words that every novice oenophile was hoping to hear. “Everything about wine is an opinion, and I don’t follow opinion much,” said Viviani. “When you think about food and wine, you can think too much.” For Viviani, a few general guidelines can point a consumer in the right direction more than worrying about tannin levels or jammy undertones. “You don’t want to drink a dry white wine with something spicy, or your face will be on fire,” says Viviani. “You want to drink a pinot noir with a lighter meat, while you can save a bolder wine for something heavier.” Viviani’s line of wines, first released last year, promotes this attitude. “The most important rule for us is to keep the wine easy for people to understand,” he says.
If Viviani’s continuously rising star is any indication, consumers are starting to heed the no-nonsense advice. Meanwhile, I’m headed back to the kitchen to sharpen my $30 knives.
Farm Credit, NASDA Celebrate Shared 100th Anniversary
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and Farm Credit joined together to celebrate 100 years of service to agriculture during a congressional reception in the United States Capitol on February 2. The reception was widely attended by Farm Credit leaders, commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture, Members of Congress, leadership from federal agencies, and agriculture industry stakeholders.
“NASDA and Farm Credit each have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to agriculture and rural America for 100 years,” said Greg Ibach, NASDA President and Nebraska Director of Agriculture. “State departments of agriculture collectively play a key role in advocating national policy and promotional activities that make sense for farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, and rural communities,” Ibach said. “Farm Credit provides access to vital financial resources for the agriculture sector and important educational opportunities for the next generation of producers. Together, our organizations have led, and will continue to lead, the way in supporting the evolving needs of all of agriculture, today and tomorrow.”
The Congressional Reception was the culmination of a full week of centennial activities for the members of both NASDA and Farm Credit, which were both founded in 1916. This week NASDA hosted 250 state and federal agriculture officials for its Winter Policy Conference, while the Farm Credit Council hosted its Annual Meeting, welcoming 800 directors and staff to the nation’s capital. Prior to the joint centennial celebration on Capitol Hill Tuesday evening, NASDA leaders and members focused on important public policy issues ranging from how to create more opportunities for beginning farmers to international trade, and domestic natural resource challenges.
“NASDA and Farm Credit have been working side by side to support rural communities and agriculture for 100 years,” said Todd Van Hoose, President and CEO of the Farm Credit Council. “Farm Credit is proud to partner with NASDA and its members to support programs that ensure rural America is healthy and thriving today, and for the next 100 years.”
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One such program is the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Homegrown By Heroes program, a consumer product labeling initiative for farmer veterans that Farm Credit has supported since its national rollout in 2014.
In addition to this week’s centennial activities, both Farm Credit and NASDA have centennial programs planned throughout the year, both in D.C. and in communities across the country. Farm Credit will celebrate Farm Credit Week in June, while the Nebraska Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach, the 2015 – 2016 President of NASDA, will host NASDA’s Annual Meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, in September.
NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories.
OCA Joins New Organic & Natural Health Trade Association
The Organic Consumers Association is joining forces with the Organic & Natural Health Association, a new trade group committed to bringing together “a broad coalition to work towards preserving and advancing the health and well-being of people, animals and plants, and the planet as a whole.”
“The Organic & Natural Health Association fills a void in today’s market for a trade group that is dedicated to serving the needs of suppliers, retailers and consumers who seek truthful, unbiased and credible information, based on the latest health- and nutrition-based science and research, about organic and natural products,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s International Director. “America’s 100 million organic consumers and 100 million natural health consumers, working together, can be a mighty force for positive change, moving society toward a future which is organic and regenerative, while fighting off the increasing attacks against organic foods and natural health from Big Ag, Big Pharma, and their indentured scientists, propagandists, and political officials.”
The Organic & Natural Health recently held its first annual conference, where Karen Howard, CEO and Executive Director, announced that group’s board has decided against advocating for development of a certification or seal for the word “natural” on product labels, in favor of instead strengthening the current definition of “organic.” The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently extended the public comment period on whether or not the agency should define “natural.”
Howard said, “Our research clearly shows that the majority of consumers do not differentiate between ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ and expect products labeled natural to also be organic. So, after careful consideration, we determined that introducing a new ‘natural’ certification seal would not be in the best interest of consumers and could contribute to further confusion. At this juncture, encouraging people to go organic is more important, so we will focus on the existing organic certification seal and do whatever we can to strengthen that program.”
According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, a majority of consumers falsely assume that products labeled “natural” are produced without the use of pesticides, and are free of genetically engineered and artificial ingredients.
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In addition to educating consumers about the false assumptions around the “natural” label, the Organic & Natural Health will collaborate with IFOAM International, OCA and other organizations to promote Organic 3.0, a more inclusive definition of organic, which takes into account the role agriculture plays in the global issues of hunger, inequity, energy consumption, pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity and depletion of natural resources.
“We can no longer talk about food out of context,” Cummins said. “Food and agriculture are inextricably linked to a host of environmental and social issues, all of which are intertwined. The OCA fully supports Organic & Natural Health’s commitment to raising the bar for organics, and to holding all of those involved in the food supply chain accountable for the role they play in society as a whole. Our interaction with consumers leads us to believe that they understand these issues, support higher standards, and will support those brands that adhere to Organic 3.0 standards and Organic & Natural Health’s values.”
