Ah, il formaggio squisito…

If Julia Roberts can eat her way to enlightenment, I’ll match that experience easily.

This post is a tribute to Gian Carlo, the owner of the Italian grocery store (alimentari) around the corner from my house.

Gian Carlo is a angel. Originally from Padua, which is a about 450 km from where I live, he will make the trip once a week to buy fresh Italian groceries and bring them back, to provide the “Italian experience” to the forever grateful and appreciative  patrons of my hometown.

When I go there, I get a glass of prosecco and then Gian Carlo will present his culinary treasures. Ah, the joy of tasting….mellow cheese, aromatic sausages, fragrant prosciutto, gleaming olives, tardy sardines, fresh seafood, plump tomatoes, tender artichokes, succulent oranges, sweets, frutta, verdura, il vino e l’oglio, la pasta, gnocchi e il pane. Taste, chew, enjoy this explosion of taste and  after a while you’ll find yourself speaking Italian ( Gian Carlo speaks German, but not when he is talking about food).

Gian Carlo, this angel has taught me more about Italian cooking than any of my favorite cookbooks and whenever I leave the store, tipsy and happy, with a full heart and a bag of alimentari, I understand what love is. Gian Carlo loves Italian food so much, that he has made it his business to bring the best and freshest products from the Italian markets right to his little alimentari close to where I live, so we can enjoy with all senses and eat, with red cheeks, a happy smile and this sense of deep gratitude for tasting pure love.