Summer 2010 issue of Il Messaggio the quarterly newsletter of the Vermont Italian Cultural Association
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Jesse LoVasco is a poet and artist with a BA from Vermont College who is inspired by na-ture. She has written a poetry journal called VOICES in discovery of
her Sicilian heritage.
Lisa Mase is a translator, writer, business cultivator and homesteader and VICA member whose autobiography is featured on the last page of this
issue.
VICA Artist Displays at Shelburne Museum
VICA member Toni-Lee Sangastiano, who spent the last two summers studying painting at the Angel
Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, combined her talent with American circus lore by painting 13 side-
show banners in a 17x40 foot display for the Shelburne Museum’s “Circus Day In America” exhibition.
Her work can be seen all summer at the entrance to
the Shelburne Museum’s Circus Building, which
contains the miniature circus parade and carou-
sel animal collection. In two of the banners, Toni-
Lee tells us there is a connection to the famous
artist Botticelli. In the first, “Zephyr” is de-
picted in a “Bisazza- inspired” mosaic blowing
bubbles instead of wind away from his face in
“Husky Harry”. The “Hunger Artist,” which
lo o s e ly r e fe r e nce s Kafka’s short story, is
visually inspired by the standard of beauty in the “Birth of Venus” and the transitory nature of that stan-
dard through the ages. Sangastiano will continue studying old master techniques as related to still life at
the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy this summer. To see more of Sangastiano’s work, visit
a major snowstorm, a quartet of VICA members, Carol and David Usher and Adrienne and Tom Donohue, ar-
rived at L’Amante Restaurant on College Street in Bur-
lington to partake of the featured dinner billed as “comfort food of Piedmont”, or Piemonte, as the natives
say. And what a comfort it was!
Each winter, L'Amante offers tasting menus of
the cuisine of various regions of Italy, the most recent
being the Piemontese menu. It was a treat worth waiting
for. The first course was the chef’s riff on a traditional peasant dish--polenta con taleggio. As an antipasto, it
was an unusual choice, since polenta was traditionally a
peasant staple, but here it was a tour de force. The creamy polenta was baked in a thin, crisp tart shell and
drizzled with a fonduta of taleggio and truffle oil. Taleg-
gio is a cheese that, when ripe, is runny and slightly
pungent. It is the perfect accent for the mild polenta. The chef’s interpretation of the humble corn meal dish be-
came a light, elegant delight for the taste buds--regal
enough to be served at the Palazzo Madama in Torino.
The second course, or the primo as the Italians
say was tajarin (In Italian, one would say tagliatelle) with mushrooms. These were the tenderest of egg noo-
dles in cream combined with sautéed mushrooms. They
conjured up for me a memory of long ago, the image of my grandmother laying out the sheets of hand made
pasta on the large dining room table and cutting them
into narrow strips.
A tender roast filet of beef was served as our sec-ondo or entrée. Well caramelized and enhanced by a subtle
red wine reduction, the beef was accompanied by more
comfort--fluffy mashed potatoes--and the most delicate of
asparagus spears. Could spring be far behind?
The three courses were paired with three beloved
wines of the region: a crisp Gavi di Gavi, a Freisa, which is a light but quite substantial red, and the king of the Piemon-
tese reds, the Barolo. Between courses the conversation
touched on various topics: food, naturally, current events, and travel. Of course, there was also talk of VICA, of past
events that we enjoyed and those still to come.
The region of Piemonte (literally" the foot of the
mountains") is in the north of Italy abutting both France
and Switzerland from which it draws some of its influ-ences. The terrain encompasses mountains, valleys, hill-
sides, and fertile plains. For this piemontesina the dinner
evoked memories not only of my mother’s home cooking,
but it reminded me of family members who are still living in the lovely towns and cities of Piemonte where growing
and preparing food and cultivating the vines, then enjoying
their results with family and friends is still a strong tradi-
tion that brings pleasure to natives and visitors alike.
Good food, good wine, good company. This dinner
was the perfect antidote to the storm.
Comfort Food of Piemonte
I l M e s s a g g i o
V e r m o n t I t a l i a n
C u l t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o n
P . O . B o x 3 1 5 5
B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8
am passionate about sharing Italian recipes, stories, and language as a catalyst for others to explore and appreciate their own heritage. I have helped people to correspond with Italian consulates, create per-sonalized phrasebooks, and travel to find their living Italian relatives. I look forward to visiting my family this fall and helping my father har-vest olives and make fresh-pressed olive oil.
I enjoy creating in-spired meals with oth-ers, homesteading, writing, and spending time in nature. I spent my childhood both bik-ing the streets of Ferrara, a medieval city in the Po' river delta in Emilia-Romagna, and roaming the Dolomite moun-tains with my grand-mother to find choice edible mushrooms or pick wild blueberries. My Italian identity in-forms the way I live. I
WHO WE ARE :To better acquaint you with who we are on a personal level, this featured section of Il Messaggio is reserved
for either a short autobiographical “portrait” of a VICA member or of a place in Italy from which one of our member’s
families emigrated . The autobiography in this issue is of Lisa Mase. You can reach Lisa at 802.598-9206 or [email protected].
Ciao! Mi chiamo Lisa Masé, and I am a whole foods cooking teacher, poet, trans-lator and language tutor living in Mont-pelier, Vermont.
NOTE: Anytime you want to switch between an elec-tronic or a hard copy of Il Messaggio, please contact the editor. ([email protected] or 802-
863-2487)
Lisa Mase
Calendar of Events: Summer 2010
Upcoming VICA Events
Sun, Jun 13: VICA Annual Picnic at Oakledge Park, Burlington, 3pm-9pm
See Page 1 of this issue of Il Messaggio for details or...
(contact Barbara, 802-862-4200)
Sun. Jun 20: Opera/Dinner “Lucia di Lammermoor” 3pm Barre Opera House/Lucia’s Restaurant
(tix and reservations contact Adrienne 802-862-5153)
Thurs, Jun 24: Amici Luncheon at 11:30 Monty’s Old Brick Tavern, 7921 Williston Road, Williston, VT
(contact Ann 802-863-5155 or Barbara 802-863-6897)
On-going VICA Events
Italian Conversation Classes: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, St. Michael’s College,
St. Edmonds Hall, Room 101, 7-9 pm
(contact Franco, 802-899-3869)
Italian Movie Night: quarterly at Deborah Rawson Memorial Library in Jericho
(next showing to be announced)
(contact Franco, 802-899-3869)
Amici Luncheons: Monthly at various venues (see schedule above)
(contact Ann, 802-863-5155 or Barbara, 802-863-6897)
Community Italian Events
2010 VT Mozart Festival
A few of the 16 Festival events have included compositions by Italian composers( Rossini and Vivaldi) and music from the “Marriage of Figaro.” Check the Festival contents and venues at www.vtmozart.org or
call 802-862-7352.
Sun, Jun 13: Mille Ferrari’s: A Day of Italian Food, Wine and Cars -- Westport, CT
The event takes place during the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada race, which will be shown on two large-screen HDTVs. Location: Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Restaurant, 540 Riverside Avenue. Time: Noon-4 p.m. Information: www.rizzutos.com
Sat Jun 19: Looms Symposium, Fisk Farm, Isle Lamotte 9am-4pm, $20 fee. Hand-woven tapestry technique originally commissioned by Pope Leo in 1515 based on art by Raphael and resurrected by Elizabeth Fisk in the early 20th century. Information at www.fisklooms.org
Sat, Jun 26: Bocce Tournament: Sponsored by the Burlington Bocce and Petanque Club at Oakledge Park, Bur-lington. Participate or attend. (contact Zander Ponder 802-658-0242)
Mon, Aug 9: Top Chef Event: Pulcinella’s chef Sam Palmisano will defend his 2008 and 2009 title of Top Chef of the Champlain Valley against Leunig’s Collin and 156 Bistro’s DesChenes at UVM’s Davis Center. Tick-ets $35. Information 1-800-642-5119 or www.cvaa.org