Two Foodie Interludes

April is galloping along and will be over soon. This has been a time of intense garden work, which is why I haven’t written much. At the moment, besides the work outdoors, I have been transplanting like mad into individual pots. I have finished almost all the eggplants and peppers. I still have about half of the tomatoes to move. Fortunately, the new grow cart has plenty of room, so I can work more calmly. If the temperatures remain consistent, I may even be able to skip the step of moving the tomatoes to the greenhouse. I may get away with just bringing the plants indoors at night for a week or so. That would be great.

Katie with her book

If you know me or have been reading this blog, you will know that there is a deep connection between my love of gardening and my love of food. This month, I enjoyed two interesting events in the food department. Early in the month, I attended a book signing for “Food of the Italian South” by Katie Parla. Katie, a New Jersey native, has been living in Rome for about 15 years now. In that time, she has established herself as a tour guide, food and drink journalist, cookbook author and all around expert on the food scene in Rome particularly and Italy in general. I have followed her online for many years. I even had the chance to take a tour with her when I visited Rome with a Delbarton group in 2011. I am a big fan of Katie’s and recommend her website to anyone visiting Rome. Suffice it to say, she has the job I would have wanted for myself – had God not had other plans.

Katie chatting with guests

The book signing took place at the Bell Market in Holmdel. Unfortunately, it was on a Friday evening with a 5:30 start. This being New Jersey, the traffic was horrendous. A trip that should have taken just an hour ended up being an hour and forty minutes. Fortunately, I had given myself plenty of time. I found a place to park and went inside. The event was being held at Corbo and Sons, an artisanal pizza place. I checked in and made my way inside. There was a nice crowd, but certainly not large. I procured a glass of wine for myself and grabbed some antipasto. I saw Katie off to one side with a woman, whom I recognized from Katie’s blog as her mother. I was waiting for a discrete moment to get my books signed – I had both of Katie’s cookbooks with me, the current one and her earlier one on the food of Rome.  Eventually she was alone so I went up and introduced myself. We chatted for a bit, mostly about Rome. I then asked her to sign my books. She was a bit surprised when she saw the Rome book. I explained that I had been unable to attend a book signing for that one. She was very charming and graciously personalized the message in each one. A glance over my shoulder told me that a line was forming, so I thanked her and made way for the next fans.

Pizza oven at Corbo & Sons

By now, the pizza was beginning to come out of the impressive pizza oven. It was typical Roman style pizza – not something you see very often in the States. It not only looked authentic, but it also tasted like the real thing! I was trying very hard not to look too eager, but I wanted to taste all the varieties that were coming out of the oven. Unfortunately, so did all the other guests. While waiting my turn, I fell into conversation with a woman who turned out to be the owner’s wife. She gave me the whole history of his passion for pizza that had led him to this relatively new venture. She seemed delighted when I raved about the pizza and how much it tasted like true Roman pizza.

Proudly posing with Katie Parla

By this time, it was after 7:00, so I grabbed one more piece of pizza for the road. On my way out, I managed to get a picture with Katie. I returned home very happy with how the evening had gone. I was back at the Hobbit House in plenty of time for my regular Friday night appointment with “Midsommer Murders” on PBS.

To be continued . . .