Transcript with Show Notes Embedded:
Rhonda Vilardo: Every day is a new experience. And every day is an amazing lunch and an amazing dinner. So it’s a great vacation for people who don’t want to have to worry about making all the reservations and all the plans and booking their time. You just show up when we say and we offer a really, really lovely experience.
Kathy McCabe: This is Kathy McCabe. Welcome to the Dream of Italy podcast. You know me from the PBS travel series, Dream of Italy and the award-winning website and publication. Join me as we explore the sights and sounds of bella Italia, from the canals of Venice to the piazzas of Puglia, from the fashion houses of Milan– Ciao bella!… to the vineyards of Tuscany. Hop on, it’s going to be a great ride. Andiamo!
[00:52]Okay, so I am thrilled to be here today with Rhonda Vilardo. I’m usually not jealous of other people’s jobs, but she gets to go to one of my favorite places on earth, which is Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Rhonda is the grateful owner, I love that she says that, of Italian Culinary Adventures. They’re a small boutique tours of Emilia-Romagna, which is a place that’s close to my heart. I’m very grateful myself to Rhonda, she’s one of the Season 3 sponsors of our TV show. Two of the episodes are in Modena with our friends, Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore. Welcome to the podcast, Rhonda.
Rhonda: Thank you so much, Kathy.
Kathy: So let’s just dive right in to one of my favorite topics, which is Modena. How did you discover Modena and become enchanted with it as I am?
Rhonda: Well, I have a friend who is an Italian man who was raised in a village near Modena, and he married an American woman. That’s actually how I met him is through… Because he lives half the year in Seattle, half the year in Spilamberto, which he has a house there. So I kind of learned about and met Modena through this man.
Kathy: Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful. And what is it about Modena?
Rhonda: Oh my gosh. Isn’t it about Modena? It is a beautifully sized town, so it’s very navigable. It has amazing history. It’s very well located within Emilia-Romagna. Modena, home of the balsamic vinegar. You’re right there, Prosciutto di Parma, Prosciutto di Modena. You’re near Parma. It’s just a very well located city. It’s not like a poor little village, which also has its charm. And I did spend some time working in that area, in Italy and Tuscany, but this is a much more cosmopolitan city. It’s got a military academy and a train station that’s close and some lovely hotels. And it’s just maybe where I would buy if I was going to buy property in Italy. And I was going to ask you where you would live in Italy if-
Kathy: Gosh, girl, that’s the hard part. That’s why I don’t live there because I can’t decide.
Rhonda: I can imagine.
Kathy: But Modena enchanted me. And I think you went through the list, but there’s obviously the balsamic vinegar, which is one of the reasons Modena is so famous.
I’ve been going to Italy for like 30 years, but the first time I went to Modena was for the TV show and to interview Massimo and Lara. And as you know, that was supposed to be one episode that turned into two episodes that turned into returning to Modena several times. And it has crossed my mind, “Would this be a great place to live?” It’s a very civilized city. I know a number of people who are Italian who maybe lived in Milan and have small children and moved to Modena to raise them. It’s a sweet little place, but then you’re close. You can get to Milan in 90 minutes or so, or an hour, it depends how. Bologna is not far, even Tuscany is not far.
Rhonda: Even Florence isn’t that far, hour and a half.
Kathy: Yeah, no, you’re not so far from Tuscany. And it just seems like a very civilized place. It is not a place that’s full of tourists at all.
Rhonda: No.
Kathy: Certainly not American tourists. You might see some Italians visiting. And I know even when I’ve worked with VisitModena, who are fantastic, and I think you know Francesca, who’s in the show as well.
Rhonda: Yeah.
[04:42]Kathy: I love her. They definitely want to appeal to Americans and help support the show that I produce, but there are really still marketing to Italians who are discovering Modena. And there are a few better places. And this is hard to say. You would think it was tough to eat in Italy. Every place is spectacular. Tell me about some of the… It’s Italian Culinary Adventures. So your week is… Modena has the opera, there’s a lot more than just food, but what are some of the food experiences that you share with your guests?
Rhonda: Well, aside from doing a few, little cooking classes, we eat a… I mean, almost all our meals are in a pretty small geographic area. And we do eat at Massimo Bottura‘s Il Cavallino. We take a cooking class at Tortellante where the students teach our guests how to make tortellini. We eat at a restaurant called Amber, which it’s funny, Amber is, I’m not sure if you’ve eaten there, but if you haven’t-
Kathy: No, I’ve heard about it.
Rhonda: Oh, you got to get there. So I think Massimo gifted his nephew, Filippo, with one of his sous chefs who had been working for him for almost a decade, Cecilia. And she is amazing because she uses all the traditional Italian ingredients that are local to the area, but she puts a very new twist on them. So you eat things that are often vegan, you would have no idea. She’s just a spectacularly talented chef. And I can’t believe we’re lucky enough. We go there every week. They teach us how to make a couple of cocktails and they feed us dinner. And it is beyond. We also have dinner-
Kathy: Oh my God.
Rhonda: I know. You-
Kathy: I have to go. I really want to go in one of your weeks. I just- I run around, as you all know. I’m always busy and running around, but to really experience everything, and just not filming it, just living it would be fantastic.
Rhonda: You know what, Kathy? The other reason why you of all people should really do it is because it’s the kind of vacation that you book it and all you have to do is get there. And then, the whole entire week is planned out for you. So all you have to do is listen to when we say we’re meeting. Every day is new experience. And every day is an amazing lunch and an amazing dinner. And you have breakfast at the hotel if you dare. So, it’s a great vacation for people who don’t want to have to worry about making all the reservations and all the plans and booking their time. You just show up when we say. And we offer a really, really lovely experience. As evidence that people want to go on our Trip Advisor and look at those reviews because it’s a really lovely trip and we are very caretaking people over there. So we learn that from the Italians.
Kathy: I sometimes go to Italy just to be taken care of. And you think of-
Rhonda: Exactly.
Kathy: It’s a very healing place. It’s a very-
Rhonda: It is.
Kathy: … inspiring place. I think probably you’ve realized many people that go on your trip are inspired in some way afterwards.
Rhonda: Absolutely, yes.
Kathy: … to do something different. So coming back to our friends, Massimo and Laura, so first of all, Il Cavallino is incredible.
Rhonda: It is.
Kathy: That yellow at the Ferrari factory, and it was originally Enzo Ferrari. And I’m sure… I went to see Ferrari on Christmas Day. I had to see, the movie, because Massimo has a cameo. And then, of course, Modena is one of the starring characters.
Rhonda: It is. We were there while they were filming. So that was… Yeah, it was-
Kathy: And I know a lot of the stars. I know like Patrick Dempsey, stayed at Casa Maria Luigia, which is Massimo and Lara’s Country House, Hotel.
Rhonda: And the driver, did he stay there or he stayed off property?
Kathy: I don’t know. Maybe he did. He was phenomenal. But Il Cavallino, I love the decor to start with, it’s that Ferrari red. And you feel like you’re on a little vacation. It feels a little bit like Capri or Mediterranean, or something in the airiness of the space. And we interview, we meet Riccardo, the chef in the show in one of the episodes of Dream of Italy Season 3. And each of Massimo‘s chefs, like you were explaining, does their own take. It’s the most creative food you’ve ever had in your life.
Rhonda: Absolutely. It’s kind of our farewell lunch meal because they do a phenomenal tasting menu paired with wines. And of course, the sommelier comes out and talks about each wine and how it goes with each course. And they’re kind of genius in the way they prepare the food. It is probably one of the top three most memorable meals in our week together. Yeah.
[09:54]Kathy: And then, Tortellante, I cannot say enough about my friend Charlie. Charlie Bottura, I mean, I adore him, tells it like it is. And that’s Massimo and Laura’s son who’s on the autism spectrum. And they started this nonprofit to train the students. And then, have you been? Since I’ve been, they have the bodega now, the bodega.
Rhonda: Yeah.
Kathy: Have you been?
Rhonda: I’ve been, and it’s really, really lovely. Yeah. I like it a lot. I think it’s kind of Charlie’s baby, because every time I’ve been there, he’s behind the counter.
Kathy: I need to go see him.
Rhonda: Yeah.
Kathy: I need to go see him. We filmed. And you go. So basically, for people who don’t know, they’re learning a skill. Others on the autism spectrum or who has challenges are learning how to make tortellini. I love the intergenerational view of this, they’re learning it from older folks.
Rhonda: Kind of like the retired nonnas of the village are the ones that teach them this skill. I mean, it’s not really a forgotten skill, because especially there, they’re learning how to make it from the grandmothers of the village. And so, it gives purpose to the grandmas and purpose to the students. And one thing that’s so great about it that I’ve found in watching them do this is that it’s one of those repetitive things, and people on the spectrum love that. I mean, it’s very satisfying to do something where you’re doing it, you’ve perfected it. These kids, they don’t even look anymore-
Kathy: Exactly.
Rhonda: … they’re just making perfect tortellinis. They’re just engaging with you. They don’t have to watch what they’re doing because… And they’re making perfect-
Kathy: I know, but it’s not easy. I did it and Charlie was a little critical of what I made.
Rhonda: Well, he’s quiet the toughest of all of them.
Kathy: Well, look whose son he is. I mean, come on, high standards. But the fantastic thing is if you go to Modena, in any of the restaurants, and of course, Osteria Francescana is the most famous, they serve the perfect tortellini that’s made at Tortellante. And I especially like Franceschetta, where you can get the tortellini in this three-year-age Parmigiano Reggiano Sauce. It’s truly one of the best dishes I’ve had in my life anywhere. I’ve had it… And then, we were very lucky, if you watch the show, we had lunch at Casa Maria Luigia and Massimo–
Rhonda: I saw. Yeah.
Kathy: … and his made it. We sat outside. That’s something, I don’t know what months you’ve been to Modena, the light in Modena is exclusive. I don’t know if you’ve noticed. I was there in the winter and the yellow buildings and-
[12:40]Rhonda: Yes, I’m lucky enough that we go like May, June, and then in September, October. So we get the benefit of both seasons. You go there in the spring and then you’re blinded by all the floral and green and beauty. And then, you go in the fall and you’re like, “Oh my God.” All the autumnal colors and the porcini mushrooms and all of the seasonal vegetables, the dinosaur, the kale, all the stuff there. It changes from season to season. And all the chefs are always adjusting, obviously, because that is where everyone in the world learns how to do the slow food way, where you eat what you grow, and you prepare what’s close and local.
Kathy: So you go to some of my favorite places in your tour or your adventure. I love the word adventure. What are some other things that you do during that week that-
Rhonda: Well, we go to Bologna and we do a walking tour. And we’re looking at doing a gelato class there now because instead of just a few hours in Bologna, we’re going to spread it out and spend a little more time there.
Kathy: Oh, you do? Are you going to go where… Carpigiani?
Rhonda: Yeah. Well, there’s like an institute, gelato institutes. So we’re going to go there.
Kathy: I did an episode in Bologna and we went to the institute, which is incredible. So I highly recommend it. And you learn so many nuances and a lot of people, even Americans, will go and learn how to open a gelateria. You don’t have to enjoy it for a couple of hours, but there’s also courses to open it as a business.
Rhonda: Absolutely. Yes. I’m sorry. We do that. We also go to another restaurant for dinner that’s called Antica Moka. And that-
Kathy: I’ve heard of it. I haven’t been.
Rhonda: Oh my God.
Kathy: I’m writing it down. I follow them.
Rhonda: You’ve got to come on our trip because I’m telling you, we take you to all the best hidden gems, and Antica Moka is one of them, and Hosteria Giusti is another one, it’s a meat market right in the city of Modena. Have you been there yet?
Kathy: No, I have been to… Where did I tell you I went? God, I went for lunch in September and I was telling you?
Rhonda: Yeah, you know what? You did tell me because we walked by and tried to eat there, but I think it was closed when we-
Kathy: I mean, the tagliatelle was unbelievable, the ragù. And then, I discovered Borghi coffee, the brand of coffee. And it’s like there’s no… I’m going to Italy in a few weeks. I’m starting in Northern Italy. And then, I’m going to, hopefully, maybe even see you in Modena. But that first leg, I might stop in Modena just for the coffee. I’m telling you that Borghi coffee looks incredible.
Rhonda: Borghi coffee. Well, I’m going to have to write that down because you know what?
Kathy: Yes.
[15:34]Rhonda: One thing that being so affiliated with Italy has done to me, it has made me a terrible… First of all, I’m a terrible food snob, and now, I’m a terrible coffee snob. But my favorite coffee in all the land is from Siena, and they just started shipping internationally, and they make the pod. So I just literally ordered 400-
Kathy: What’s the name so people… We’ll, love to hear about it.
Rhonda: It’s Fiorella coffee. Yeah.
Kathy: I’m going to try that.
Rhonda: If you’re ever in Siena, that’s where you need to have a cup of coffee because it is fantastic. It’s literally directly across the street from Vecchi.
Kathy: Oh yeah.
Rhonda: Venchi, sorry, not Vecchi.
Kathy: Venchi, yeah, the chocolate.
Rhonda: The chocolate place. And it’s just outside the Piazza del Campo. But the coffee is just spectacular. And now, literally, I’m not kidding when I tell you, I order like Peet’s for my husband and I completely hoard and bogart the Fiorella for myself.
Kathy: It’s tough. I went to France, I went to film in France, and I had an existential crisis because the coffee was so awful. I’m sorry, France. I love you, but-
Rhonda: Well, your butter’s great. Your butter’s good.
Kathy: So what I did is I was in Annecy, which is our next show, Dream of Europe. But I had a few days planned in Italy and I drove through the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the first place I could go, I stopped for the Italian coffee just to save myself. But it is true, you develop these habits after going to Italy or even if you go on one trip, a lot of people change their lives. What has surprised some of your guests about this trip?
[17:18]Rhonda: Well, just like we were speaking a little earlier, many of my guests are like, “I’ve never been here,” because nobody thinks Emilia-Romagna is where I want to go visit. But then they come to Modena and they do this week with us and they’re like, “I am coming back here.” I could see this would be a place people might want to live or retire.
Kathy: Yes.
Rhonda: It’s fantastic. And it is so off the tourist map, which is kind of surprising because you have these Michelin-starred chefs, you have amazing restaurants, you have Ferrari, you have Lamborghini, you have Pagani, you have Ducati, and the balsamic, like we were talking about, real balsamic, the black gold in Italy is right there in Modena.
That’s another thing, I buy so much balsamic from the place we take our guests that if I had better Italian, I would be begging him to let me fill a gallon bottle. He makes a ridiculously good, the old school 12-year and 25-year, but he also makes a white balsamic that is so good that I use it when I make sashimi. When I make poke with just tuna, I pour this because it’s a nice substitute for soy sauce. And it goes on every salad dressing. And it’s also the gift I give to every person that I host, this gift, or birthday gift or whatever, this white balsamic-
Kathy: It’s a great idea that people will really remember it. And it is really intriguing. So many people, I think, year after year now and after COVID, are like, “Maybe we want…” I’m working on it, living in Italy or getting citizenship or moving. And the hardest part for many people, including me, is where? Where to go.
Rhonda: I know.
Kathy: That’s why I haven’t done it, I’m so paralyzed. And I like a city. I’m not probably going to live in Rome or Florence.
Rhonda: No. Yeah.
Kathy: I love Florence to pieces, it’s overrun, it’s so crowded.
Rhonda: And it’s very touristic.
Kathy: Yeah, that’s what I mean. There’s so many tourists. Even February, March, it’s wonderful to visit. It gets very humid in the summer, it’s not like Modena doesn’t, but I think people are looking. If you go outside of Florence or Rome, you can get an apartment for €500 in somewhere like Modena.
Rhonda: Yes.
Kathy: You can do really well. And the healthcare is really good in Northern Italy. And there’s so many cultural events. We visited the Teatro Comunale for the opera. There’s so many things going on. So it’s that nice, where you could be in a city, but not feel like it’s a big city.
Rhonda: Exactly. Yeah. When I’m there running the program, I rent an apartment in the neighborhood kind of over by Tortellante. So you can get up and go running. And you’re running on regular streets with beautiful trees. You don’t really feel like you’re in a city because you’re not in a historical city center, you’re outside, but it’s only a 10-minute walk and then you’re right in the historical part. So it’s a really, really lovely area. I’m so happy-
[20:48]Kathy: I know. We both love it. And you’ve been so generous, by the time this comes out, someone will be picked as a winner of our sweepstakes to give them, so two people will be going on one of your Culinary Adventures. If you could kind of break it down, how many nights it is, how many cooking lessons, how would you summarize it for people?
Rhonda: Well, I would say you’re going to check in on a Sunday and you check out the following Saturday morning. So we’re together almost a whole entire week. And again, the program kind of covers everything from the moment you arrive until you depart. Breakfast is included with the hotel. We stay at a very nice place, which is just a five-minute walk outside the historical city center, and literally, a two-minute cab ride from the train station in Modena. So it’s very well located. We’re doing three cooking classes in our week together. We have dinner every night. We have lunch.
I forgot to tell you, one of my most favorite things we do is at the Salumeria Giusti because this is a family that took over from the Giusti family, they’re the Morandis. And they bought the business in the ’80s, and now, it’s like the third generation of these people are running it. And we were just having lunch there. And the lunch there, you walk past the deli counter, down this little thing, past the kitchen and you’re in a restaurant that’s five tables. They only serve lunch Monday through Friday. It is one of the best meals you eat. Once again, I feel like I’m repeating myself.
Kathy: It’s one of them. It’s hard to-
Rhonda: To pick a favorite. And it’s hard not to call them the best because they are also good.
Anyway, so the nonna offered to do a cooking class for us. And now, we go there and we learn how to make pasta. And we learn how to make probably 10 different shapes of pasta from this lady, who has taught her son, and now, her grandson. And this is also a place where the locals will come buy fresh pasta because they’ll just take it home and eat it for dinner or lunch, whatever. Anyway, that’s one of the things we do.
So we have a couple of walking tours with guides, Modena and Bologna. We were going to a couple of other places, but we wanted to cut down on the time we’re on the bus. So we do a spectacular wine tasting at a winery that is just award-winning, Cantina della Volta. And they make Lambrusco in the old champagne method using the same equipment that-
Kathy: Mm-hmm. That’s really interesting.
Rhonda: Oh, so good.
Kathy: Local wine, especially having it, that lunch I had with the tagliatelle and the ragu, it’s a hearty wine. So you can’t miss out on the Lambrusco, the Parmigiano Reggiano, all these special foods. Let me ask you, have you ever eaten at Osteria Francescana?
Rhonda: I have not had the privilege at eating at Francescana. I have eaten at Franceschetta 58 and I’ve eaten that Il Cavallino, but I’ve not eaten at-
Kathy: He’s with Massimo–
Rhonda: It’s a very hard reservation to get.
Kathy: It is, you have to try six months. They come out six months ahead.
Rhonda: Exactly.
Kathy: And it’s a small spot, but they do a version at Casa Maria Luigia. And then, he just opened the new restaurant, Al Gatto Verde, which I’m going to try to get to at Casa Maria Luigia, which is all smoked, a lot of smoked-
Rhonda: Oh, yum. Boy, that’s great.
Kathy: I know. I know.
Rhonda: I noticed, the closest I’ve ever come to Massimo Bottura is I almost got run over by him when he was riding his bike through the square near the church. I haven’t had the privilege.
Kathy: Have you ever seen his car? It’s like a Maserati.
Rhonda: I have. I toured Casa Maria Luigia, I toured the property and he was there, so I saw him in passing, but the car is spectacular. The property is amazing. I mean, yeah, I would love-
Kathy: It is. And he’s a person who… He actually… There is a whole longer story for a different day, changed my life, really had a profound effect just meeting him.
Rhonda: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Kathy: Nothing to do with food, but on a different level. He’s doing more than just-
Rhonda: He is, yes. I mean, when I started this program way back right after the pandemic, the goal was that we were going to take our guests to a Food for Soul because he had a food kitchen there in Modena, but because of the pandemic, the food Kitchen closed. I believe-
[25:15]Kathy: Guess what? It just reopened.
Rhonda: Yeah, I believe they’ve just reopened. So in the interim, I had bought a bunch of his Bread Is Gold cookbooks and he signed them and we were giving our guests a cookbook, which was kind of the only way I felt like I could give to the community engagement. But now, I’m really excited that it looks like the repertorio’s back.
Kathy: Yeah. Yeah.
Rhonda: So, I’m going to check that out too when I’m there in May.
Kathy: I know. Maybe we can go together. I wanted to keep up with what they’re doing. They always got something new.
Rhonda: There’s all the best pies. They’re just like they’re involved in everything for the greater good. It is so refreshing to see that in action versus what happens here in America, which ugh.
Kathy: Yeah, they do try to do some good. And God, they’re really inspirational. I think people can… Modena too. We tried to do a few other stories in the second episode of like, yes, it’s a place that has all this historical significance, but it’s really looking to the future.
And Massimo, if you ever meet him, or maybe he really got this into my head because maybe I needed it, he was like, “Always look to the future, the future, the future, the future.” His eyes are always on the next thing. And it’s a really good lesson for all of us. Obviously, to enjoy the present.
Rhonda: Yeah, no, I agree.
Kathy: Eating the food.
Rhonda: Yeah. Yeah.
[26:53]Kathy: And so, how can people find out more? And I think you may be offering a special discount for Dream of Italy…
Rhonda: Yeah, I mean, I had offered one for the newsletter and I think that I’m happy to offer one for 20% off if anybody wants to sign up and just mention that they saw or heard me on the podcast.
Kathy: Great.
[27:13]Rhonda: But you just go on www.italianculinaryadventures.com and you can kind of learn all about what the-
Kathy: It’s a good website. It’s a good website. (Save 20% when you sign up for a tour and mention “Dream of Italy”)
Rhonda: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. And then also, the calendar. Again, I work with an Italian girl who’s in her 20s, but she’s a very old soul. And so, that helps me, Kathy, do what you talked about, which is looking to the future, because she is like my right arm. She has the language and she lives there. So she’s fantastic. She’s really my Italian daughter, I’m not kidding. She comes and spends a lot of time here in California with me. And then, we spend a lot of time together in Italy. And she lives in Tuscany, so I always go there because I have like a second home away from home in that little village. So we spend a lot of time together and she is the future. And I’m so grateful because she helps all the vendors feel really comfortable in being collaborative with us because there’s no language barrier at all. I’m a thousand years old and it’s very hard to learn a new language when you’re ancient
Kathy: And Italian, those verbs will kill you, the grammar, the tenses.
Rhonda: Exactly.
Kathy: I just do a lot of present tense. I mean, I try not to. And the good thing about Italians is that they value your effort, so-
Rhonda: And they’re so kind about it. They’re really kind. But this is how kind they are, I start speaking, they’re like, “Just speak English.” They can see the struggle in me and they’re like, “It’ll be better if you just say it.”
Kathy: When you were talking about balsamic, I was thinking Francesca, who’s one of the guides in the show. We love Francesca. We went for gelato with balsamic vinegar on top.
Rhonda: Is that amazing? Just vanilla-
Kathy: It was so simple.
Rhonda: Yeah.
Kathy: It’s so simple but so good.
Rhonda: I make that at home a lot now. Just vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and a drizzle of that, but it has to be the old balsamic.
[29:20]Kathy: Yeah. So now, Rhonda, you didn’t know this before, but my favorite drink is gin and tonic, and Italian artisanal gin is hot. And when we spoke before, I was, again, envious, and I’m not envious to many people. You have created your own gin.
Rhonda: I wish we could places for just like a week.
Kathy: I know. Then you can see it’s fun, but not that much.
Rhonda: Right. You’re like, “All I do is work.”
Kathy: That thing was a lie.
Rhonda: Except, that’s an amazing place. Okay, so Italian Culinary Adventure– (Save 20% when you sign up for a tour and mention “Dream of Italy”)
Kathy: Look at that label.
Rhonda: … the Royal Edition Gin, this has all kinds of delicious herbs in it, including elderflower because I don’t know, Kathy, if you’ve ever had, but I really enjoy the Hugo Spritz, which is a drink in lieu of the Aperol Spritz.
Kathy: Yeah.
Rhonda: And so, I asked these amazing bartenders, award-winning bartenders to help formulate a gin, which they did at this boutique distillery in Milan. And this gin is the perfect accompaniment to the Hugo Spritz because it’s got that elderflower. So it’s a very springtime kind of feel, although I’m drinking it day and night. Yikes.
Kathy: Gin’s a great… I love gin.
Rhonda: Oh my God, it’s a great gin and tonic, it’s great in an Hugo Spritz. So we’re coming out with this product and because it’s a very small distillery, we’re just making very small batches. But again, because the award-winning bartenders helped design the product, tasted, they sat with the chemist and they tasted and tasted, sent it to me, I tasted, they approved it, now we’re going to have some different cocktails that you can make using this gin.
Kathy: Wow.
Rhonda: It’s a really exciting kind of phase two. I really wanted to offer something Italian like traditional artisanal Italian that would allow me the opportunity to find just another way to promote my business because-
Kathy: Good. Great way.
Rhonda: … it’s such a niche business that it’s challenging to hit the right target market. And it just so happens that your Dream of Italy, your constituents are kind of right in the wheelhouse because it is people that are looking for a deeper dive into-
Kathy: Absolutely.
Rhonda: They don’t want to go to the Vatican and do Rome and do Milan, do all these giant cities, they want to do a little something more, whether it’s their first time in Italy or not. So I think that yours and mine is a really nice synergy. I’m going to send you some gin and then-
Kathy: Oh my God, I can’t wait.
Rhonda: … you can have a gin and tonic.
[32:01]Kathy: And the thing is, people are always looking, and this is something I am very cognizant of of having the Italian experience at home, so to be able to give them or send them a product that they can have these memories of Italy. Who designed the label? I love the label.
Rhonda: The distillery designed it. They have an amazing graphic-
Kathy: Italians are great designers. They’re such great designers.
Rhonda: They’re great designers. I mean, they’re just good at everything. Anyway, I’m so giddy about the opportunity to be doing anything in Italy and to be able to run a business in Italy, much like Dream of Italy-
Kathy: It’s your dream. I always profile people who make their dream come true, who live it.
Rhonda: It is absolutely a dream. And let me tell you, aperitivo every day at about four or five o’clock got me through the pandemic, honestly.
Kathy: It does. When I interviewed, I interviewed Francis Ford Coppola and his 100-year-old uncle, or he might have been 99 at the time, and his 97-year-old aunt were there. And I interviewed. Oh. They were there. And oops, let me close this. And they were there when I did this interview, and then, I kind of interviewed them. And they had a rule. I know the uncle has passed away by now, but anywhere in the world, no matter where they are at 6 or 7 P.M. it’s aperitivo, it’s martinis, New York, Basilicata. And they lived very long, healthy lives, so there might be something to it.
Rhonda: I think there is Kathy.
Kathy: So thank you for this, joining us-
Rhonda: Oh my God, thank you.
Kathy: Modena.
Rhonda: I have to thank you right now. You’ve made my day because I got to spend this whole hour talking-
Kathy: I know. It’s like we’re going, it does. It’s like therapy. It’s like we’re there, we’re reliving it, we’re experiencing it. But anyone who wants to… And I really encourage you, I do think you run a really unique program. I’ve heard of everything. I’ve seen everything in Italy and Modena is just, especially if people, sure, if they even haven’t been to Italy, it’s probably the best introduction you could get.
But say you’ve done Rome, Florence, Venice, and you’re looking for, “Where else can I go?” Modena, and then, italianculinaryadventures.com is where they can look for the information. And you should be seeing their brand, your brand, before and after every episode of Dream of Italy Season 3. It’s really resonating with people. It’s so funny, the Modena episode, some people, even among my team, some of us, the first one’s our favorite, some of us, the second one is our favorite.
Rhonda: I really couldn’t pick a favorite. I love them both, but-
Kathy: They’re very different.
Rhonda: Yeah.
Kathy: Yeah. And I love the first one maybe just a little more because… But I can’t say that. But when Massimo and I talk of our mothers and we talk… It’s a very deep-
Rhonda: Yes. Well, I could tell. I mean, you could tell. Anybody who watched that episode could see the connection that you two had.
Kathy: Yeah. Yeah. I’m not the only person in the world, he is like a pied piper.
Rhonda: He is. He is.
Kathy: And I think the people who work for him are extraordinary. So even if you don’t meet Massimo or you don’t run into him, although he’s everywhere, to eat in one of his restaurants in Modena, and they’re all price points, and to meet the people who work for him, they really kind of carry that energy. And we all need some good energy these days. So, thank you again.
Rhonda: Thank you so much.
Kathy: And you can go to italianculinaryadventures.com. (Save 20% when you sign up for a tour and mention “Dream of Italy”) And if you’d like to get any show notes, we’ll put all the restaurants, we’ll put the Borghi coffee and the Sienna coffee and everything on a webpage, that’s at dreamofitaly.com/podcast.
Rhonda: Perfect. Kathy, thanks a million.
Kathy: Thank you.