
Bridges
By lvincola on February 3, 2012 at 2:16 PM
I’ve been back in the US for just under a month. Although the shores of the Adriatic and the white wash of Puglia’s countryside feel very far way, it also seems like I’ve been back for only days. Funny the way time plays tricks on us this way. It always will I suppose, so long as we move around from place to place and live incongruously to the rhythms of nature.
But move around we must in this effort to share the most beautiful corners of the world with each other. And for that reason, I am here, back home, bouncing between Boston and New York, sleeping most nights in Providence, Rhode Island. The mission is simple, share Puglia with the States. Expose its bountiful beauty, flavorful dishes and loving locals to a population of people that are hungry for “undiscovered Italy” To do it well takes some effort and logistical maneuvering, but in the end, the job is an easy one. Come to Puglia, it’s nice there, see?
But for me, a local in both places (certainly more here than there) the job becomes like building a bridge and meeting
in the middle for these few winter months. Puglia comes out from under its trullo for a moment and the food community of the Northeast expands beyond its Island Creek oysters and hottest mixology trends for some rustic, southern Italian fare. It’s a pleasant meeting and I feel that basically, that everyone is happy. Puglia is in my town and later this year as some local chefs will take a team of Bostonians down to the heel, my town will be in Puglia. The two worlds that I have carefully nurtured over the last several years are meeting and it is a honor to make the introduction. I can’t say I know how large or strong this bridge will be or which end I will ultimately find myself on, but I can say it’s a fine way to spend the winter.











La Cucina at Gelso Bianco
Puglia in Bici
A Pinch of Italy
The Blissful Adventurer
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