BRENTWOOD, Calif. – Meticulously cleaning boar chops for evening service. This is how Giancarla Bodoni is spending her afternoon, getting ready to showcase her Tuscan cooking.
“It’s a cuisine that’s simple and very ingredient-driven,” said Bodoni.
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This is why she says Italy is similar to California.
“Farm-to-table is how it was always done in Italy and California was always ahead of the curve in that sense. They’ve always taken a lot of pride in producing great food, organic food,” said Bodoni.
Bodoni should know, she's visiting from Tuscany. She runs the food program at boutique hotel, Monteverdi. She is hosting special dinners around the state with the only Los Angeles stop at Toscana in Brentwood.
With Toscana celebrating its 30th anniversary, they really wanted to get back to their true Tuscan roots. Owner Kathie Gordon thought this was the perfect way to do so.
“We are one of the first true Tuscan restaurants in Los Angeles. We are always striving to be truly Tuscan,” said Gordon.
Gordon is honored to be the one to host his dinner, while she’s also honored to raise money for a charity close to her and her husband. The proceeds from the dinner benefit the Gordon Brown Fellowship, which provides financial assistance, mentorships, and internships to local students going to college.
“It is fun and deeply rewarding to be doing these kinds of things for our community,” said Gordon.
Not only will the community get a great meal, they will be the first to try the 2015 Vintage Brunello wine from family winery, Casanova di Neri. Gianlorenzo Neri is excited to showcase what he says is the best wine in the last 25 years here in L.A.
“We have many things in common and we would like to show to the wide public of California what we have," said Neri.
Bodoni will be pairing her dishes with the wine as they travel through the state celebrating California and Tuscany.
“I think there are a lot of parallels in terms of philosophy of food and how we grow things and what we present at the table,” said Bodoni.
Los Angeles and Tuscany; more similar than we thought.