A Food Pilgrimage to Umbria with the Owner of New York's Legendary Il Buco

Oct 04, 2017 745

BY: Andrea Whittle

Il Buco owner Donna Lennard makes a yearly pilgrimage to Italy’s heartland in search of the best fresh pasta, cave-aged pecorino, and fish pulled straight from the Adriatic. There are a few reasons Il Buco has been on every New Yorker’s short list for the past 23 years: Eating there feels like going to a dinner party in the antique-filled, candlelit home of an eccentric Italian aristocrat. It’s celebrity-studded but devoid of any “scene.” And they serve the kind of simple Mediterranean dishes—grilled fish, handmade pasta, warm fruit tarts with fresh ricotta—that depend upon the absolute best ingredients.

Donna Lennard, who owns the NoHo restaurant as well as its sister market and wine bar, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria, makes it all work by scouring the Italian countryside for vinegar, olive oil, salt, cheeses, and grains (plus glassware and ceramics) to bring back to the kitchen. So when her 23-year-old nephew, Danny Rubin, told her he wanted to go into the food business, she decided the best training would be for him to tag along on her latest sourcing trip, visiting suppliers (who have become cherished friends) and eating at her favorite restaurants along the way. Last summer, they flew to Milan, rented a car, and set off on a tour through Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche, and Umbria—Italy’s farm-filled heartland.

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SOURCE: https://www.cntraveler.com/

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