Chef Claudio Urciuoli’s recent trip to visit his family in Italy sounds like something straight out of a travel show, complete with picturesque environs and tantalizing food. He visited a friend who makes extra virgin olive oil in Umbria. And then another who grows farro and other varieties of legumes only found in Italy. Of course, a trip to see a pal who makes wine was a must.

“When I go home I spend the time with family. My mom, my sister," Urciuoli says, "and then I go all over to see friends." This vacation included some business mixed with pleasure. It was a reunion of sorts for Urciuoli and the people who make his seed-to-table dishes possible. This connection is at the heart of his newest restaurant, Source.