In the 1920's, a group of Italian American farmers in the San Francisco Bay area ventured south to the little town of Castroville (near Monterey) to plant a crop that was then regarded as a rare exotic - the artichoke. Today, still more than 85% of all artichokes grown in the United States come from these same plantings. Why artichokes and why Castroville? Come to this talk to find out!

Russ Parsons is the food editor of the Los Angeles Times and the author of two cookbooks, How to Read a French Fry and How to Pick a Peach. In 2008, he was inducted into the James Beard Who's Who of American Food and Wine, the Hall of Fame of American cooking.

Taste
5-course tasting menu
by Il Fornaio, Beverly Hills

MENU (seated buffet)

Carpaccio di carciofi con parmigiano e rucola -- Carpaccio of artichoke, parmesan, and arugola
Risotto con carciofi e menta -- Artichoke and mint risotto
Sformato di carciofi -- Artichoke soufflé
Carciofini al forno -- Baked baby artichokes
Fragole con panna -- Strawberries and cream
Digestivo al Cynar -- Digestif with Cynar (artichoke liqueur)

Wine & water

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
6:30 PM
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
1023 Hilgard Ave. Los Angeles CA 90024

SPACE IS LIMITED
Reservations on a first-come, first-served basis & by pre-payment only.
RSVP to [email protected] by Friday, September 21
Cost: $41 - AIC and IIC members, Lingua Viva students; $46 - All others
Payment call 310-824-7408 with credit card information (Visa, MasterCard )
or make check payable to "LINGUA VIVA" and mail it Lingua Viva
at Istituto Italiano di Cultura - 1023 Hilgard Ave - Los Angeles, CA 90024

Organized by
Accademia Italiana della Cucina /Italian Academy of Cuisine
Istituto Italiano di Cultura /Italian Cultural Institute
in collaboration with Lingua Viva