Christmas Season Begins! Ask any Italian when they usually open their gifts and you can probably tell where they are from. Italians celebrate lots of great unique Christmas traditions. Customs vary from city to city, from exactly what dishes are served to when to open presents. It is a great time to be a kid in Italy! December 13th marks the “Festa di Santa Lucia” – St. Lucy’s Day. Historically, it was to her (and not Santa) that children wrote letters requesting gifts and sweets which she delivered with the help of her donkey on the eve of her feast day. This week we feature a typical menu from Sicily, Santa Lucia’s birthplace. An “omaggio” to this colorful and beloved Saint kicks...
Thanksgivings Past and Customer Favorites
This certainly will be another Thanksgiving to remember – still filled with zoom calls and quiet isolated dinners for some and crowded planes and icy roads for others. Since this beloved family holiday will be different again this year, I have found solace in remembering Thanksgivings past, first as a child at my Italian grandmother’s table and then as a young woman in Italy, cooking for the Ricchi’s and my new friends.
Since most of us will be enjoying turkey this week, I thought it a good idea to highlight the dishes our customers ask for the most.
LAKE COMO – Glitterati, Gourmands & George
Why did it take me so long to get to Lake Como? It is undeniably breathtaking with gorgeous landscapes and towering snowcapped mountains. It is an ideal spot with beauty, style and great food, frequently peppered with a movie star here and there. Join us this week for a feast worthy of a movie star!
Venice: Warm Autumn Days and New Beginnings “L’Estate di San Martino”, Saint Martin’s Summer, is a time when warm weather returns, albeit briefly, before winter – our Indian Summer. In Italy, it is a moment to bask in the joy of the harvest and wine making when the coffers are full of the bounty from spring and summer’s hard work in the fields. It has come to symbolize a time of change and “new beginnings.” The new vintage is almost ready, which means barrels need to be fully emptied from last year’s wine to be cleaned for the new. Venice’s way of celebrating this time of year is one of the most festive, especially for children. Our menu this week...
Thanksgiving "Abbondanza" - Pick-up: November 27, 2024 Thanksgiving is a time to reunite family. For this, i Ricchi will prepare its annual Italian American feast for pick-up on Wednesday, the day before, so our staff can spend the day with their families. Many of our customers still will not be traveling this year, so we thought it a great idea to offer this 4-course celebratory meal so even those spending the day alone could enjoy some home cooking. In Italian American homes, Thanksgiving is the perfect melding of two cultures. For Americans, Thanksgiving has become the quintessential national holiday of goodwill and abundance. Italians easily understand and embrace Thanksgiving as they love any holiday that brings people together around the table. Ours...
