Letter from the Chairman

Tony May

No doubt 2009 has been a challenging year on many fronts. Yet despite difficult times, GRI as a group continues to march on. November saw us welcome new Restaurant Member, the Aroma Kitchen & Wine Bar, solidify a key educational partnership with the Casa Italiana at New York University, develop a series of wine tasting initiatives with Corporate Member Banfi Vintners and participate at the great consumer event Cook. Eat. Drink. Live in New York City.

Challenging times typically bring about a time of reflection since you are faced with decisions that would not have arisen otherwise. In our industry this could be scrutinizing our product costs, menu offerings and even staffing. While the soft economy has forced many to stray from their philosophical approach, a recent event in New York City hammered home the importance of our mandate.

In late October, Buonitalia SpA, an Italian governmental agency that promotes Italian authenticity worldwide, held an event in New York City to announce a series of initiatives (an event recap is in this newsletter). While we as GRI did not have an organizing role in this event (but did attend), the central theme echoed what we've been saying for years: Italian cuisine is a cuisine of products, and restaurants are on the front battle lines to promote authentic products in our meals. We know the only way to recreate dishes representative of Italy today is to start with authentic products.

Also made evident during that presentation was the vital role we as Italian restaurateurs play as the first ambassadors of Italian cuisine worldwide. Through our individual restaurants, and GRI as a collective group, we help educate consumers and colleagues alike about Italian authenticity.

In large part due to our collective efforts, Italian cuisine continues to rank as the most popular of ethnic cuisine. As we start to see some light at the end of the tunnel, remember the importance of our group. One shining light is our GRI Restaurant Member, Tony's Restaurant, a St. Louis landmark. We would like to extend our congratulations to Vincent Bommarito and his staff for winning the prestigious Forbes Four Star Award.

Italian Cuisine Forever,

Tony May

Buonitalia/Vinitaly Event

On October 22 at the Del Posto Restaurant in New York City, Italian Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, presided over a tasting to mark the close of the Vinitaly US Tour for 2009. He also announced plans for ‘VINO 2010 Italian Wine Week' to be held in New York City in early February 2010. Of particular note in Minister Zaia's comments was that the world of the restaurateur is "the stronghold of our protectors of our Italian products." With 4,500 original products, that is important. GRI is---and has long been---at the forefront in the education of the general public about authentic Italian products and cuisine.

This second edition of ‘VINO' will once again showcase wineries from all across Italy as well as American press, trade, educators and key influencers. The inaugural ‘VINO' edition in January 2009 was the largest Italian wine conference ever presented in America and brought together more than 270 wine producers from all over Italy. The 2009 edition stopped in Boston and Miami in addition to the marquee event in New York City. The weeklong series events included tastings, seminars and roundtable discussions on the state of Italian wine in the US. Italy currently ranks among the top wine exporters to the US and American consumers consistently –and more frequently – prefer Italian varietals. Vino 2010 will be open exclusively to wine and food industry professionals. Admission is complimentary and business identification will be required to attend. We will forward specifics as they become available.

Corporate Profile: Banfi Vintners

www.banfivintners.com

It is with great pleasure that we once again welcome Banfi Vintners to our group in 2010. Three generations of the Mariani family have built Banfi Vintners into America's first name in fine imported wines. From the magnificent Castello Banfi estate in Tuscany to other family-owned properties in Europe, in addition to high-profile vineyards in South America, Banfi delivers an array of world-class wines catering to every taste and budget. In 2009 Banfi celebrates 90 years of continuous business since the company was founded in 1919 by John Mariani Sr, grandfather of the present generation of ownership, cousins Cristina and James Mariani. As such, Banfi is today the oldest U.S. wine importer to remain in continuous, uninterrupted business and to be managed by one single family.

Banfi and GRI have a host of initiatives in the works to be carried out with our member restaurants, individual members and the general public. The first is an Italian wine education class – staff training series. If you're interested in learning more about this initiative please contact the GRI office. There will be more the Banfi Vintners initiatives in future GRI Reports.

GRI Hosts a "GRI Pavilion" at the Successful 3rd Annual Cook, Eat, Drink Live

November 6-8, the 3rd Annual Cook, Eat, Drink, Live event took place in New York City. For the first time, organizers of the popular foodie event, invited GRI to command and display its own private "GRI Pavilion" to showcase its Corporate, Restaurant and Educational (non profit) Members. With a record setting crowd of 6,500 over a three-day period, GRI was proud to be the only Italian pavilion and a oasis for promoting authentic Italian products. Corporate Members Smeraldina, Banfi Vintners, Consorzio Tutela formaggio Asiago, Dipaloselects.com joined Restaurant Members SD26 and IL Gattopardo, along with the Food and Finance High School, to offer a glimpse in the GRI world and the tastings of quality Italian products. The organizers declared the event a roaring success and one they hope to duplicate---with GRI onboard again—in 2010. According to Collen Boyden of CCK (organizers), "The area (GRI Pavilion) was a great addition to the event and provided our attendees with a unique area that we have never created before". Smeraldina's Giuseppe Pinna praise it potential with, "We would love to do it again next year."

GRI will be working with CCK throughout the year to upgrade and additional improvements to the GRI Pavilion. We hope to attract even more of our members to showcase in 2010.

Vito Polosa - Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar

The embodiment of passion for Italian cooking and authenticity is spelled V-I-T-O P-O-L-O-S-A, chef and owner of the Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar in New York City. Every inch of Vito's nestled eatery on 36 East 4th Street has been carefully crafted, from the interior to the menu, from the wine selections to the warm atmosphere of each different room. "I took apart the cellar and built with my own hands two rooms that I am very proud of". The results speak for themselves---two intimate and elegant private dining atmospheres: The Farmhouse Room & La Tavernetta. Vito similarly applies his skills as a chef to a menu that not only seeks to please the palate, but also educate and tantalize the consumer. He combines lots of locally sourced ingredients and pure Italian products and loves to experiment. "I have my own version of doing things," Vito confidently relates, "and I take pride in their authenticity."

His a la carte menu is what he calls progressive Italian, with staples such as a good lingune vongole or bucatini cacio e pepe alongside with creative inventions such as gnocchi, fava beans jus and English peas, guanciale and rock shrimp, or ravioli with pork belly figs and mascarpone, pork jus and pomegranate.

Every Monday evening Vito has a 5-course Tasting Menu, where he has a virtual playground of tastes and combinations, like endive salad, figs and mascarpone cream, pecorino "Nocino" or strascinati with pork butt ragu' and burrata, or oven roasted Escolar in a fennel broth and many more. He carefully picks all the wine to pair with each course in a playful and challenging way using a wine menu of over 150 Italian rare labels and indigenous grape varietals. Another popular daily serving at Aroma is Apertivo from 5:00 till 7:00PM, which features 3 wines and assorted small bites along with an knowledgeable staff who share all the information about the food and the wines as you work up an appetite for dinner. It's akin to a sophisticated happy hour to engage palate and senses while relaxing the mind and body.

Vito certainly engages his diners to their utter delight.

On Sundays, it's all simplified by a great "Family Dinner," a straight forward 3 course meal for only $25 where the food is ‘grandma's style of cooking' says Vito, who oversees everything and beams when his loyal patrons praise meal with phrases like, "My grandma couldn't have cooked it better'! In addition, on Sunday he just started a new concept called ‘Social Sundays' where a lot of his small plates are brought down in price to only $10. It welcomes the notion of enjoying light bites over a good bottle of wine. Or, you can take advantage of his weekly regional flight, where he again showcases 3 wines of a single region in a completely different light every week for around $15.

For more details and events on the Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar please go to www.aromanyc.com

SD26 Hosts the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani Corporate Member Reception/Dinner

GRI Restaurant Member, SD26 Restaurant & Wine Bar, the new San Domenico, opened on Madison Square Park on September 15th. GRI Chairman, Tony May, owner of SD26, hosted the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani Corporate Member Reception/Dinner on November 23rd welcoming over thirty GRI Corporate and Restaurant members and their guests for an evening of lively dining and conversation. Corporate members Frescobaldi, Banfi Vintners, Domenico Valentino, and Domaine Select were among those who participated and donated their wines for the event. A large group of the GRI restaurants gathered to express their thanks, reflected by GRI Chairman, Tony May who praised the "generosity of spirit and ideas to GRI to fulfill its mission to educate the general public about authentic Italian Cuisine."

Casa-Italiana and GRI To Jointly Hold Educational Series and Seminar at NYU

The Casa Italiana, the centerpiece of Italian cultural studies at New York University, and GRI have agreed to partner in 2010 for a series of educational lectures on Italian cuisine and wines along with a major seminar on the topic of Italian Cuisine: The Victim of It's Own Success. On December 8th, both organizations will jointly announce the collaboration to its membership and the general public.

GRI-Giacomo Bologna Scholarship

Of all the activities carried out by GRI perhaps none is more important than our annual GRI-Giacomo Bologna Scholarship for American culinary students. Each year through our endowment with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, we are able to send 6-8 deserving American students to Italy for a week of learning, cooking and culture. For well over twenty years these trips have given the selected students from across the country an experience they carry with them throughout their culinary careers. And it is through our scholarship that we are able to properly teach the chefs of tomorrow about the use and importance of authentic Italian products, ensuring a more accurate representation of Italian cooking in the US.

Last year the Marchesi de Frescobaldi family, the Tuscan winemaker with a 700+ year history, hosted the students. The students had a non-stop learning experience from the vineyard to the kitchen to the table. As in years past, the students were thoroughly enthralled by the experience and expressed to us their gratitude for this learning experience. Here are a couple of quotes from this year's winners:

I can think of three words to describe the GRI Giacomo Bologna Culinary Scholarship: Surreal, incredible, and unforgettable. The entire trip we were treated like royalty with no wants or needs. The combination of tasting food and wine has significantly developed my palate. This scholarship trip was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.
-- Anthony Solofra

It was a non-stop learning experience in every way possible. From the way the meals were served in every place where we've stayed, to the tours of the vineyards, wineries, Pecorino cheese factory, cooking demonstrations, and tastings. We've had the opportunity to cook for Mr. Frescobaldi and his guests at the Castello Nipozzano. It was truly an experience, and the group was very gracious.
-- Ana Machado

Shortly we will be distributing the guidelines for this year's submissions and we'd ask that you circulate them to any potential applicants. Stay tuned for trip details!

Tony's Restaurant Garners Forbes Four-Star Award

For more than 40 years, Tony's has been an award-winning establishment that rank's among the worlds finest. In recognition of its outstanding facilities, service and distinctive experience, Tony's, a St. Louis landmark, was honored with the 2010 Forbes Four-Star Award. Tony's is the only Four-Star restaurant in St. Louis and one of only two in Missouri. Says owner Vincent Bommarito, a long-time GRI Restaurant Member, "Our staff continues to be passionate about providing an unparalleled guest experience." The Forbes Travel Guide is an annual publication of hotels, restaurants in the US and Canada.

The Italian Culinary Foundation Announces their Visiting Chef Program

The Italian Culinary Foundation is once again organizing their Visiting Chef program where top chef instructors travel from Italy to several esteemed American culinary schools to impart their wisdom on America's future chefs.

This year the theme is "Italian Cuisine, a Cuisine of Product." The objective of these curriculum-based programs focuses on Italian Cuisine today emphasizing that it is no longer tied solely exclusively to its region of origin. Rather, there is one cuisine simply called Italian, a cuisine that is comprised of regional ingredients. The Visiting Chefs program will be hosted by 30 premier culinary schools across the United States. For more information visit, www.italianculinaryfoundation.com

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