Foodie Friday ~ An interview with Spiaggia Chef Sarah Grueneberg

I am a blessed blogger to have had the chance to ask Spiaggia Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg a few questions about the new Roman Tasting menu at Spiaggia now.  I found her answers so insightful into the world of chefdom, something I love to learn about in any way possible.  For those loyal readers, you'll remember my Spiaggia dining experience I rated an A+ back in February.  I look back on it today as one of those exquisite dining experiences, hard to duplicate, forever special.

So here you have it, Chef Grueneberg's insights passed along for our pleasure.  I don't know about you, but reading it makes my mouth water...

How did the idea for a new Roman menu come about?
I love Roman cuisine, it seemed like a natural idea to cook food from one of my favorite cities.

Where did you find your inspiration for it?
My first visit to Italy started in Rome. I staged at two restaurants, Grano and Il San Lorenzo. It was an eye opening experience in flavor and techniques I had not had before. Rome is such an exciting and mysterious city, the food is simple yet bold and and cooked from the soul. Dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara and bucatini amatriciana remain two of my favorite dishes ever. Both of which have a total 5 ingredients!

How did you begin developing the new menu? What is the process?
Tony Mantuano and I are always talking about food. We are very passionate about all things Italian. We bounce off menu and food ideas from each other. For the Roman menu, we picked our must have dishes for inspiration. We always want to be able to tell a story within the tasting menu.

How would you describe the collaboration process with Chef Tony Mantuano? What role did each of you play?
Tony and I enjoy creating dishes together. Like many collaborations, two creative minds can result in a better product. Tony has been traveling to Italy for the past 25 years and I have just begun my adventure two years ago. He knows Italian food and shares his experiences with me and I share my experiences with him. I work on the execution of the dish and then we taste the dish together. Sometimes we will cook and taste the dish several times until it is ready.

What flavors did you taste in Rome which are now incorporated into the new menu?
Roman cuisine has its staples, Pecorino Romano, guanciale (cured pork jowl), artichokes, offal, great crudo, puntarelle, and great pizza bianca.

Is it difficult to find the same ingredients used in Rome? Where do you turn?
It is challenging, but luckily if we can't import the products, then we turn to American artisans. For example, real guanciale is not imported into the US, very sad I know, but Herb and Kathy Eckhouse at La Quercia in Iowa make a great guanciale from Iowa pigs.

For what duration will the Roman Tasting Menu run?
The Roman menu will run for the next week or so. Our menus are constantly changing- fresh white truffles just started. We are currently working on a white truffle tasting menu that will start next.

Thank you so much to Chef Grueneberg for her insight into this Spiaggia menu and kitchen.  I cannot wait for the next occasion which calls for dining here.

Happy Foodie Friday~

Be U Brides ~ An Interview with the Designer

When I heard of Be U Brides wedding stationary businesses my ears perked up for two reasons.  One, designing the invitations for my wedding was some of the most fun I had in planning it, as I worked with an amazing woman and designed every little detailed element of our invitations with her - it was an extremely collaborative (fun!) process and I looooved the end result.  And two, I like supporting local businesses as much as I possibly can, and Be U Brides creator Sacha Krasney lives right in our beautiful city.  So I sought out a few moments of her time and asked Sacha a some questions you hopefully find enjoyable~

With Be U Brides just launching, how would you as founder describe the company?

Be U Brides is a unique, fun, and creative place to buy your wedding invitations and all your wedding paper needs. Be U Brides is unique because we work with the bride and groom very intimately to understand their wedding day vision and to create a one-of-a-kind invitation to represent their dream. It is fun and creative because the bride and groom enjoy being involved with choosing the colors, paper, patterns and printing process- when all is said and done they feel a sense of excitement because they have truly helped create it themselves.

How did your Chicago wedding stationery business come about?

I have been illustrating in the stationery/invitation business for 7 years. In 2004 I launched a successful wholesale invitation line called Squash U, and have been selling to stores across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Besides this- the true reason is- I enjoyed my wedding so much and the creativity that went along with it. On my honeymoon, I decided that I wanted to give the same creative option to brides around Chicago and launch a custom wedding invitation company. Along with my design skills and the connections necessary to be able to offer every type of paper and printing process at reasonable prices, Be U Brides immediately took off. - It was meant to be!

Where do you find inspiration for fresh ideas?

I read about all different types of weddings in magazines and online blogs. I go to wedding shows and events and see floral designs and table decorations. Like for example; I recently been inspired by the lace dresses- so I am currently working on an invitation where I would apply lace to the paper to give the same feel as the dress- for a vintage/classic wedding.

How do you use the style of the bride (vintage, modern, classic, or fairy tale) to bring in design elements to the invitation?

These different type of brides have unique qualities. Having these different types of brides to choose from helps me to read into the bride and see what her personality is like. I can tell what she will love and what she will hate. For example; if she were a classic bride she is not going to want her invitations to be contrasty; (like black and white foil stamp) She will want a subtle, simple cotton paper with a sweet or simple design and most likely letterpress. Wheras a modern bride would most likely want something “different” like a unique shape, design or striking contrast.

What do you think it takes to make it as a successful entrepreneur in Chicago?

I think most importantly you need to love what your doing! You also need confidence, networking and great customer service.

What advice do you give women looking to start their own business?

Starting our own business is not easy and it has many ups and downs. So, I would give them the advice of “don’t give up” even when it seems like things are really hard keep your head up. If you love what you do and can’t imagine doing anything else- YOU WILL MAKE IT!

Mead ~ The next big thing or just a fling? (and give-away winner announced!)



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I'm going to call it now ~ I think mead might just be one of the next big waves of food (or rather, drink) trends, if it's not already there yet.  Yes mead, a wine made purely with honey, water, and yeast (and infused with flavors from there).  With restaurants such as inovasi starting to custom-make their mead (which should be unveiled around the time of Mardi Gras) and Prairie Fire and The Publican restaurants adding Chicago-made mead to their menu, I see the sweet honey wine catching on quickly across the city and beyond.

Not to mention the production of mead wine goes along with the "green theme", and Chicago has the only certified meadery in the state.  Yes, Chicago has a meadery in the city, called Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery. The mead is made from honey bees which forage wild flowers on Illinois prairies, Lake Michigan sand dunes and in vacant lots throughout Chicago taken over by wild flowers.  How cool is that?  And talk about sustainable, mead doesn't require cropland, fertilizer, cultivation, irrigation, or pesticides.

Would you jump on the mead bandwagon?  I'm in. I'm thinking a visit to Wild Blossom Meadery is in order, like in the good old days of field trips. :)

P.S - Congrats to Jessica for winning the give-away!  Please email me your address of where you would like your Design in a Bag sent.  Thanks to all for participating ~

xo