Maggio. The month in Italy when the rondine (swallows) sing and circle in the air,“announcing their place in the family of things.” Irises cover the Italian countryside, which is dotted with delicate red poppies. The wisteria hang wistfully on their vines. It’s breathtaking. The greening of spring, May flowers after a few months of showers, …
Waking up to a new day can sometimes be joyful, sometimes groggy, sometimes neither here nor there. I wake up slowly, with a state of mind that is not quite ready for the world. My impetus is to stay connected to the dreamy state, awake. This morning, I ease into …
The Boulder Weekly: “The Transformative Power of Travel and Food” by Cayte Bosler |The Boulder Weekly, February 21, 2013 | “Cooking is never a chore for Markel. It’s an adventure.”
To be invited into a chef’s kitchen is an intimate gesture. He (or she!) allows you to see the inner workings of his mind, like a personal laboratorio. It is my great pleasure to work with Fabio Picchi, the chef, owner, and genius behind the culinary kingdom of Cibreo in …
At Cibreo Caffe, alcohol is served in varying degrees of strength throughout the day, but never without food, and rarely does a Florentine order more than one drink. There are morning aperitivi before lunch and evening aperitivi before dinner. The Italians are modest when it comes to drinking, as if there are unspoken …
Emily Markel Luebcke, Giulio Picchi, and Graham Markel. Ristorante Cibreo, Florence. June 8th, 2012 Emily and Graham were 12 and 9 when I started. Their sweet natures allowed me to travel back and forth all these years. Emily lived with the Picchi/Vitali family for a semester when she was 15 …
“It would be too simple to say that a passion for extra virgin olive oil guided Boulder’s Peggy Markel toward her career. Just as it wouldn’t be quite right to say that it was her upbringing in Alabama where the fruit she ate came from hundred-year-old trees…Of Markel’s gift for …
Peggy inroduces a group of travelers to the island of Elba and to Luciano Casini, actor, character and the owner of alleyway restaurant Il Chiasso.
“Peggy aims to give people a meaningful travel experience by immersing them in a foreign culture through food, food artisans, hands-on cooking and traveling. The bonus: Her daily work usually means immersing herself in the same. Just read her example of a “typical day” and see if it doesn’t make …
When all is said and done, what we do here at PMCA is all about people. Those we meet and those we travel with. The ingredients that become familiar and the recipes we learn bloom into larger stories, even after we have returned home. During this 20th Anniversary year, …