Introducing ‘ino

One of the best discoveries of the past six months, ‘ino (short for panino) is a wonderful new artisanal food shop in the center of town. I was walking on a quiet alley next to the Uffizzi with some friends last March when we stopped in our tracks – such was the striking appearance of this chic, minimalist food shop – so different in look and feel than the usual alimentare or wine bar. ‘Ino is many things: a great stop for a a sandwich as lunch time, which might feature free-range cinta senese salame, fresh mozzarella di bufala from Campania, or other treats; it is also a little wine bar, offering a small selection of wines by the bottle and the glass; and finally it is an alimentare, or food shop, where you can pick up an etto (100 grams) of the some of the finest salumi and cheeses you will every taste, in addition to delicacies like lardo di Colonnata, parmigiano made from the infamous vacca rossa or red cow, very good olive oil, and chocolates from Modica in Sicily and Paul deBondt in Pisa.

What makes the shop different is its owner, Alessando Frassica. For years Alessandro worked in fashion sales for big names like Benetton and Stefanel. But he always nurtured a passion for food, and during his travels for work, he got to know small-scale food artisans all over the country – from a company making honey in Alto-Adige to a prosciutto producer 20 minutes outside Florence. When he turned 40, Alessandro decided he had had it with fashion and didn’t want to be just another cog in the wheel of commerce (in Italian this phrase is more like “part of the stone grinding machine …”), and so he decided to follow his dream and open a little shop in Florence, featuring many of the producers he had developed friendships with along the way. (As with so many things in Italy, this shop is , in many ways, “all about relationships.” )An opportunity presented itself on Via dei Georgofili, where the 1993 bombing of the Uffizzi destroyed many of the buildings, and where ‘ino and other tenants are now bringing in some vibrancy and new life.

‘ino: Via dei Georgofili 3r/7r, 055-219-208

 

Artisan Foods Superstore – Contradiction in Terms?

A new supermarket called EATALY has opened in Torino, and is expanding to other parts of the country. The idea is to gather many artisanally made regional foods under one roof – at lower prices. That last part is key, because there is already controversy about whether Eataly represents a dark Wal-Mart-ization of handmade, small production regional foods, while other think it is a great, innovative idea. How do they bring the prices lower than what you would find in your local gourmet alimentari? By buying in large quantities, of course, but also by buying out the whole lot – or even buying the producer! Hence some people’s discomfort.

The other controvery (polemica) regarding the superstore is the fact that Slow Food Italy has thrown their name and their considerable esteem behind this place as “consultants,” which would seem (to some) to contradict their traditional stance as a lefty non-profit organization, who have previously declined to let their name be used for any purely for-profit endeavors.

It looks like Corby Kummer wrote an article about Eataly for the Atlantic in May that says it is coming soon to the U.S., which seems like a very smart move. However I can’t access the article because I’m not an Atlantic subscriber.