Baltimore Eats - In The Kitchen Carlo Vignotto, of LA TAVOLA

Effervescent...
That's the word that most exactly fits Chef Carlo Vignotto. An elegant man, with an exquisite, delightfully lilting accent, he seems to fairly bubble to the surface of life -very much enjoying every minute!

His good humor is evident even when lamenting his early years here, a challenging time spent struggling to introduce his style of Italian cooking to an American audience -days when, as he tells the story: "At 9 o'clock am, I am at the fish market, selecting only the very best and freshest -and at dinner they are asking for catsup for this fish! It is hard not to be upset!" Clutching his heart with extravagant emphasis, he, none-the-less, tells the story with a bemused smile and a forgiving shrug.

But those days are, thankfully, behind him... "Now, we bring the menu and the food to a clientele that appreciates the authentic Italian food we offer." Carlo, a native of Venice, Italy, was raised in a "restaurant family" with a mother and a grandmother who ran a beach front restaurant on the sea ten miles from Venice - "outside of the lagoon," as he describes it. "The sea is very important to me. As a boy, I always was going fishing for fish, crabs, clams... I love the sea and love to work with the things from the sea."

His family did things according to long-standing culinary traditions -often by hand or using very simple machines like their old-fashioned pasta maker, "Today it boggles my mind that my mother and grandmother could so quickly make 100 or so portions with that small machine!"

After working in an uncle's hotel during his teenage years, Carlo attended professional school to earn a Degree in Culinary Arts and went on to study under some of Italy's master chefs, like Gualtiero Marchesi, and work in some of Europe's most impressive restaurants, like Al Pino in Monaco di Baviera, Da Sergio in Latvia, and Casa Bianca al Mare in Venice.

Through a friend in Italy, Carlo received an invitation to come to Baltimore for six months and work at La Tavola. Here he immediately saw an opportunity to occupy an unfilled niche in the local culinary scene. "I saw many Italian restaurants, many serving very good food, but none serving the kind of authentic Italian seafood preparations that are my specialty. I saw the space where we could fit."

Seven years ago Carlo Vignotto joined forces with Michael Goldsmith and they purchased La Tavola. "It was hard in the beginning, yet it was a good decision. Running a restaurant is not a business --it is a life! Then you can make a business if you are very smart. But first it is your life! I know this from my upbringing..."

Today Carlo oversees a staff of four and logs about 60-70 hours each week. His day usually begins at the fish market where he insists upon hand selecting his choices for the evening's menu. "I look for the fishes that are traditional in Italy, the fresh sardines, sea bass... I like to get them all the same size, and nice and fresh."

Carlo admits that being here in the United States he does sometimes feel a pressure to climb aboard when certain fads hit the culinary scene, but he insists that his family back in Italy keeps him on track. "I talk to my mother every week. How could I ever say to her: 'This week we are serving tuna carpaccio with wasabi.' My mother would go crazy! No, I can not do that. It is not the reason why I am here... I am here to do real Italian food!"

Beginning this month, La Tavola is partnering with Roberto Panella of Grappoli Imports in hosting a series of ""Il vino e l'olio d'oliva" -Wine & Olive Oil Dinners. The first, planned for November 9th, features an extravagant menu beginning with a bruschetta of porcini mushrooms and black truffles, leading into a pasta course of hand-made egg fettuccine and main courses of grilled fish and skewered beef tenderloin, each course accompanied with some gorgeous complimenting Italian wines. Truly an evening not to be missed!