Chef Vincenzo Vecchione will prepare a four course gourmet Italian dinner for the 2nd in the series of The Candoro Dinners at the historic Candoro Marble Company in South Knoxville, Thursday, May 9, as the kick off to the Candoro Arts & Heritage popular Vestival. “Chef Vecchione was chosen for his extensive background in cooking throughout Italy and London,” says dinner chairperson Paula Johnson of the Knoxville Food Tours. “I was inspired by Chef Vecchione’s statement that he moved to America in 2011, where, ‘You can make dreams come true.’”
“Our first dinner in the series was a huge success – we were sold out with 55 guests and a beautiful meal was created by South Knoxville native, Chef Nicholas Drew,” added board member Wendy Drummer. “It was a great way to showcase Candoro and create awareness of the property as an event venue and also to begin stirring renewed interest in what was the huge marble industry in Knoxville.”
“The Candoro Marble Company was a place of great business,” continues Johnson, “this is the new business of Candoro – restoration and preservation of not only a building, but also Knoxville’s identity as The Marble City, which will inspire tourism to the city. Our goal is to continue to bring more visitors and special events to Candoro as a place where they might - make a dream come true.”
Chef Vecchione hails from Italy, and gives a wonderful description of the Italian symbolism of food and drink. “I am a philosophy cook,” explains Vecchione “I enjoy preparing food that is not only delicious, but good for the soul. My food philosophy for this spring dinner is the continuing circle of life found in the land, the sea, and the sky. My dishes are not your typical Italian dishes. I have about 400 recipes in my head that are from my country. I use lots of vegetables, beans, and fish. In day-to-day life in Italy, you put in your body good food, and you have a good life.”
Busseni Dinner attendees will be delighted to discover an evocative menu. Chef Vecchione is planning four courses which begin with a spring Bird’s Nest of handcrafted pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and gorgonzola. The second course, Passage, incorporates his tri-colored handmade tagliolini pasta, herbs, shrimp, and squash cream in orange balsamic and vodka tomato sauce. The third course, In the Sun, is a creation of stuffed squid, cozze (mussels), red potatoes, and mint. A light fourth course, Orange Semifreddo, concludes the evening with orange sorbetto over sliced orange, European chocolate, and candied orange peel. Assisting Chef Vecchione is Keith Bradley, manager of DaVinci’s restaurant in Knoxville’s Old City.
“We are also proud to partner with The Tree & Vine, the olive oil and balsamic vinegar specialty boutique in downtown Knoxville which donated all of the oils and vinegars for Chef Vecchione’s menu, as well as for our first dinner,” says Johnson.
The Busseni Dinner is based on the maternal Italian heritage of the late Candoro Arts & Heritage President and restoration architect, Charles Richmond. “Charlie loved the idea of a dinner series,” says Arts & Heritage founder Trudy Monaco, “I said, oh Charlie, we will have a dinner in honor of you and call it The Busseni Dinner, to which he happily responded, ‘Tell everyone I will be there in spirit.’”
Tickets are $125.00 per person and seating is limited to 45 guests. The building will open at 6:00 and dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m. All profits will go toward the restoration of the Candoro Marble Office and Showroom building. Tickets can be purchased online at www.candoromarble.org or by mailing payment to: Candoro Arts & Heritage Center, PO Box 9473, Knoxville, TN 37940.
