A LITTLE ITALY

In his new book,

Autentico, Rolando Beramendi, a purveyor of Italian food, celebrates the essential Italy.

This book contains a small selection of the many Italian recipes that I know well, which I have learned directly from members of my true Italian family. By that I mean the family composed of all the producers – past and present – who have contributed to the birth and existence of my importing business, Manicaretti.

All of them have offered me teachings, traditions, secrets, and stories, throwing open their doors at home and in the kitchen to teach me everything I know.

Manicaretti was born on 14 April 1989, when I was 25 years old and living in Sausalito, just outside San Francisco. The first shipment of Italian products was stored in the garage of my house. Now, thanks to the curiosity of American chefs and retailers and the amazing support and camaraderie of my Italian producers, Manicaretti continues to grow. I travel all over Italy, eating, tasting, asking questions about food, and looking for new products to bring to American tables.

I’m a real nomad and a mutt. I carry an Italian passport (which is my dearest and most prized possession), an expired Argentine passport, and have a United States green card. I always seem to be on an airplane, constantly commuting from New York to San Franscisco to Florence.

The remarkable producers I work with have taken me in as a family member. All of them, for the almost 30 years of working in the Italian food and wine sector, have made me who I am. They continue to share their traditions and dishes with me so I can share them through Manicaretti. And now I also get to the share the recipes and knowledge through Autentico.

May you be hungrier the more you eat.

Buon appetito a tutti.