Learning the Italian way

As he puts the finishing touches on a risotto dish, Viva cooking school instructor Duccio Bagnoli can barely contain his excitement.

Working in front of a class of 12 students, the Florentine chef tastes the classic rice dish and adds a handful of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a splash of stock. Then he runs outside to pick some fresh parsley growing in front of the school, located on a side street in downtown Sebastopol.

Bagnoli expertly spoons the risotto onto a platter, tops it with fresh parsley, then smacks the bottom of the platter with his hand, flattening out the mountain of rice. With perspiration clinging to his face, the chef turns to the class and divulges the secret of Italian cooking:

"In the Italian kitchen," he says, "the ingredients are more important than the chef."

Since November, Viva has offered classes on authentic Italian cooking and wine once or twice a month in its intimate, 12-seat demonstration kitchen. Viva - also known as the Culinary Institute of Florence and Italian Cultural Center - rounds out its educational program with classes on Italian art, history, literature and language.

Working under the umbrella of Study Abroad Italy, Viva serves as a satellite campus for Italian culture in Sonoma County, drawing its instructors from the study-abroad program's six partner schools in Florence, Rome, Milan and Sicily.

Michael Cruciano, who founded Study Abroad Italy 10 years ago in Sebastopol, created Viva as an enrichment center for those seeking a taste of Italy without having to go abroad.

"I wanted Viva to provide short, one-day courses as continuing education for adults," Cruciano said. "I think food and wine will always be our centerpiece, but there will be language and culture as well."

Viva is small but sleek. The all-white space rose like a Phoenix from a grungy warehouse that once served as a dry cleaners, and later, as storage for R.S. Basso furniture company.

With help from San Francisco builder/designer Jeff Covey, Cruciano created a sleek, contemporary space with a striking lobby, state-of-the-art kitchen, adjacent classroom, and upstairs office space. The school's modern aesthetic sets it apart from most other Italian-style buildings found in Wine Country.

Although Viva is in downtown Sebastopol, between Rite Aid and Safeway, it could just as easily fit in downtown Milan, between La Scala opera house and the Duomo cathedral.

"Nowadays designers in Italy move in the direction of what Viva looks like," Cruciano said. "This is modern Italian -- it's more like something you might see in Milan than Florence."

Most of the cooking instructors at Viva are drawn from Apicius -- the Culinary Institute of Florence, a professional cooking school founded by cookbook author Gabriella Ganugi, who also founded the Florence University of the Arts.

"Viva is our spokesperson for what we do in Italy," Ganugi said. "Our cuisine is simple ... based on fresh ingredients, and it pleases the eye as well as the palate."

Viva occupies an unusual niche in the ever-expanding menu of Wine Country cooking schools in that most of its instructors come directly from Italy.

"We're doing something that's very unique," said Sue Campbell, Viva program coordinator. "We're bringing real Italians, and that's what sets us apart from everybody else ... it's different, and the passion for the food really comes through."

Last month, Viva offered cooking classes on gelato and pasta, plus a special workshop on food photography. Recent cultural classes have ranged from Italian History for Travelers to a classic literature series on "The Iliad," "The Odyssey" and "The Aeneid."

On June 2 and 4, the school will offer a two-part Mafia series taught by Lucia Ortisi, director of the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences in Sicily, one of Study Abroad Italy's placement schools.

Viva will kick off a free weekly Italian film series on a first-come, first-served basis on June 16, then launch a new series of art exhibits June 17. The exhibits will rotate every four months.

Meanwhile, Viva's classes and workshops have been drawing students from all around the Bay Area and beyond. A course on contemporary art history, taught by a well-known expert in the field, drew students from as far away as Los Angeles and New York.

"I like the idea of being a weekend in Wine Country," Cruciano said. "You can take a class and go visit the wineries."

When it opened in November, Viva brought over Marchesa Diletta Frescobaldi, a member of one of Italy's oldest wine families, as a sommelier/instructor. The school hopes to offer more chef/sommelier pairings in the future while drawing on local food experts, such as garlic guru Chester Aaron of Occidental and Malcolm Clark of Gourmet Mushrooms in Sebastopol, as instructors.

"In this area, there's a strong affinity with Italy, because the food is similar and the landscape is similar," Campbell said. "The Italians feel pretty much at home here, once they start looking around."

Viva cooking classes this summer will showcase traditional Tuscan cuisine, ancient Roman cuisine, seafood and al fresco dining.

Bagnoli, who was chef in his own restaurant in Florence for the past 15 years, currently works as head chef for the professional programs at Apicius.

His recent Viva class on Italian vegetarian cuisine explored classic Italian dishes such as Risotto with Saffron, Zucchini Casserole and Marinated Eggplant with Balsamic Vinegar.

Along the way, the chef also explained the history and the importance of classic Italian ingredients such as Carnaroli rice, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and balsamic vinegar.

"This is like gold," the chef said, sniffing a small bottle of the pricey vinegar Bompana Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. "The ancient Romans used it at the end of the meal for digestion."

At the end of the class, Bagnoli also demonstrated how to make cannoli Siciliana, the classic Sicilian dessert made from sheep's milk ricotta cheese, candied fruit and nuts, wrapped with deep-fried dough.

Kandis Kozolanka of Penn-grove, one of the 12 students in the cooking class, helped the chef form the Marsala-soaked dough around steel molds before it was dropped into the hot oil.

A baker who used to work at a catering company, Kozolanka said she enjoyed the unusual intimacy and hands-on nature of the class, along with the school's aesthetics and attention to detail.

"You don't find this caliber of chef everywhere," she noted. "So many American cooks are about the show ... this is not a show. It's more from the heart."

Viva is at 7160 Keating Ave. in Sebastopol. Phone: 824-8965. For a schedule of classes, go to www.studyabroaditaly.com/viva.

These recipes are from chef Duccio Bagnoli. If you can't find powdered saffron, substitute about a quarter teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in warm broth. Make sure the broth is warm when you add it to the rice.

Risotto with Saffron

Makes 4 servings

12 ounces Carnaroli or Arborio rice

1 small onion, chopped

6 cups homemade vegetable broth

2½ ounces butter

½ cup dry white wine

1 small package saffron

3 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

-- Salt

In a large pan, saute the onion with half of the butter until soft and transparent. In a separate pot, heat the broth. Add the rice to the onion and stir to coat the grains well. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate, still stirring.

Gradually add the broth by the ladleful, stirring well as it is absorbed. Halfway through the cooking time, add the saffron, dissolved in a ladle of broth. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. The consistency of the risotto should be creamy, but the rice grains must still be firm or "al dente."

Add the butter and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and serve immediately.

Marinated Eggplant with Balsamic Vinegar

Makes 8 servings

1 eggplant

1½ pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 egg

-- Flour

-- Bread crumbs

-- Onion

-- Balsamic vinegar

-- Basil

-- Oil for frying

-- Salt

Wash, dry and slice the eggplants in circles. Salt and flour the circles. Dip in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs. Deep fry in oil. In another pan, saute thin slices of onion, add the halved cherry tomatoes and some basil leaves and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, place the tomato mixture on top of the eggplant and let marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

You can cook this casserole in a bundt pan, round mold, or individually in ramekins. The recipe works with any vegetable: spinach, peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower.

Zucchini Casserole

Makes 8 servings

5 or 6 medium zucchini, sliced

2 eggs, separated

2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

½ ounce extra virgin olive oil

-- Salt and pepper

For white sauce:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup flour

1½ cup milk

1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

-- Nutmeg

-- Salt and pepper

For white sauce: Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add the flour and stir well, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the milk, mixing well. Put back on low heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated cheese.

Cook the zucchini in plenty of salted boiling water until soft, or saute in a little olive oil with slices of garlic. Drain and puree in a food processor or chop very finely by hand. Add egg yolks, white sauce and grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the mixture. Brush a baking pan with olive oil, pour in the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes in a "bagno maria," or water bath. (Place container in a large, shallow pan of warm water while it is baking)

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or dpeterson@pressdemocrat.com.