Timing might not be everything, but it accounts for a lot. Stef Ferrari, author of the cookbook Stuzzichini: The Art of the Italian Snack had the great fortune of living full-time in Italy a few years ago. Unfortunately, her move to Florence in 2020 coincided with a global pandemic. She’d long had her sights on visiting Caffe Gilli, the world-famous bar renowned for its sophisticated cocktails. But when she got there, she couldn’t go inside due to lockdown restrictions.
Her long anticipated aperitivo wasn’t quite what she’d hoped: “I wasn’t able to sit in this very elegant, historic cafe in the way that I had dreamed about it.” She remembers getting her fancy cocktail to-go in a paper (though thoughtfully garnished) cup and sitting with it on cobblestones in the piazza. The care with which it was presented made an impression on her: “When I went to pick up my drink, they also gave me a little paper bag, and I was like, ‘I didn’t order anything.’ And the guy said, ‘No, no. That’s for you.’ And when we went and sat outside and opened up this bag, inside were these just beautifully composed bites.” A salmon puff pastry, homemade crackers and warmed olives accompanied her paper-cup cocktail, because it was just unimaginable to the Florentines to not serve the aperitvo with stuzzichini, or snacks— no matter the circumstances. The hospitality on display started Ferrari on a path that would result in her newly released cookbook and ode to
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
