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• Curti, Leonardo

Trattoria Grappolo captures the best in authentic Italian cooking with simple, readily available ingredients. Featuring fresh antipasti, house-baked breads and pizza, handcrafted pastas and seafood delights, among other mealtime delectables, the recipes here are sure to satisfy the most discerning palates. More than that, Trattoria Grappolo is a culinary adventure into Calabria, Italy, and Central California's Santa Ynez Valley, offering suggested wine pairings from more than 75 participating wineries. Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions about today's international rainbow of wines. Capturing the essence of traditional Italian cooking, chef Leonardo Curti, along with brothers Alfonso Curti and Georgio Curti, teams up with award-winning cookbook author James O. Fraioli to create a cookbook that will take home cooks on a rare odyssey into one of the world's most coveted food and wine cultures.

James O. Fraioli is a food enthusiast and world traveler, as well as a professional writer, photographer and filmmaker by trade. For the past fifteen years, James has been searching the globe for the most exciting stories-and recipes-to share with the public. During his illustrious travels, James has worked with various restaurants, food festivals and luminary chefs, including Emeril Lagassee, Jacques Pepin, Roy Yamaguchi, and Martin Yan. James has penned numerous books, including the award-winning Ocean Friendly Cuisine: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the World's Finest Chefs, which has gone on to appear in the New York Times, in the White House, and on the Food Network's Essence of Emeril. He is also a contributing writer and photographer for eighteen magazines.

Chef Leonardo Curti is the executive chef and co- proprietor at the acclaimed Trattoria Grappolo bistro in Santa Ynez, California. Born in Calabria, Italy, Leonardo learned his culinary skills in Tuscany before relocating to Los Angeles, where he worked as a chef at Cicada Restaurant and founded Pane Caldo in Beverly Hills. Leonardo's gastronomic journey then led him to Aspen, where he joined the legendary Farfalla Restaurant. In 1997, Leonardo opened Trattoria Grappolo in Santa Ynez and hasn't looked back. Today, the casual bistro continues to serve authentic, traditional Italian fare for lunch and dinner. Aside from the restaurant, Leonardo runs a full catering company and teaches private cooking classes. He has also launched a new line of pasta sauces.