Alla Spina, Amis featured in Bon Appetit Magazine
By Hashtag on Nov 01 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
"Alla Spina, local star Marc Vetri's youthful Italian gastropub, is his most freewheeling concept to date. A flexible menu allows for coursed dinners (briny Louisiana Gulf prawns, lasagna verde, and sausage with charred onions would be a perfect progression) or snacks at the bar, where you can pair a house-made mortadella hot dog with a glass of Ligurian saison. Speaking of beer, the prodigious list--a mix of local brews and intriguing imports--is reason enough to visit."
"Chef Marc Vetri partnered with his former chef de cuisine, Brad Spence, to open Amis, a Roman-style trattoria where the food is characterized by a devotion to simplicity and restraint. On a recent visit, Spence had hauled a whole swordfish into the kitchen and was carving sweet, buttery chunks from its loin, which he then grilled and served with diced zucchini--not a foam or gimmick in sight."
Check out the slideshow here.
Tags: amis, Alla Spina, brad spence, bon appetit
Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud are stuck in Italy
By Hashtag on Nov 01 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
From the blurb, by Caroline Russock:
"Well, there's an upside to all of this post-Sandy madness, at least for Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud. Due to the hurricane the two chefs have had to extend their Italian adventures by a few days. They've been eating their way through Italy since October 25th and have been doing a bang-up job documenting their adventures via Twitter. Vetri's first tweet read "In Italy 4 hours and already downed two bottles of wine, a quarter pound of cheese and all the salumi you need in a year!" And there has been nothing but epic meals, wonderful wine tastings and scenic Italian vista since."
Read the rest here.
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, Jeff Michaud
Marc Vetri talks holiday cooking with Wine Enthusiast Magazine
By Hashtag on Oct 22 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
"When he was working in Italy, he recalls being invited to six different families’ homes for Christmas.
'They didn’t make me feel like a visitor,' he remembers fondly. And this is how Vetri approaches the holidays now.
'I’m not looking at it in any way other than ‘Let’s just have a whole bunch of folks over to the house,’ ' he says. 'We’re all about the more, the merrier, eating and just enjoying life.'
And how does he accommodate so many visitors? 'We live in a row home with long rooms,' he says. 'There’s not a whole lot of area for a dining room table, so we just lay everything out. It’s a buffet. We take what we want.'"
Check out the rest of the article here.
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, wireless winelist, wine
AIM Academy and Eatiquette featured in Mainline Education Guide
By Hashtag on Oct 18 2012 Posted in: No categories 0 comments
The article talks about the success of the Eatiquette program at the AIM Academy in Conshohocken.
A scan of the article is available to read here and embedded below.
For more on the Vetri Foundation for Children, head here.
AIM Article in the Mainline Education Guide Fall 2012
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, eatiquette
Marc Vetri talks to Zagat about restaurant ratings, Eatiquette and social media
By Hashtag on Oct 16 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Vetri Foundation, Eatiquette , Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
Vetri on the importance of restaurant ratings and scores:
"Ratings, reviews and guides all use different criteria, so they are good for diners as general guidelines. Zagat is definitely one of the main sources everyone starts with, and I like the way it's done: you get real people’s opinions, but then there’s an editor, a real food writer who looks everything over and organizes the information. Even other rating sites - where everyone who wants to can be a reviewer - are useful if you take them as a group. You read things that people say, learn from them, and either it makes you want to eat at a place or not."
Vetri on the influence of chefs on Americans' eating habits:
"You absolutely have to start with the younger generation. They are the ones who are actually going to teach their parents, not the other way around. The adults are the issue, the ones who are resisting eating healthy. Kids are so open, and ready to absorb whatever new things you throw at them. Still, we often run into teachers and government agencies that are resistant to change. It must start with the children - we need to teach them why we’re in the obesity predicament that we’re in."
Vetri on the importance of social media:
"When I was first in restaurants, when I was a line cook, we were all just working and flowing through with the goal of cooking. If you did awesome, did everything right, the ultimate thought was, “Maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll own my own restaurant.” That was the top! You had made it. Now everyone wants multiple restaurants, a book deal, speaking engagements...the top has hit the moon! And without social media, that wouldn’t have happened. Before social media, if we got into a national magazine - that was like “whoa!” Now you post something on Twitter and the whole world is looking at it. You have to be aware of that and accept it as the reality - that’s what promoting your restaurant is."
Read the entire interview here.
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, zagat
CBS Philly talks to Marc Vetri about Eatiquette in Conshohocken
By Hashtag on Oct 15 2012 Posted in: Vetri Foundation, Eatiquette , Press, 0 comments
"At AIM Academy in Conshohocken, there are round tables in the lunchroom to promote conversation. Student “table captains” are appointed monthly. He or she gets to wear a chef coat and sets the table for the other students and teachers, delivers the family style meals, and orchestrates the cleanup.
It’s good, healthy food mixed with social skills that makes up “Eatiquette.”
Chef and restaurateur Mark Vetri (wearing yellow shirt in top photo) started the program. He says kids learn about food, each other, and much more — and apply it to their everyday lives.
'We just kind of wanted to get away from the lunch line,' he says. 'And you are here at school to learn, so why do they have to stop learning during lunch? You don’t have to.'"
Read the full article here.
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, eatiquette
Bring your dog to brunch at Alla Spina this Sunday
By Hashtag on Oct 10 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
The event will go towards helping homeless animals in Philadelphia. Check out a Facebook event page here and we'll see you and your dog on Sunday!
"Dine with your dog and support the homeless animals in Philadelphia! (All dogs must be on leash) Join us with your 4 legged friends for Brunch! Homemade biscuits for your canine companions, a special doggie menu, and prize for best costume for the dogs! Reservations are suggested! You can use Open Table or call directly at 215-600-0017. Love Four Paws will be at Alla Spina with cats and dogs available for adoption."
Tags: Alla Spina
More press for Marc Vetri’s advice to young chefs in HuffPost
By Hashtag on Oct 09 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Vetri Foundation, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
Grubstreet:
"Marc Vetri Offers Sage-Like Wisdom For Aspiring Chefs"
The Braiser:
"Though this advice in today’s Huffington Post applies more (okay, exclusively) to young chefs who want to break into the restaurant world (for one, he doesn’t care if you spent months harvesting ants at Noma; he “would prefer to hear that you cooked at a bar for the last three years and can make a medium-rare hamburger like nobody’s business”), plenty of his points can apply to you, normal non-chef person — it’s just that young baby chefs need to pay attention to this more."
Eater:
"Marc Vetri Drops Wisdom on Chefs"
Zagat:
"'I'm not all that interested in knowing that you spent two months picking herbs at Noma, and three months scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush at Alinea. I would prefer to hear that you cooked at a bar for the last three years and can make a medium-rare hamburger like nobody's business. That's something I can work with!'
-Philly chef Marc Vetri gives advice to young chefs in a column on Huffington Post Food today. Point number one - no one cares about your resume." Top News Today: "I can usually tell if someone is going to make it in the industry after a couple of minutes with them. So, in order to speed up the process, I thought I would jot down a couple of tidbits that can help a young chef navigate the decision-making process."Tags: vetri, marc vetri
Marc Vetri gives advice to young chefs in new HuffPost blog
By Hashtag on Oct 04 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Vetri Foundation, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
Vetri tackles issues like charity work, resumes and why they don't matter and more:
"1.) No one cares about your resume.
I'm not all that interested in knowing that you spent two months picking herbs at Noma, and three months scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush at Alinea. I would prefer to hear that you cooked at a bar for the last three years and can make a medium-rare hamburger like nobody's business. That's something I can work with! Nowadays, I never hire anyone without having them spend a couple days with us to see what they're really all about. So, if you write on your resume that you worked with a butcher for a year, you better be able to butcher an animal!"
Read the entire post here.
Tags: vetri, marc vetri, huffington post
Marc Vetri heads to NYC with Mark Ladner to benefit Food Bank For NYC and Share Our Strength
By Hashtag on Sep 26 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Vetri Foundation, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
Together, the two chefs will collaborate on a four-course Italian meal that will include the following:
"From Vetri’s beignets with mortadella mousse and baby goat with polenta to Ladner’s garlic bread panna cotta with baccala and 100-layer lasagne, the menu offers innovative (and truly delicious) takes on classic Italian cooking."
Tickets to the event are available here, and most importantly, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength, two great causes.
Tags: marc vetri
Marc Vetri bringing restaurant to Moorestown Mall in New Jersey
By Hashtag on Sep 19 2012 Posted in: Vetri, Osteria, Alla Spina, Amis, Press, 0 comments
Vetri tweeted the above photo as proof of the deal. Grubstreet speculated that the new space will be a scaled-back version of Osteria:
"You’ll recall that the mall’s owners, PREIT, were leveraging the promise of a Vetri restaurant and others like it in its bid to secure four liquor licenses for the property, which was a veritable coup, since the town is dry. Now it’s looking like Vetri and company are in for reals. The chef tweeted a copy of a signed lease, bearing the name Marc Vetri as President of Vetri Moorestown LLC. There’s no time frame to speak of, but we’re guessing the property in question will be be the scaled back version of Osteria alluded to in earlier reports. We’ll keep you posted as more details surface."
Are you excited for a new restaurant in Moorestown?
Tags: marc vetri, osteria
The Beast of Amis and Red Bull Flugtag 2012 featured in Examiner.com, Eater, Foobooz
By Hashtag on Sep 18 2012 Posted in: No categories 0 comments
Foobooz:
"Marc Vetri is having a New Jersey moment. Hot on the heels of signing a lease to open an outpost of Osteria at the Moorestown Mall, a team of employees from Amis came in second place behind a team called “New Kids on the Dock” at Saturday’s Red Bull Flugtag competition on the Camden waterfront.
Competing against 29 other teams from as far away as Annapolis, the Beast of Amis’ flying sausage propelled pilot Brendan Ireland 24 feet before crashing into the murky Delaware below. Named after the whole pig – affectionately called “The Beast” — chef Brad Spence hacks up nightly for a three-course meal, Amis’ flyer won extra points from judges for successfully breaking apart in a way that displayed the words “eat me” on the tail as it floated on the surface of the water. Perhaps it was a slightly veiled insult to the fact that after spending such an intense, exhilarating day that most teams followed up with an evening of heavy revelry, the whole Amis crew had to work Saturday night."
Eater:
"After months of preparation and practice, the Beast of Amis team flew their monstrosity in the Red Bull Flugtag over the weekend. And, they did quite well. Chef Brad Spence and his crew flew their massive sausage plane (piloted by Brendan Island) a staggering 60 feet after some early technical difficulties.
'Our wing broke as soon as we got there, and we thought it was just done and we wouldn't be able to fly,' Spence told Eater. 'But, we got it fixed up and had to update the wing control system, which is why we didn't fly as far as we had hoped. Still, were very happy with the results.'"
(The Beast of Amis takes off at the 0:55 second mark)
Examiner.com:
"Red Bull has sponsored many Flugtags, which is German for “flying days”. The idea for the Flugtag events came from Red Bull's founder, Dietrich Mateschitz.
The team names were as follows: Carnival, Road Runner Extermination Services, Viking Army Supporters Club, Ram This!, Apollo's Cavalry, Philly Bars 215 Flying Mummers, Final Enterprise, The Breakfast Club, School of Rock: Flugtag Heroes, Duct & Cover, The Dizzy Bats, USNA Soarin' Submariners, New Kids on the Dock, FRA-GEE-LAY, Stealth Bomber Zombie Killers, Flop U, Drink Philly, Land Before Flight, Beast of Amis, Harvest Bureau, 5 Guys 1 Disguise, Skydive School Drop Outs, Brick House Bullies, THWACK!, Revenge of the Greasers, Society Hillbillies, Flithy English Kuhnighits, Shore Phylers, Tasty Deliciousness, Hawkward, Venetian New Years Associate, Boats N Bros, and Munz Machine."
Tags: amis, brad spence, red bull, flugtag