In This Episode: The Fashionality of Coffee….
By: Morgan Weindel
copyright 2020 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc
Celebrity chef and award-winning author Maria Liberati dives into the impact coffee has throughout the world and discusses the fashionality that this delicious beverage creates. Maria interviews fashion influencer Simonetta Lein and Philip Dobard, the President of the Center for Culinary Culture in this week’s episode.
From discussing the cultural impact coffee has to different types of cocktails one can create with coffee, Maria shows listeners how coffee can be more than a breakfast beverage.
The World Runs on Coffee
Before Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and the big-name coffee chains filled towns and cities throughout the world, people grew and made their own coffee. It first originated in East Africa, where the first cup of coffee was brewed in Yemen in the fifteenth century. Years later it began moving throughout the world, becoming one of the most delicious and addicting drinks.
Six centuries later, coffee is a global favorite, with people across the global relying on a cup, sometimes more, to make it through their day. Maria discusses how vital this drink truly is, mentioning that over 64 percent of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee each day.
With more than half of the American population consuming at least one cup of coffee per day, only 11 percent admitted to drinking at least four cups a day.
The big-name coffee chains allow Americans to live their fast-paced lives but Maria and Simonetta talk about the coffee culture we often miss out on by purchasing coffee from drive-throughs and famous coffee companies.
Italian Coffee vs. American Coffee
Maria, who briefly lived in Italy and Simonetta, who is originally from Italy, explained the differences between Italian and American culture, specifically how coffee is consumed. Simonetta was able to highlight how Americans are constantly on the go while Italians prefer to sit, relax and truly enjoy their coffee.
Simonetta explains how not only is it common for people of all ages to consume coffee in Italy but people will dress up when consuming their favorite beverage. Italians prefer to sit down, order, talk to one another and enjoy their coffee and surroundings while Americans are quicker and find themselves constantly moving.
The fashionable way to consume coffee in Italy is in the morning, the most common order being a cappuccino and brioche, also known as a croissant.
Learn About Coffee Culture
One thing both Maria and Simonetta agree on is becoming educated on coffee culture before traveling to Italy. While it may seem crazy to many Americans, there are certain things they should avoid in order to appear less of a tourist.
The first thing Maria and Simonetta agree on is only ordering cappuccino in the morning. These coffee connoisseurs agreed ordering a cappuccino in Italy during or after dinner is one of the easiest ways to look like a major tourist.
Their advice for people planning on traveling to Italy? “If you’re in Italy, try and live like an Italian so you get the full experience.”
Simonetta’s last piece of advice for learning about coffee culture was to educate yourself on the different types of coffee in Italy. With chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts creating different concoctions and variations of coffee, many do not realize that countries throughout the world are unfamiliar with those.
With cappuccino and espresso being the most common type of coffee in Italy, both women advised against ordering a latte when traveling throughout the country. Translating to milk in Italian, Simonetta says anyone who orders a latte in Italy will receive a glass of milk, not the delicious drink they have come to love.
Bring Italian Coffee to Your Home
The recent coronavirus pandemic is making it difficult for people to travel and experience the amazing coffee culture found throughout Italy. While Maria recommends Caffé Greco, a delicious coffee shop in Rome, she gives listeners simple ways to create their own Italian coffee experience at home.
She recommends making their own cornetto, also known as a croissant in the United States, at home. Listeners can buy pre-made pastry mix from the store and bake their own cornetto, adding jam or Nutella to enhance the flavor.
On top of homemade cornetto, Maria tells viewers to make their own cappuccino at home. Even adding espresso to the full Italian experience, all in the comfort of their own homes.
The last thing people can do to make the experience feel more Italian is drinking their coffee and eating their cornetto outside. Maria says, “Eating al fresco adds the perfect ambiance when you’re trying to have an authentic Italian meal.”
From a Breakfast Drink to Cocktails
After talking about the coffee culture throughout the world, specifically in Italy and the United States, Maria sat down with Philip Dobard. Philip is the current President of the Center for Culinary Culture.
Philip has grown up around delicious food and beverage his entire life. He was born and raised in New Orleans. His family moved there pre-Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
He talked about his variety of careers. He first found a passion for music in high school. He enjoys the food and beverage industry but got there after a short stint in the opera world.
His role as the President of the Center for Culinary Culture is to “tell the story of food and drink through exhibits, educational programming and a range of media.”
Through his role as President, he oversees the Pacific Food and Beverage Museum in Los Angeles. Philip told Maria how the museum “tells a story of cocktail and all of its constituent elements which is to say spirits and mixers through exhibits.”
Go online to culinaryculturecenter.com to visit the museum now online.
Coffee as a Cocktail?
While coffee is commonly consumed as a drink for breakfast and sometimes throughout the day, Maria and Philip discuss how coffee has transformed throughout the years to form some delicious cocktails.
Throughout the years, there is often a back and forth trend for coffee cocktails. Philip says it often comes in waves. During the 1970s people decided to experiment with coffee, creating a variety of different cocktails using the breakfast drink but during the 1990s things returned to the basics.
The duo talk about how the trend for coffee cocktails is upward in the past couple years, with people beginning to experiment and create different alcoholic beverages with this American favorite.
The most common coffee cocktail for people to create is the espresso martini. Both Philip and Maria agree that although this is the most common, there are several ways for people to spice it up and add their own twist to it. Whether it’s adding hazelnut vodka for taste or a bitter vodka for a twist, there’s a variety of ways for people to experiment with this coffee cocktail.
What Does Food Mean to You?
One of Maria’s favorite questions to ask guests at the end of each episode is “What Does Food Mean to You?” The best, most exciting part about this question is that no answer will ever be the same. Each person has a different meaning and understanding to food.
Growing up in a city known not only for their amazing food and beverage, but their immense culture, Philip believes the answer to Maria’s question lies within culture.
He believes food is a cultural expression of people, almost an identity of some sort. When answering Philip told Maria, “Cuisine is a cultural expression. ‘Eat to live?’ Sure, because that’s the way we’re made but [saying] we’re made to eat is much more fun.”
Bringing People Together
Simonetta and others believe food means family. Being born and raised in Italy she believes that combining food and family brings happiness to people throughout the world, no matter where they were born and raised themselves.
“Food means gatherings. It’s the time of day where work has ended and we have the availability to take 30 minutes of our workday and try and cook something good.”
While food means family to Simonetta, she also wants people to take time during this global pandemic to work on their health. One easy step people can take is to begin growing their own foods at home.
Whether they have land or are using the space on their balcony, she tells listeners to grow their own vegetables or spices. Simonetta believes growing your own food is one of the most rewarding experiences and the food they grow, no matter how big or small will truly taste different knowing they were the ones that grew it.
“Try as much as you can to enjoy the food and family time around the food,” said Simonetta. “Which is one of the most important joys of life.
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*Share What food means to you by posting your answer on social media #TheMariaLIberatiShow and if used in an upcoming seegment you will receive a free copy of one of the books in The Basic Art of…series
