Michelin chef, Ta’ Frenċ restaurant team up for gourmet celebration

Ta’ Frenċ Restaurant in Gozo recently hosted an exquisite night of Piedmont cuisine, wines and grappa, inviting Michelin star chef Maurilio Garola to team up with its own head chef Mario Schembri to produce an outstanding gourmet event.

The seven-course meal was matched with regional wines by Michele Chiarlo and a splendid grappa from Distillerie Berta, supplied by Attard & Co. (Foodstuffs) Ltd through its partner in Gozo, Abraham’s Supplies Co. Ltd.

Alberto Chiarlo, marketing director of Michele Chiarlo and eldest son of the owner of the eponymous Michele Chiarlo, outlined the sequence in which the wines would be tasted on the night. The aperitif was a Blanc de Blanc Pietro Chiarlo Bollicine, made of a 50:50 blend of Cortese and Chardonnay grapes, which is aged for 30 months.

Chiarlo, who was accompanied by his wife Simona Depaoli and Annamaria Serafino, described this metodo classico cuvée as a trip down memory lane for the Chiarlo family since his father started his firm producing sparkling Piedmont wines.

Distillerie Bert export manager Giovanni Bocchino told guests that the Elisi grappa they would be having at the end of the meal was Berta’s bestseller. Since the theme of the evening was Piedmont cuisine and wines, the grappa married the event perfectly.

Ta’ Frenċ Restaurant chef Mario Schembri said it was a real honour to work side by side by Maurilio Garola, owner of La Ciau del Tornavento in Treiso in the Piedmont region.

Garola has been running his restaurant – the name means the key to the returning wind – for the past 15 years and it specialises in typical food of the region, using local ingredients, given the added flair of this creative expert master chef.

He brought over the ingredients from Piedmont to further enhance the flavours of what was an outstanding night out.

Garola said: “The menu came out as we expected and all guests were delighted. The more you go down south in the Mediterranean, the warmer the inhabitants are in their welcome. They make visitors feel like they are with family.”

The starter, a salad with veal and tuna sauce, raw meat, shrimps in a batter and nuts from Piedmont, served in a cornet, was accompanied by Pietro Chiarlo Bollicine. A Rovereto Gavi di Gavi accompanied the next course: eggs cooked with precious black truffles and served in individual chests.

A signature dish by Garola was stuffed ravioli in butter and thyme served on a bed of hay. This was served with Le Orme Barbera d’Asti – a well-structured, savoury, inviting taste of mature fruit.

Two courses – a risotto with quail and Parmesan cheese and braised veal cheeks al Barolo with polenta that is stone crushed and seasonal vegetables – were accompanied by a Barolo Cerequio Michele Chiarlo, which is matured in 700-litre tonneaux for two years and then spends a further 15 to16 months in its bottle.

A Nivole Moscato d’Asti Chiarlo accompanied the dessert, a combination of five traditional sweets from the Piedmont region, including fruit and sorbet.

The coffee and petit fours were served with the amber Elisi grappa, a blend of three varietals – Nebbiolo, Barbera and Cabernet – which are aged separately for a minimum of five years.

Distillerie Berta issued two three-litre bottles with the inscription of the event and the date.