Italian cooking today encompasses a wide repertoire of cuisines. One thing any discerning diner will realize is that there is no one singular dish that is exemplary of Italy. And while there may be many an Italian restaurant that passes off stodgy cream laden dishes and marinara sauce infused pastas and pizzas, true Italian cuisine is so much more.Since Italy was made up of several regions before it was unified in the 19th century, each area has its own special way of cooking and using the fresh local ingredients available. In the region of Tuscany, for example, cooking is more traditional whereas dishes from Bologna are more experimental. But, one thing all authentic Italian cooking has in common is a balance – of flavors, tastes, and textures. Each ingredient is used to complement another and not allow one to overpower the rest. This is the magic of Italian food. Using the freshest ingredients possible that are bursting with flavor, everything is freshly cooked and served up.
In Italy, salads are all about the vegetables and rarely the dressing. Pizzas are never greasy and the dough kneaded in a precise manner to emerge from a wood fired oven, perfectly thin and soft. Pastas are cooked al dente with light sauces that titillate the taste buds in anticipation of more culinary sensations to come.
In keeping with this tradition, the Urban Food Group will soon open its latest Italian restaurant in Charlotte - Vivace in November 2009. Proprietors, Stacey and Kevin Jennings also own the wildly popular Frazier’s, Porter’s City Tavern, Coquette, and Vivace all located in Raleigh, NC. Now setting their sights on Charlotte, Vivace will soon open in the heart of the midtown area. Meaning “lively” in Italian, Vivace promises to be a stylish Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian cuisine. The menu has been designed by Executive Chef Jeremy Sabo, and Chef de Cuisine Andrew Schaumann. Vivace boasts a traditional Tuscan menu with seasonal specialties, classic thin crust pizzas, homemade pastas and an extensive house-cured meat and cheese selection.
The dining experience at Vivace is the celebration of chefs who are truly passionate about what they do, which is evident in every menu item. Just like in a traditional Italian household, every dish is infused with love and diners leave feeling like something special has transpired over the course of a meal. As Chef de Cuisine, Andrew Schumann so aptly puts it, “If you can think of it we can probably do it… This is not some empty mission statement meant to entice, you are truly welcome here."
