dunne & crescenzi

&DunneCrescenzi

The 10th Birthday CelebrationCooking the Italian Way • Perfect Pasta!

Great Italian Wines • Running a Restaurant the D&C Way…

ContentsEditor’s Welcome

Dunne & CrescenziThe 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

02

A BeCreative Productionwww.becreative.ie

EditorKevin [email protected]

Deputy EditorsJacqueline [email protected]

Ben [email protected]

DesignINM Design [email protected] 3751 6005

Original PhotographyNic Mac [email protected]

Barbara [email protected]

Iwas one of Dunne & Crescenzi’s firstcustomers! I was walking past theirshop on South Frederick Street over adecade ago when I suddenly smelledthis incredible aroma of strong, fresh

coffee. I entered and waited patiently whiletwo men conversed animatedly in Italian.

I was served an espresso that made meblink with delight – such was its strength andflavour – and as I sat there listening to thetwo exotic-sounding Italians I wonderedwhat they were doing in our grey, rainy city. Isoon found out, when the man in charge –who turned out to be none other than StefanoCrescenzi – introduced himself. In thefollowing weeks I met his other half, EileenDunne, as my trips to Dunne & Crescenzi onSouth Frederick Street became regularpilgrimages. Soon I was bringing my friendsand my colleagues to sample this little bit ofItaly in the shadows of Trinity College.

Since that first meeting I have come toknow both Stefano and Eileen very well. Ihave sampled their cooking, interviewedthem countless times, and even attemptedto cook pasta for them (a nerve-wrackingexperience)! This magazine is really theirstory and how they changed the way we eat,drink and enjoy all things Italian. May Iraise a glass of Prosecco to them, theirfamily and their business partner DavidIzzo, and toast their 10th birthday with thewords: Here’s to the next 10 years!

Kevin FlanaganEditor

Editor’sWelcome

Let thecelebrationsbegin!

04 05 06

11 12 14

18 19 20

04Eileen Dunne: The Doyenne of

Italian Hospitality

05Stefano Crescenzi: The Ambassador

of Italian Cooking

06The Restaurants of Dunne & Crescenzi –

The four jewels in the D&C crown

11Ferrarelle Mineral Water – Unmistakable personality

12The Wonder of Italian Wine – Stefano Crescenzi

picks six of his favourite Italian wines

14Bindella – A wonderful wine experience

Ed Finn’s Gourmet Traveller – Visits Italy

18K&C Norton - A wholesale success

19Fast Food is Slow Food – Convenience

cooking, Italian style

20Cooking the Italian Way – Kevin Flanagan

makes ragu for the maestrosJohn Downey & Son – Go organic

Editor Kevin Flanagan raises a glass withEileen & Stefano

ContentsThank You

Irish Independent

03


Image Sourcewww.iStockphoto.com

AdvertisingLeah Doyle(01) 676 [email protected]

ReproIndependent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd27-32 Talbot StDublin 1

Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenziwould like to offer a sincere ‘Thank You!’to the generous sponsors who madeDunne & Crescenzi: The 10thBirthday Celebration possible...

Arnotts Project

Bindella Wines

Caffe Tazza d’Oro

Caterquip

Dawson Jewellers

Excel Linen

Ferrarelle Water

G Duke & Co Catering Accessories

Garofalo Pasta

Getcover.ie

Gleneely Foods

Gottstein Architects

Houseware

Hygiene Management Systems

John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods

John McKenna Builders

JV Hutton Insurance Brokers

K&C Norton Wholesale Foods

Kildare Village

Kish Fish

Little Italy

McGrath Refrigeration

Mövenpick

Reds: The Hair Group

Salumi Villani

Upton Ryan Chartered Accountants

Zuegg

and all our loyal customers

Thank You

08 09 10

15 16 17

21 22 23

08L’Officina at Kildare Village –

Ben Murnane travels to the first D&Crestaurant outside Dublin

09The Italian Kitchen – Everything an aspiring

Italian chef needs

10Bringing Italy to Ireland – David Izzo chats

about bringing a taste of Italia to Ireland

15A Woman’s Business is to Nurture – Eileen

Dunne on combining work and family

16L’Officina at Arnotts Project – D&C’s newest

venture sits right in the heart of Dublin

17Cooking the Perfect Pasta! – Your quick guide

to the quintessential Italian food

21Running a Restaurant the D&C Way

22Thanking our Sponsors

Eileen Dunne

The Doyenne of

Italian Hospitality


04

Irish Independent

Eileen Dunne is a formidable figurehead atDunne & Crescenzi and its bustling group ofrestaurants, her engaging, down-to-earth attitudeadds an enticing homespun feel to the enterprise

After studying fine art in Rome, Eileen served aconsiderable stint in the UN, before returning toDublin in 1995 with her husband Stefano. Starting outwith a well-regarded shop in Sutton, the rest is thestuff of legend in the heady world of hospitality: 14

years on and 12 restaurants later, Dunne & Crescenzi is celebratingits 10th Anniversary.

Dunne & Crescenzi unashamedly rejoices in all things Italian.Standing proud in the heart of the city, with a chicly busy outlet inSandymount, Dunne & Crescenzi fuses incredibly tasty food, awarm, lively atmosphere and typically Italian staff to provide ahaven for people in Dublin and beyond. A glance at their customercross-section says it all: the businessman with his double espresso,the four girls-about-town with their plate of pasta and their bottleof white; the woman sitting happily on her own, with her book,glass of good red and plate of formaggi and the loving couple,giggling over a bottle of Prosecco.

“There’s no formality here. It’s casual dining, you can sit thereon your own with a nice plate of salumi and glass of wine, or comein and relax with friends and family,” says Eileen. It is,emphatically, all about the food in Dunne & Crescenzi.Wholeheartedly championing Italian culture, hearty, traditionalfood such as grilled polenta with parma ham and good olive oil isserved up from an Italian waiter so laidback you feel you’re eatingin your own kitchen; while Irish dishes get a look-in with adelicious Italian twist (try the smoked Irish salmon crostini withavocado, rocket and shaved pecorino). Their dedication to qualityspans two countries, with their use of the best, locally sourced Irishingredients, such as meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, guaranteeingtheir membership of the highly regarded Good Food Ireland.Meanwhile, the prestigious DOP stamp on their Italian productsguarantees the highest quality of imports such as olive oil, salumi,cheeses, vinegar and wine. From both Ireland and Italy, the qualityof their ingredients and products is second-to-none, reflecting thestarting point of their business ethos: good food, served withpassion. No shortcuts are taken – the best extra-virgin olive oil isused in cooking as well as in salads.

Eileen takes genuine joy in her own restaurants, and whilst theItalian ‘family’ analogy seems trite, here it holds true. “Last night Iwent to Nonna Valentina and had just wine and a big plate ofbruschetta pomodoro, and it was perfect! Fresh tomatoes, nice chunkybread, olive oil – delicious,” says Eileen, with the same wonder as ifshe had just discovered it. She is proud of her restaurants, just asshe is proud of Stefano and her own brood of four children. The factthat the beautifully simple food served up in her own restaurantscan still surprise and delight her speaks for itself.

She is a comforting presence on the restaurant floor, most often inSouth Frederick Street, where she lunches most days. “It’s a way oflife,” says Eileen of her love for sourcing the best of Italian produceand serving it up in creative, authentic Italian dishes. “We feelpassionate about it, about bringing it here. Food and wine is aboutconnections. It’s notonly about eating:it’s aboutsocialising, beingtogether, family,friends – it’s howsociety operates,and continues tosurvive in a certainway. It’s probably anicer way of living.”

Eileen getsphilosophical whendiscussing Dunne &Crescenzi. You cansee it means somuch more to herthan just abusiness. It is herlife. She talks of her“mission”, that ofsharing the Italianexperience inIreland. It is a love for family and food, and a heartfelt desire toshow us how it’s done the Italian way: with mouth-watering foodand no-nonsense bustle; with a mother’s devotion and abusinesswoman’s dedication.

The Doyenne of ItalianHospitality

EileenDunne

”“THERE’S NO FORMALITYHERE. IT’S CASUAL DINING,

YOU CAN SIT THERE ON YOUROWN WITH A NICE PLATE OF

SALUMI AND GLASS OF WINE,OR COME IN AND RELAX

WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY”

Stefano Crescenzi –

The Ambassador of

Italian cooking

05


Irish Independent

“My grandmother taught me the love of food andthe whole experience of eating with thefamily. She was from Rome and lived inPiedmont, where she would spend allmorning preparing lunch. And before lunch

was over she had begun talking about what we would have fordinner that night! She once fed me so much that I had to have a dayoff and she thought I was sick. Even when watching telly she waspeeling vegetables.” Stefano Crescenzi has taken his Nonna’s lovefor Italian food and applied it to his day-to-day work in runningthe various restaurants that he now owns with his wife EileenDunne. Now creating new recipes and finding new slants ontraditional dishes is one of Stefano’s biggest loves. He is also justlyproud of the fact that Nonna Valentina now has a menu that offersits customers six different types of risotto.

“I think we are the only restaurant in Ireland to offer such varietyand risotto is not such an easy dish to prepare. There are a numberof secrets you need to know – the amount starch in the rice and thecooking time being just two.” Arborio rice is often used in risottobut Stefano believes a better grain is Carnaroli. “Cascina Veneria isour specialist supplier in Italy and his rice is truly stunning.”

Stefano works closely with the chefs in his restaurants to comeup with new, experimental recipes and as a result Dunne &Crescenzi in South Frederick Street offers two new dishes everyday. To aid his creativity Stefano visits Italy regularly, sourcing newingredients and experimenting in his kitchen once he returns. Healso finds that suppliers in Italy are now sending him samples oftheir produce.

“This summer we were sent black summer truffles by a suppliercalled Bosco d’Oro and we created a special dish in Dunne &Crescenzi that the customers loved.”

Stefano believesthat there is nowvery little differencebetween the palatesof his Irishcustomers andthose of his fellowItalians. “Since theadvent of low-budget travelthousands of Irishpeople have flockedto Italy. They knowtheir Italian foodand wine and theirpalates are just assophisticated as anItalian and thatmakes my job ofrecreatingauthenticate Italiandishes even morechallenging.”

And with that inmind you won’tfind spaghetticarbonara on one ofStefano’s menus.

“Italiancarbonara does nothave cream and anItalian would not recognise the carbonara dishes served up in manyIrish restaurants.” Stefano believes this confusion is created bylarge-scale food producers who want to use a famous Italian nameto promote convenience food and TV dinners. “My job is to createauthentic Italian food and protect its integrity – just as mygrandmother did. She would never pass one dish off for somethingit was not. If we want to appeal to the Irish love of cream we willcreate a dish from Emilia where cows are kept, cheeses are madeand the dishes naturally feature cream.”

When not eating out in an authentic Italian restaurant Stefanobelieves we should be cooking our own food at home. And hereStefano reflects the philosophy of the famous food movementfounded in Italy – the Slow Food movement. “I am not a member ofSlow Food but I respect their philosophy – a key part of which is notto buy ready-made meals but go home and cook for your family.”

And with that philosophy in mind Stefano Crescenzi has comefull circle – back to his love of Italian home cooking instilled in himby his grandmother Nonna Valentina. “The key is not to lose thememory of your mama or grandmother’s cooking – if that goesthen the great food tradition and art of cooking will be lost.” Butnot while Stefano is about – for not only has he been theambassador of Italian cuisine, he has been its guardian as well.

Stefano Crescenzi thanks his grandmother NonnaValentina for helping him develop his love for Italiancooking. Such is his gratitude that he has dedicatedone of his restaurants to her memory – NonnaValentina in Portobello

The Ambassador ofItalian cooking

StefanoCrescenzi

“MY JOB IS TO CREATEAUTHENTIC ITALIAN

FOOD AND PROTECT ITSINTEGRITY – JUST AS MY

GRANDMOTHER DID. SHEWOULD NEVER PASS ONE

DISH OFF FOR SOMETHING ITWAS NOT. IF WE WANT TO

APPEAL TO THE IRISH LOVEOF CREAM WE WILL CREATE

A DISH FROM EMILIA WHERE COWS ARE KEPT,

CHEESES ARE MADE ANDTHE DISHES NATURALLY

FEATURE CREAM.”

”

The Restaurants of Dunne & Crescenzi


Irish Independent

06

The Restaurants of

Dunne & Crescenzi

Signature Recipe

Dunne & Crescenzi opened in 1999in South Frederick Street andchanged the face of the Irishrestaurant scene forever. Serving

simple Italian food with the highest qualityingredients and good Italian wine by theglass, it was the culmination of Eileen andStefano’s dream of serving their customersas if they were family: dishes served up withthat vital ingredient, a love of food. “Wewanted to recreate an authentic Italianeating experience, using only Italian foodand wine, and it worked,” says Stefano.Once people discovered what a good thingDunne & Crescenzi had going they neverlooked back. “The highlight for us waswhen Tom Doorley in The Irish Times said

Dunne & Crescenzi had changed the waythe Irish eat,” says Stefano. “It was betterthan receiving three Michelin Stars!”

Dunne & Crescenzi14-16 South Frederick Street

Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 677 3815 / 675 9892

Dunne & Crescenzi11 Seafort Avenue

SandymountDublin 4

Tel: (01) 667 3252

Web: www.dunneandcrescenzi.com

Lasagne al Salmone e Spinaci (SmokedSalmon and Spinach Lasagne)Serves 6Ingredients:

500g dried lasagne sheets

500g Irish smoked salmon

500g fresh spinach

200g grated parmesan cheese

250g mozzarella, diced

4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients – Béchamel sauce:

50g white flour

50g butter

500ml milk

Method – Béchamel sauce:Melt butter on a low heat in a heavy-basedsaucepan and whisk in the flour. When thebutter has absorbed the flour, pour in themilk gradually, constantly whisking forabout 10 minutes. Season and leave to cool.

Method – lasagne:Line the bottom of a rectangular casseroledish (12” x 6” approx) with lasagne sheets.Cook the spinach in boiling salted water fortwo minutes and drain well. Place a layer ofsmoked salmon followed by a thin layer ofBéchamel sauce, then a layer of spinach.Sprinkle the grated parmesan andmozzarella. Continue the alternate layersuntil the ingredients have been used andfinish with a layer of mozzarella andparmesan. Bake in a hot oven for 30minutes. Buon appetito!

Simple, fresh Italian food andover 200 carefully selectedwines; homely yet elegant,buzzy yet sophisticated

Dunne & Crescenzi

Signature Recipe

Bar Italia opened in 2000 and wassoon catering for a busy businessclientele during the day and avibrant crowd of young people,

couples and groups at night. David Izzomanaged the front of house while StefanoCrescenzi ran the kitchen, cookingtraditional Italian pasta, meat, ragu andfish dishes. “I loved the job because it waslike cooking for a large family,” Stefanosays. “We recreated the Italian trattoriaright in the heart of Dublin and people justloved it.”

Bar ItaliaCustom House Square

IFSCDublin 1

Tel: (01) 670 2887

Bar ItaliaBlooms Lane

26 Lower Ormond QuayDublin 1

Tel: (01) 874 1000

Web: www.baritalia.ie

Involtini al Sugo FrescoServes 4Ingredients:

500g veal slices

200g mortadella

1 celery stick, chopped julienne

1 carrot, chopped julienne

1 onion, chopped julienne

4 large beef tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 glass dry white wine


Salt and pepper

Fresh thyme

Method:Place a piece of mortadella on each vealslice and sprinkle some pieces of thecelery, carrot and onion on top, then foldand fix with a toothpick.

Sauté the involtini in a pan in extra-virgin olive oil, then add a glass of drywhite wine.

As the wine evaporates add thetomatoes, some fresh thyme and salt andpepper, and simmer for 45 minutes oruntil the meat is ready.

Serve hot.

The traditional Italiantrattoria with adeliciously modern twist

Bar ItaliaDunne & Crescenzi Bar Italia

of Dunne & Crescenzi

Irish Independent

07


Signature Recipe

Situated on the picturesque banks ofthe Grand Canal in Portobello,Nonna Valentina offers the very bestin Italian cuisine without costing the

earth. The restaurant is actually namedafter Stefano’s grandmother, Nonna(Granny) Valentina. “My love of Italian foodcomes from her,” Stefano says. “Shebelieved in cooking simple, traditionaldishes using the fundamental principles ofItalian cuisine.” As a result, there is acomprehensive and constantly changingmenu, an extensive wine list and all thetrappings of a fine dining restaurant butwithout the usual high prices. NonnaValentina never got to see the restaurantnamed after her but Stefano believes she

would have approved. “While my parentscould not understand why I walked awayfrom a permanent pensionable job as aneconomist at the Italian Ministry of ForeignAffairs, my grandmother gave me herblessing. She gave me her recipe book whenI left Italy, and always encouraged me tofollow my dream. I think she would be veryhappy with the result.”

Nonna Valentina1-2 Portobello Road

Dublin 8Tel: (01) 454 9866

Web: www.nonnavalentina.ie

Risotto con Coda di Rospo, Cozze e ZafferanoServes 4Ingredients:

320g Carnaroli rice

1 cleaned large monkfish

500g mussels

1 lemon

1 carrot

1 onion

1 leek, chopped

1 sachet Sardinian saffron

Half glass white wine

Bunch of parsley

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:Simmer the fish in salted water with parsley,one lemon segment, the carrot and the wholeonion. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, allow the mussels to open in apan over a low heat (throw away the ones thatdo not open), and then take out the molluscs.

Remove the fish, then filter the brothwhere the fish cooked and where themussels cooked and mix both brothstogether in a pot.

Pan-fry the chopped leek with someextra-virgin olive oil, add the Carnarolirice, and stir. Add the wine. Add the saffronto a ladle of broth and mix through the rice.Cook by adding the boiling stock oneladleful at a time.

Add the monkfish and mussels to the riceat the end and mix carefully.

Remove the risotto from the heat, and letit rest for a few minutes. Add some choppedparsley, some pepper and serve immediately.

Nonna Valentina

Elegant dining andgourmet Italian foodat great prices

Lumaconi Ripieni di MelanzaneServes 4Ingredients:

24 lumaconi pasta

500g diced aubergines

500g fresh, chopped beef tomatoes

30g grated parmesan cheese

1 buffalo mozzarella Campagnia

1 clove garlic

Basil

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method – pasta:Cook the lumaconi in boiling salted water,until al dente. Then, drain the pasta andcool under cold water. Drain it again,dressing with some extra-virgin olive oil.Place the pasta on an oiled dish with theopen side of the pasta facing up.

Method – for the filling:Sprinkle the diced aubergines with salt andleave for one hour, then rinse. Cook thetomatoes with the garlic and basil until theyhave reduced. Then add pepper, salt andtwo tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.

Pan-fry the aubergines in extra-virginolive oil. When golden, drain and place in asaucepan. Dress with parmesan cheese.

Fill the lumaconi with the filling andplace it in a buttered Pyrex dish. Add sometomato sauce and diced mozzarella withsome extra-virgin olive oil. Add some moretomato sauce and sprinkle again withparmesan. Put in the oven, pre-heated to200°C, until the mozzarella has melted andhas turned golden.

Serve hot.

Signature Recipe

L’Officina means ‘workshop’ in Italian:a place where you improve things.Here it is all about improving thefood. “It was an opportunity to

combine all our skills,” says Stefano, “David’sand Eileen’s and my own, to create somethingnew and exciting when eating out.” The resultis a restaurant that reflects all that is best inDunne & Crescenzi, Bar Italia and NonnaValentina, with one added extra: the shoppingexperience. So whether you are shopping inKildare Village, the Dundrum Town Centre orthe Arnotts Project you can enjoy the finestItalian food and wine while relaxing in awelcoming, friendly atmosphere. “L’Officinais a work in progress – as is life – and a veryexciting project,” Stefano says.

L’Officina Kildare Village

Kildare Town Co Kildare

Tel: (045) 535 850L’Officina

Dundrum Town Centre Dundrum Dublin 16

Tel: (01) 216 6764L’Officina

Arnotts Jervis Centre

Dublin 1Tel: (01) 814 8933

Web: www.officina.ie

L’Officina

Cutting-edge Italiancooking, creatingnew trends

Nonna Valentina L’Officina

Eileen Dunne, Stefano Crescenzi and David Izzo have createdfour distinct kinds of eating experience. Stefano Crescenzigives us a flavour of the four jewels in his culinary crown...

L’Officina at

Kildare Village


08

Irish Independent

“Iwas friends with Eileen andStefano in the early ’90s whenthey were living in Rome andwhen I heard they werecoming back to Ireland to

open an Italian deli I thought they weremad.” So says Maria McGovern, theDirector of Kildare Village, where theDunne & Crescenzi restaurant L’Officina isnow situated. “It just proves how wrong Iwas – I think they have around a dozenrestaurants now!” It was something of anirony therefore that Maria was given achance to work with her old friends Eileenand Stefano in Kildare Village when shereturned from New York. “We both openedhere in 2006 and have enjoyed greatsuccess – it has been a happy relationship.”

The L’Officina restaurant is a vital part ofthe overall experience at Kildare Village,where people tend to spend at least half aday shopping. “Everyone needs to eatbefore, during and after a good shop,” saysMaria, “and L’Officina acts as a centralmeeting point. It’s a place where people candiscuss what they’ve bought and take outtheir goods like trophies and show off theirdesigner bargains.” Maria also believes thelaidback Italian atmosphere of therestaurant has something to do with itssuccess. “No one is hurried and people cantake their time.” Maria herself finds she ispopping in and out of L’Officina during herworking hours. “I love their Antipasti Mistoand their Linguini di Mare and drink far toomany lattes each day!”

Looking back it now seems perfectlylogical that Eileen Dunne’s and StefanoCrescenzi’s first restaurant outside Dublinis located in a place that matches theirethos: relaxed and casual but exuding styleand class, as Kildare Village itself does.Maria explains: “The Village is a designeroutlet shopping heaven with over 50international fashion and home brandsdiscounted up to 60 per cent all year roundon the previous seasons’ collections.”

Situated on the M7, Kildare Village isonly an hour’s drive from Dublin by car, butI took the train from Heuston Station,which takes only 35 minutes. I was met atKildare Station by the Village’s very ownshuttle bus. There’s also a ShoppingExpress bus that goes straight from Dublincity centre to the Village at the weekends.

A tour through the VillageThe first thing that strikes you aboutKildare Village is its ‘day out’ feel. There isfree car parking, a children’s playground,and easy access to all designer outlets,while the L’Officina restaurant itselfoverlooks the ruins of the 13th-centuryGrey Abbey – one of Kildare Town’s manyheritage attractions.

But the real attraction for shoppers is thebargains among the designer brands. It hasthe only standalone boutiques in Ireland forSpanish brand Desigual and Bally as well asTSE, N. Peal and Jack Wills – the uber-trendy

youth brand. The Village is label heaven,with slick accessories being found in AnyaHindmarch, high fashion in L.K. Bennett,Regine, Jaeger and Karen Millen. For the guysthere’s Ted Baker, as well as tailored, off-the-peg suits at Savoy Taylors Guild; whileThomas Pink and Café Coton have a massivearray of designer shirts. Children are wellcatered for as well, the French label PetitBateau having its only Irish boutique there.Homeware options are equally impressive,

with brands like Le Creuset, Designers Guildand Cath Kidston, while coming soon areLouise Kennedy and 7 For All Mankind.

L’Officina at the VillageDining or having a coffee break atL’Officina is an integral part of theshopper’s day out and many people –particularly visitors to Ireland – experienceEileen and Stefano’s cuisine here for thefirst time. Particular favourites among theextensive main courses are the Lasagna diSalmone e Spinaci and the Fettuccine Funghi ePancetta con Panna (both €14.00), while theBruschetta Rustica makes a tasty snack(€10.00). There is a new range of salads,including the Insalata Bomba made withtuna (€10.00), while homemade Tiramisu isjust €6.00 for a little taste of heaven! Wines

Ben Murnane takes a trip to Kildare to visit thefirst Dunne & Crescenzi restaurant outside Dublin

at Kildare VillageL’Officina

L’Officina Kildare Village Kildare Town Co Kildare Tel: (045) 535 850

Visit the Kildare Village website atwww.kildarevillage.com or phone (045) 520 501

served by the glass include the white Gavi diGavi at €8.00, a fine Pinot Grigio ‘FriuliIsonzo’ at just €7.00 per glass, while theirMontepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘Terra d’Aligi’ isonly €6.00 a glass and a Chianti ClassicoCastelgreve will set you back just €7.00. Thedelicious house wine is only €5 per glass.

So, if you want designer shoppingcomplemented by authentic Italian cuisine,a visit to L’Officina in Kildare Village is justthe ticket. One tip – come hungry and youwon’t be disappointed!

L'Officina at Kildare Village

Enjoying a coffee at L'Officina, Kildare Village

Sponsor’s Feature

09


Irish Independent

Italian cuisine is among the best in theworld. Bursting with fresh, vibrant,Mediterranean flavours, the Italianway is based on making the most oflocal, seasonal produce. Specialities

vary enormously from region to region, butthese kitchen essentials are things thatevery aspiring Italian cook should have at home.

ItalianTomatoes (and lots of other freshfruit and veg)Tomatoes are essential, along with anabundance of seasonal fresh fruit and veg.Plum tomatoes are the best option forcooking, as they have less juice so need ashorter cooking time.

Selection of Italian charcuterie A selection of quality Italian charcuterie is amust - e.g. Parma ham, salami andbresaola (air-dried and salted beef aged fora couple of months), as well as fresh andseasoned Italian cheeses.

PancettaPancetta, the same cut of pork as bacon butsalted rather than smoked, is very importantto Italian cooking. It can be found in mostgood supermarkets, and is used to make thefamed spaghetti carbonara.

ParmesanParmigiano Reggiano is the undisputedking of cheeses. Any cheese with thosefamiliar words stamped into the rind isgoing to taste amazing – ripe, pungent andrich. A thousand uses here, it can be servedas an antipasto, shaved over carpaccio, usedto make pesto and simply grated over pastaor risotto. Save the rind and use to add awonderful depth of flavour to soups andpasta sauces.

Mozzarella di bufalaThe other essential Italian cheese, madeentirely from buffalo milk. Snow-white,creamy yet slightly sour, it is an essentialingredient in a true pizza margherita.However, it is best served ripped apart anddrizzled with some fine olive oil, freshtomatoes and basil. You'll know a great bufalabecause it is slightly chewy and squeaky.

OlivesIn Italy olives are often cured andmarinated with garlic and herbs beforeeating. Delicious with an aperitivo!

Dried mushroomsPorcini mushrooms are perhaps the mostfamous in Italian cooking. They can be eatenfresh, but the wonderful flavour of porcini isintensified by drying. Dried porcini are nowavailable in many supermarkets. Althoughexpensive, a little goes a long way and thedistinctive flavour really can’t be beaten.Perfect for risotto al funghi.

Arborio & Carnaroli rice The most common types of rice used inrisotto-making. The plump round grainsare perfect for absorbing flavour andensuring your risotto has the perfectconsistency.

Anchovies Anchovies really are an essential. Alwayshave a jar in the fridge, and a tin in thecupboard for emergencies – for melting intotomato sauce, flavouring lamb or simply asa pizza topping. The fresh, marinated silveranchovies that you often see in the deli arealso fantastic – a handful of these alongwith a sliced tomato and some toastedsourdough makes a heavenly supper!

PestoA simple yet divine combination of basil,garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan,pesto is a firm favourite. Whilst it isdelicious when freshly made, sometimestime is short and for this reason I alwayshave a jar of good quality pesto in my store cupboard.

PastaDried pasta is absolutely not inferior to fresh– each suits different sauces, with driedbeing more suited to oily or tomato-basedsauces. Go for pasta with a rough texture sothe sauce clings better. Always cook al denteand remember, the water you cook yourpasta in should be saltier than the sea!

Marsala wineFrequently used in Italian cooking, it can beused for savoury and sweet dishes, such astiramisu or zabaglione.

Balsamic vinegarReal balsamic vinegar has a flavour andcomplexity like nothing else. It can onlylegitimately be produced in Modena andReggio, but is much copied, so be aware ofpoor imitations!

Pine nutsFor making pesto, toasted in salads, bakedwith figs or simply eaten as a snack, alwayshave a bag to hand.

CapersFor use in pasta sauces, gremolata orantipasti, or served with meat to cutthrough rich or fatty flavours.

TomatoesKeep a variety – passata in cartons or jars,tinned plum and cherry tomatoes.

Sicilian sea saltThe course variety – use everywhere!

Olive oilThe obsession with olive oil in Italy is akin tothe worship of wine in France. The best oliveoil is extra-virgin, in which the olives arehand-gathered, and the acidity must notexceed one per cent of the weight. I’drecommend having two to hand – a highquality extra-virgin, preferably Ligurian orTuscan, to use for dressing salads andcooked foods, and a standard olive oil, with alighter flavor, that is more suitable forcooking. Don’t scrimp on price with theextra-virgin, you’ll be rewarded with flavour!

Sardinian saffronAn essential for Risotto Milanese.

Many of us now have our own little herbgarden on our windowsill, so try to have thefollowing on hand at all times…

BasilA potted basil plant can be found on thewindowsill of many an Italian kitchen. Thepungent, heady aroma of fresh basilinstantly makes me think of a deliciousinsalata caprese.

ParsleyParsley is also well suited to a pot on thewindowsill. It is very easy to grow andmaintain. Always grow the flat-leavedItalian parsley, rather than the old-fashioned curly variety.

RosemaryRosemary can easily be grown indoors,although it is more commonly foundoutdoors. Having no garden, I have beenknown to carry scissors with me and lop offa few branches of an overgrown bush nearmy house when no-one is looking! Indoorrosemary plants require plenty of space,fresh air and light.

Bay leavesFresh bay can be hard to obtain, so unlessyou’re lucky enough to have your own tree,dried bay leaves are an acceptablealternative.

SageFresh sage is best for Italian cooking. It will grow easily on the windowsill or inthe garden.

Herbs and spices

From the storecupboard

Fresh produce

The

KitchenEileen Dunne shares her kitchen essentials


Irish Independent

10

If it wasn’t for the sun streamingdown out of the clear, blue Dublinsky, David Izzo would look a little outof place. He has the deep tan, thestylish clothes and the wraparound

Dolce&Gabbana shades that only an Italiancan get away with; so, how does he copewith our soggy Irish summers? “It isdifficult, especially when the summers areterrible, like this year,” he says as we sipespresso on a surprisingly sunny Septemberday, “that is when I long for Italy.”

And who can blame him, for David wasborn near St Peter’s in Rome – where thesun always seems to shine – and spent hissummer holidays on his mother’s farm inPuglia in the south of Italy, wheretemperatures soar into the forties. And it washere on the farm nestled in the heel of Italy,that David’s love of Italian food was born.

“We had our own vineyards and wouldmake our own wine, pasta and pomodoro(tomato sauce),” says David. He remembersaccompanying the men out of the housebefore dawn to pick ripe tomatoes and loadthem onto a trailer. “We would wash themand put them in this huge pot where theywere cooked under giant gas rings.”David’s eyes roll as he recalls theexperience. “It was the smell of MotherEarth. My grandmother’s house was full oftomatoes that were as red as hell and wewould take fresh bread, mash the tomatoesinto it and dress with our own homemadeolive oil. We called it bombette rosse – itwas really the mother of the bruschetta.”These early influences stayed with Davidwhen he came to work with Eileen andStefano in Dublin, helping them open andoperate a string of highly successfulrestaurants. “Our success always dependedfirst and foremost on the food – on reliablysourced produce.”

They opened La Corte in December 1999and Bar Italia in October 2000. “It was slowat first but by March Bar Italia was rocking

with everyone from judges to studentsqueuing to get in. Stefano was a brilliantcook and he prepared wonderful dishesthat the customers loved. We had great staffand everything was just about perfect.”

Another Bar Italia was opened in theIFSC in 2001, and yet another on OrmondQuay in 2004, followed by Nonna Valentinain Portobello, and L’Officina restaurants inDundrum, Kildare and then Arnotts Projectin the Jervis Centre. Now David and hispartners are entering the next phase.

“We are now making our own tarts,cakes, biscuits, sweets, bread and pasta andwant to become self-sufficient,” Davidexplains, adding that they started using BarItalia as a workshop where they couldexperiment. “We started with makingpizzas using only natural ingredients likeslow-rising dough that makes the pizzaeasier to digest.”

The ethos of the restaurant group hasalways been to use only the very bestingredients and making their own producehelps considerably in this regard. “Whenwe make our own pizzas or pasta we cancontrol the quality, ensuring that only thevery best product is served.”

The group started making their ownbread and pizza dough and followed that up

“WE ARE NOW MAKING OUROWN TARTS, CAKES,

BISCUITS, SWEETS, BREADAND PASTA AND WANT TO

BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT””

A Taste of ItalyDavid Izzo, the business partner of Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi, has his rootsin Rome but his heart and home in Dublin. Here he talks to Kevin Flanagan about

growing up in Italy and bringing the taste of Italy to Ireland

Bringing

ItalyIrelandto

Irish Independent

11


with their own biscuits, cakes and nowfresh pasta. “The reaction of the customershas been just great and everything weproduce is in big demand. For example, weoriginally started selling around 20 cakes aweek and now that has climbed to over 200,

while at Bar Italia on Ormond Quay westarted serving 30 pizzas a week and nowwere are doing between 600 and 700! Ourpizzas are renowned for being light andeasy to digest – they do not sit on thestomach making you feel heavy; while the

cheese we use is real mozzarella and not theprocessed cheese most pizza manufacturesuse. In the end the customer notices andwe’ve the reputation for having one of thebest pizzas in Dublin.”

David now sees a future where not only

will they be self-sufficient but supplyingothers as well. “Our dream is to eventuallysell to customers anywhere in the world. Inthe meantime we want to keep ourcustomers happy and we do that by givingthem a real taste of Italy.”

The bakery produces its very own bread and biscotti

Ferrarelle Spa is the leadingsparkling water brand in Italy,thanks to their signature product,Ferrarelle mineral water.Thousands of years of expertise in

sourcing water means that Ferrarelle is anaturally sparkling mineral water with anunmistakeable personality.

Italian people have been enjoyingFerrarelle water since 1893, and to this daythey still choose it for its unique and livelytaste. The uniqueness comes from preciousmineral salts and delicate natural bubbles,the trademark of this brand of water.

The unmistakable taste of Ferrarelle is anatural gift, resulting from a long journeythrough volcanic rock which lasts over 10years, naturally carbonating the water.Thanks to its bicarbonate and calcium,drinking Ferrarelle from the very start ofyour meal allows you to fully enjoy yourfood without it giving you the full feeling ofother carbonated drinks.

Ferrarelle is a uniquely Italian product andis as distinct as any Italian made wine. Whencoupling mineral water with Italian food andfood from around the world, it is important

to recognise some of the properties ofcarbonated and still waters. By drinking astill water which is poor in mineral salts, youwill notice its neutrality by the slightly bitterand astringent taste. Water with a lowermineral salt content is characterized byfullness and roundness, with stronger tonesof either saltiness or sweetness.

Sparkling waters that have carbondioxide added to them unnaturally areimmediately recognisable by the amountof large bubbles producing a sour taste.Ferrarelle natural mineral waterdistinguishes itself from other brandsby being the only water that isnaturally sparkling, thanks to thenatural gases added at the source.There fine bubbles create the perfectbalance with the dissolved mineralsalts leaving a gentle and velvetysparkling sensation.

Ferrarelle Water is of such a highstandard and unique taste that theInternational Taste and QualityInstitute gave it three stars in the 2007Superior Taste Awards, recognising it asa superior product.

FerrarelleSponsor’s Feature

UnmistakableWater,

Personality


12

Irish Independent

Italy is the cradle of wine, home tosome of the oldest wine-producingregions in the world. It was theEtruscans and Greek settlers that firstbegan producing wine in Italy, long

before the Romans started developing theirown vineyards in the second century BC.

With such an incredible background inwine production, it is little wonder thatItaly has more local grape varieties than anyother country. Italy’s Ministry ofAgriculture and Forestry has granted over350 grapes authorised status, while thereare more than 500 other documented grapevarieties as well!

Italy’s 20 wine regions correspond to the20 political regions, with each region’scuisine reflecting its own unique nativewines. Italy has 36 DOCG wines, located in13 different regions, but most areconcentrated in Piemonte and Tuscany.DOCG – Denominazione di OrigineControllata e Garantita – is a designationguaranteeing that the wines are producedlocally and from local grapes. Among theseare famous appellations sought by winelovers worldwide such as Barolo,Barbaresco, Brunello and Chianti Classico.

There are over 20 major red grapevarieties in Italy, among the mostimportant being Sangiovese – the majorgrape of Chianti and the very popular‘Super Tuscan’ wines; the Nebbiolo grape,from which Barolo and Barbaresco aremade; and the Barbera grape, which

produces a lighter red wine. When it comesto white wines, arguably the mostimportant Italian grape is Pinot Grigio,which produces a classic, crisp wine thathas won acclaim around the world.

It is not unusual for Italy to find itself atthe top of many wine-related lists, as it isone of the largest producers, exporters andconsumers of wine in the world. In 2005,production was about 20 per cent of theglobal total, second only to France, whichproduced 26 per cent.

The Wonder of

ItalianWine

Quality control A guide to Italianwine labelsm Vino da Tavola – Table Wine m IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) –

Typical Geographic Indication m DOC (Denominazione di Origine

Controllata) – Appellation ofControlled Origin

m DOCG (Denominazione di OrigineControllata e Garantita) –Appellation of Controlled andGuaranteed Origin

m Classico (Classic) – is a wineproduced in the most typical andrenowned area of the appellation.

m Superiore (Superior) – is wine thathas a percentage of alcohol byvolume higher than the normalrequirement for the appellation.

m Riserva (Reserve) – is a wine thatwent through a longer agingprocess than the normalrequirement for the appellation. A‘Riserva’ requires a minimum oftwo years’ aging and has usuallybeen aged for three to five years.

”ITALY’S 20 WINE REGIONSCORRESPOND TO THE 20

POLITICAL REGIONS, WITHEACH REGION’S CUISINE

REFLECTING ITS OWNUNIQUE NATIVE WINES. ITALY

HAS 36 DOCG WINES,LOCATED IN 13 DIFFERENT

REGIONS, BUT MOST ARECONCENTRATED IN

PIEMONTE AND TUSCANY.

Dunne & Crescenzi offer well over 200 carefully selected wines from across Italy

13


Irish Independent

1) Barbaresco fromPiemonte:

“Piemonte is one of the bestwine-producing areas in Italy.

A DOCG label guarantees thatthe wine can only be producedin that region. Barbaresco goeswell with meat and cheese as theflavour is light but intense.Expect to pay around €28 abottle. For something a littlecheaper try a Barbera D’Alba fromthe same region at around €14. Itis a younger wine but goes wellwith main meat and pasta courses.My grandmother and father drankit every night!”

2) Vino Nobile di Montepulcianofrom Tuscany:“Tuscany is the other great wine-producing area in Italy, accounting forover 50 per cent of Italian award-winning wines. This Bindella VinoNobile di Montepulciano is 100 percent Sangiovese matured in Frenchoak and has great tannins, withblackberry and red rose hints lacedwith tobacco and leather – spectacular!It is great with red meat, game andmushroom dishes or aged cheese likecheddar or Italian pecorino. Expect topay around €17 a bottle.”

3) Prosecco di Valdobbiadene fromthe Veneto:“This sparkling white wine comes fromthe hilly region around Venice and is lightand fruity. Dunne & Crescenzi was one ofthe very first restaurants in Ireland toserve Prosecco by the glass and I wastaken aback by how much our customersloved it. People often ask what thedifference between Prosecco andChampagne is and I always answer thatProsecco is less bitter and easier on thepalate and, of course, much cheaper.Expect to pay around €18 a bottle (dutyand VAT account for about half of that). Ilove a glass at the start of a meal – servevery cold from a 5-6°C fridge.”

5) Greco di Tufo from Campania:“This white wine comes from the ancientRoman grape developed in the Tufo areain rich, volcanic soil over 2,000 yearsago. It produces a very intense colourand bright golden shimmer. I’d highlyrecommend it with risotto as its light,fruity tones really help the risotto melt inthe mouth without overpowering thetaste. Expect to pay around €23 a bottle.”

6) Pinot Grigio from Trentino-Alto Adige:“This white grape is incredibly versatile,growing particularly in the northeastregion of Italy in an area that stretchesfrom the hills to the valleys. The variety oflandscape means the structure and tasteof the wine varies accordingly. I find themore you chill Pinot Grigio the better theflavour! I would always favour a smallproducer like Cormòns, or Abbazia diNovacella – a wine made by monks in abeautiful church on top of a mountain – orwines produced by Edmund Mach of theIstituto San Michele. Pinot Grigio goes wellwith fish or pasta with a light sauce.Expect to pay from €12 to €20.”

4) Salice Salentino Rosso DOCReserva from Puglia:“This wine comes from the heel of Italy inthe south: the great flat area of land thatproduces some of our greatest Italianfood and wine. The intense summer sunhere produces intense wines but the factthat the vineyards are close to the seameans the grapes benefit from coolingcoastal breezes. Serve this wine at roomtemperature with ragu, roast chicken ordishes with bacon. Expect to pay around€28 a bottle.”

With so many varieties tochoose from, selecting an Italianwine can seem a daunting task,so we asked Stefano Crescenzito suggest six of the most popular wines to start you on your journey of discovery.

Best!6 of theWine-growing in Italy is uniquein that the country’s wine-producing regions stretch fromthe snow-covered Alps in thenorth down to the hot, dry plainsof Sicily in the south, where thevineyards are almost within sightof the African coast! Thisgeographical stretch means thereare many different micro-climates, terroir and growingconditions, leading to anincredible variety of wines. Andas Italy is a relatively narrowcountry, the sea is never far way,bringing with it cooling offshorewinds that have a beneficialeffect on the differing varietiesof grapes.

Valle D’Aosta

Piemonte

Lombardia

Veneto

Emilia-Romagna

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Liguria

Toscana

Umbria

Lazio

Campania

Basilicata

Le Marche

Abruzzo

Molise

Puglia

Calabria

Sicilia

Sardegna

Italy’s Wine Regions

Istituto Agrario San Michele All'Adige Trentino Pinot GrigioBindella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

BAVA Barbaresco DOCG Astoria Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

Cantine due Palme Salice Salentino Rosso DOC Riserva

Greco di Tufo dei Feudi di San Gregorio

Ah! L’amore…

a wonderful wineexperience


14

Irish Independent

The Bindella family have been inthe wine trade in Switzerland forover 100 years. However, sincetheir purchase of the Vallocaiaestate in the province of Siena,

Italy, in 1984, they have also become aleading force in the wine trade of thatregion. Regarded as a producer of the finestwines and olive oil, Bindella’s motto, terravite vita, highlights their close bond with theearth, respect for nature and zest for life.

Beginning with only 12 hectares ofvineyard, Vallocaia now extends over 93hectares (230 acres), and produces 120,000bottles of wine per year, including suchwonderful varieties as Sangiovese (knownas Prugnolo Gentile in Montepulciano),Canaiolo nero, Colorino, Mammolo,Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, aswell as white varieties such as Malvasia,

Trebbiano, and Sauvignon Blanc. The low-yield farming techniques used on theVallocaia estate strengthen the grapes,which creates the highly concentrated andintense flavours that Bindella is famous for.

Always looking to develop and moveforward, Bindella will be launching a newtop wine next spring, a delightful merlot,100 per cent IGT Toscana, Antenata 2007,while to celebrate Vallocaia’s 25thanniversary this year, new labels weredesigned for all their quality wines. Thesenew labels allow the wine itself to take centrestage, while still emphasising the commonancestry of Vallocaia’s quality wines.

Bindella’s wines are available in selectedcountries in Europe, as well as the USA,Canada and Japan. Better still, why not visitVallocaia and truly experience all that thisspecial estate has to offer.

Terra Vite Vita!

a wonderfulwine experience

Bindella

Sponsor’s Feature

I’m having a love affair. With Italianfood. You can easily nip across to Italy– Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) still docheap flights, from Milano in theNorth right down to Alghero in

Sardinia, while Aer Lingus(www.aerlingus.com) will take you intocrazy, beautiful Naples or down to Cataniain Sicily.

Go to Piedmont in autumn, famous forits wine and truffles. Think velvety Barolosand divine whites like Gavi or Cortese.You’ll have your antipasto at lunch, a platestuffed with the best salami and hams,stuffed vegetables, little omelettes andfabulous cheeses. In the south of the region,try the bollito misto, a dish of mixed boiledmeats with a beautifully balanced flavour,or the traditional brasato, meat such asbeef, pork or rabbit cooked super-slowly inwhite wine. Delicious! Liguria is thechampion of pesto, a sauce of basil, garlic,parsley, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil –made faintingly fresh, and not remotelyresembling the jarred version. Theirburrida, a hearty fish soup, is to die for.

Further down, the food in Tuscany issuperb, with traditional regional cookingusing pulses as their staple; try them in oneof the local agriturismi, where the foodserved is grown on their land. You will not

taste better food than in an agriturismo, andthey are all overItaly. Don’t leaveTuscany withoutyour panforte, aspecial cake givenat Christmas, andgrab a few bottlesof Chianti orMontepulciano. Itwould be rude not to.

The robustcooking in theLazio region willsweep you off yourfeet – traditionalRoman cookinguses cheaper cuts ofmeat, as well asoffal, and theflavours are superb.Think gnocchi allaromana, usuallyserved with gratedcheese and butterand browned in the oven, or rigatoni allapajata, pasta tubes served with an exquisitesauce of veal intestines, parsley, oil, garlic,white wine, tomatoes and peppers. Furthersouth, in Campania, you’ll get all the

delightsassociated with aMediterraneandiet: robustlyflavoursomevegetables, oils,meats, fish andpasta. Pizza? Ifyou haven’t triedit in Naples thenyou’ve never tried

it. Pizza in Naples is a religious experience.In Apulia, the recipes are perfectly simple:why dress up some of the best seafood inItaly with sauces? We’re talking fresh, salty,tasty… heavenly. In Sicily, try the salted

ricotta and the big fat olives. Don’t forgetabout Sardinia, famous for their pecorinoand rich Cannonau. There are 20 regions inItaly, and don’t stop eating until you’ve beento every one – each of them has a gorgeousregional speciality waiting to be devoured.

The Gourmet Traveller is offering you achance to visit some of these Italiangourmet havens next spring. There will becooking classes in Rome with Eileen Dunneand vineyard tours, as well as visits tosome of Eileen's favourite restaurants.For details contact the Gourmet Travellerat [email protected]

Gourmet Traveller

Ed Finn on the fantastic food of Italy

Ah! L’amore…

A Woman’s Business

is to Nurture

15


Irish Independent

Called upon to speak at a Womenin Business conference withMeath County Enterprise Board,Eileen Dunne drew on her ownbusiness experience as an

inspiration to other women who werestarting out.

Unwilling to paint herself as anyone outof the ordinary, nevertheless she is so.Taking formidable characters like MaryRobinson and Hilary Clinton as her owninspiration, Eileen’s success in business is ahuge motivation to others starting out,especially women. Work and family gotogether hand-in-hand for Eileen, andthere has never been a question ofsacrificing one for the other.

“Like a mother is protective of herchildren, I nurture my business,” saysEileen, one half of the dynamic couple whomasterminded the Dunne & Crescenziempire.

Business and family life are intertwined,the two blending into Eileen’s lifeseamlessly. “Women instinctively approachbusiness with a caring attitude,” Eileencontinues. Of course, any businesspersoncares deeply about what they do. As well asthe requisite hard work and determination,it is this passion that makes a business trulysuccessful. Eileen came back to Irelandfrom Italy in 1995 with a 14-year-old sonand three younger kids aged four, three andtwo respectively. With her husbandStefano, she proceeded to build up abusiness empire, combining work andfamily life with aplomb.

“It was a juggle, with small kids and ateenager,” Eileen admits. “But being inbusiness is a hugely positive thing for yourchildren. If they are part of your work, youdiscuss it at home, and they work in it as theyget older, it brings you closer. And they excelin school at any business-related subjects!”

The word ‘choice’ grates on Eileen.“There is the typical guilt of the workingmother. Will it be family or business? But itdoesn’t have to be a choice between the two.Family can be business, and a familybusiness is probably the best there is.”

There is a part of Eileen that believes thatnot working is an opt-out. She is passionateabout education and equality in theworkplace, whilst acknowledging that suchequality can be difficult for women inIreland. “The government doesn’t make iteasy on working parents,” she says,referring to the lack of adequate, affordablecrèche facilities in Ireland. “In ourcompany last year, four of our fully trainedstaff fell pregnant and none of them wereable to come back. The reason they couldn’tcome back was because the crèches weretoo expensive and they couldn’t afford towork.” But women have invested ineducation, Eileen points out, and they mustbring their talents to fruition. For her, itboils down to this: women cannot expect to

have an equal say in society if they don’tplay an active role in society.

What does it mean, then, having afamily, looking after kids? “Kids are part offamily, family is part of society, and weshould bring them up as such. Not as a littleisolated nucleus,” she asserts.

Today things are different for women.Household duties and childcare are secondnature to men. Younger men have seen theirmothers go out to work and play a muchmore active role in domesticity. “My sonsare great,” says Eileen proudly. “They cook,clean, do the laundry. Very enlightened!”

She still deals with her fair share of maleego in the restaurant business. “It seemsabsurd in 2009, but it’s true. Be it otherrestaurant owners, suppliers, staff, therestaurant world is very male. Sometimes Ihave to say things three times to get the

message through, while Stefano just has tolook at someone.”

Irish men are different. “I think theyhave a certain kind of admiration forwomen in business. But you don’t comeacross enough Irish women in business. Igo to meetings with financiers, solicitors,accountants and it is pretty much male-dominated,” she says.

Eileen feels that women have to worktwice as hard to get to these positions. Andshe knows that women will.

“I always tell my daughters what mymother said to me. Every woman should befinancially independent. It is so important.You can only really realise your potential ifyou pursue what you love and what you arepassionate about. You can be a goodmother, a good wife, and still have yourcareer. You must pursue a career. WomenCAN have it all!”

is to

“BUT BEING IN BUSINESS IS AHUGELY POSITIVE THING FORYOUR CHILDREN. IF THEY ARE

PART OF YOUR WORK, YOUDISCUSS IT AT HOME, ANDTHEY WORK IN IT AS THEY

GET OLDER, IT BRINGS YOUCLOSER. AND THEY EXCEL IN

SCHOOL AT ANY BUSINESS-RELATED SUBJECTS!”

”

NurtureA Woman’s Business

Jacqueline Strawbridge speaks toEileen Dunne about combining workand family life


Sponsor’s Feature

16

When you think of Dublininstitutions, there are twonames that shouldcertainly spring to mind:Arnotts, part of the

capital’s shopping scene for generations,and Dunne & Crescenzi, the restaurant thatbrought Italy to Ireland like never before.Now, the two iconic brands have joinedtogether in a new departure: Arnotts Projectat the Jervis Centre.

Jervis is one of Dublin’s best-lovedshopping centres, in the heart of the city’sshopping district, and Arnotts Project puts anew twist on this old favourite – quirky,funky and urban, Arnotts Project is fourfloors and 90,000sqft of classy designerlabels, up-to-the-minute ladies’ and men’sfashions, and essential accessories for youand your home. This is the upper end of fastfashion – a department store that wouldn’tfeel out of place in London or New York!

It’s no surprise that L’Officina by Dunne& Crescenzi should be found here –because it too is a new twist on an oldfavourite. L’Officina at Arnotts Project isthe third and most recent incarnation ofthis latest D&C venture.

“L’Officina was the next step in theevolution of our restaurants,” says StefanoCrescenzi. “A l’officina is where you changeor improve something – in our case Italianfood. It is a laboratory of sorts. We haveinherited this great Italian culinarytradition and we wanted to help it evolve tothe next stage, so we created a settingwhere we could enhance and improve thegreat Italian dishes.”

Refined and exuding that classic D&Cstyle, L’Officina is also thoroughly modern,chicly designed by Gottstein Architects andbuilt by John McKenna Builders. Thedesigners focussed on creating a restaurantenvironment which provided acounterpoint to the shopping experience,with dark tones and soft colours invitingyou in after a few hours of bargain hunting.There’s great value to be had at L’Officinatoo, with a bowl of pasta and a glass ofSicilian house wine or Bruschetta and aBellini Cocktail for €12. Pop in for breakfastand for €3.50 you can enjoy excellent Italiancoffee or tea and a pastry.

A walk through Arnotts ProjectD&C’s stylish new restaurant sits infashionable surroundings. On the samefloor you’ll be tempted by brands likeWarehouse, Derhy, St Martins, Oasis, FrenchConnection and edc by Esprit. The floor aboveis where you’ll find all your homewareessentials – from gorgeous beds and linento kitchen necessities – along with hipclothes for kids from Mexx and Ladybird.

The ground floor at Arnotts Project isgirly-treat heaven, with make-up from allthe top brands like Lancôme, Chanel and

Ben Murnane paid a visit to Dunne &Crescenzi’s newest venture at ArnottsProject in the heart of Dublin

L’OfficinaArnotts ProjectJervis Centre Dublin 1Tel: (01) 814 8933

Visit Arnotts Project online atwww.arnottsproject.ie, followArnotts Project on Twitter (@arnottsproject), email [email protected] or call (01) 805 0400

L’Officinaat Arnotts

Project

Clinique, along with delicious bags, shoesand accessories from Friis & Company andGuess. On the lower ground floor (LG),brands like Desigual, Lipsy, Diesel, Levis and

Superdry mean that the latest trends can allbe found here.

Bright, full of space to browse, andimpressively and eclectically designed,Arnotts Project is adding to the heritage ofArnotts, while creating a new urban andcontemporary offering – just as L’Officinais adding to and redefining the legacy ofDunne & Crescenzi. They’re perfectpartners, right in the centre of Dublin City.

DesigningL’OfficinaFor Gottstein Architects thechallenge with L’Officina at ArnottsProject was to create a beautifulrestaurant in a commercial setting.Intimate, warm and welcomingspaces were created through thedesign and placement of the threemain ‘theatrical events’: the cafécentre island, the kitchen pod andthe banquette seating. The darktonal qualities and reduced paletteof materials used, create a calmingambiance, in contrast to the brightlylit, visually stimulating spaces ofArnotts Project and the surroundingshopping centre. And all this makesL’Officina a place where you candine and converse in comfort.

L’Officina at Arnotts Project, designed byaward-winning Gottstein Architects

Cooking the perfect pasta!

17


Irish Independent

Cooking the

Stefano Crescenzishows KevinFlanagan the secretsof cooking pasta thereal Italian way

perfect pasta!

PASTA IS THE ARTISTIC,CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL

FOOD OF ITALY”Can you tell the difference betweenyour calamaretti and cannelloni?Or cook pasta al dente? I spent anevening with Stefano Crescenzi,watching the maestro cook pasta

to perfection. He even showed me how toturn last night’s cold pasta remains into amouth-watering hot supper!

Pasta comes in two basic styles: dried andfresh. Dried pasta is made without eggs andcan be stored for up to two years. Freshpasta is made with eggs and will only keepfor a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Where to buy your pastaStefano suggests you always buy pasta madein Italy. “They use the right combination offlour and the standards are so high thatItalian pasta will never let you down.”Expect to pay around €3 for a kilo for basicand up to €6 a kilo for artisan pasta.

What pasta shape to buyThere are hundreds of pasta shapes to

choose from, reflecting the culinary andartistic imagination of the country. Theshape of the pasta you choose shouldcompliment the sauce in terms of taste andtexture. For example, linguine pasta workswell with seafood while tagliatellecompliments ragu.

How to cook pasta 1. Use a generous quantity of water; say,

two and a half litres for five people, in alarge saucepan. Boil the water, addingone heaped tablespoon of coarse salt.Do not add olive oil – it is myth that itkeeps the pasta apart.

2. Use 100g of pasta per person and placein the boiling water allowing it to swim.You have to control the heat and slowlyreduce it so it does not over boil but itmust not go off the boil either.

3. Stir and taste after seven or eightminutes and check salt levels. Then as itapproaches the cook time on thepackage try a strand of pasta. It must beal dente – that means you have to bitethrough it and it’s not mushy! Trycutting a strand with a knife. If it’s whitein the centre it’s not cooked – it shouldbe yellow.

4. Prepare a colander and place in the sink(it must have the right size holes for yourpasta). Drain carefully into the colander,making sure not to splash any boilingwater.

5. Immediately mix the pasta with thesauce in a bowl. Mix with two spoons,lifting the pasta up and through thesauce.

6. Serve the entire bowl at the tableimmediately so people can helpthemselves as they like.

7. Dress with parmesan grated fine likepowder (Italians never add parmesan tofish dishes).

How to cook leftover pasta For short pasta – pasta al fornom Take from the fridge the day after. It

may look a bit dried up so sprinkle witholive oil once you have placed it on aglass oven tray.

m Chop some fresh mozzarella into cubes(50g per person) and sprinkle onto thepasta. Add a small slab of butter (to taste).

m Put in a 220°C preheated oven for 15minutes until all the butter and cheesehas melted.

For long pasta – frittata di pastam Place your long pasta leftovers (like

spaghetti Bolognese) into a frying panand cook with olive oil till crisp andcrunchy.

m Try mixing in a couple of eggs. Make surethey do not stick and flip twice whencooked. This is called frittata di pasta andis a fantastically tasty and complete food– full of proteins and carbs.

A brief guide to pastaBavetteThin, flat strands similar to linguine,delicious with pesto Genovese.BucatiniThick spaghetti with a fine holerunning through the centre; goeswith all'amatriciana (pancetta andtomato sauce).FusilliSpiral pasta that makes a great coldpasta salad.GnocchiItalian dumplings. Use with ragu ortry the delicious gnocchi gorgonzola enoci (dumplings with gorgonzolacheese and walnut).LasagneEgg pasta sheets usually pre-cookedand then dried. An essentialingredient in all types of lasagne,from traditional ragu to D&C’sdelicious smoked salmon andspinach variety.LinguineThin like spaghetti, but flat. Thename means ‘little tongues’. Usewith pesto or seafood – e.g. linguinealle vongole (clams).Orrecchiette‘Little ears’, divine with broccoli esalsicce (broccoli and sausages).PaccheriSquare tubes, use for most freshfish dishes.PenneHollow short pasta tubes, great forarrabiata sauces or smoked salmonand cream.RavioliEgg pasta filled with such delightsas spinach, meat, fish, ricotta orpungent cheese, or even pumpkin. RigatoniHollow pasta great for absorbingtomato sauce, with pepperoni orpancetta.SpaghettiUse with fish, ragu (meat-basedsauce such as Bolognese), carbonara,pomodoro, aglio olio peperoncino(olive oil, garlic and chilli). It is themost difficult pasta to cook as it canglue easily and is difficult to mixwith the sauce.StrozzapretiThe name in Italian means ‘priestchoker’! Terrific with cozze e zucchine(mussels and courgettes).TagliatelleLong egg pasta strands, each around7mm wide, that form into a bird’snest. A very delicate pasta thatcompliments Bolognese or wildmushroom and white wine sauce.

wholesale Success


Irish Independent

18

At a time when olive oil was ascarce commodity in Ireland, ashop opened in Ranelagh thatwould become an essential stopfor lovers of Italian food in

Dublin and beyond.Established by Ken and Catriona Norton

in the early ’80s, The Best of Italy hasbecome a landmark on Dublin's foodiemap. The shop is a haven for lovers ofItalian food.

The shelves are stocked with storecupboard essentials, like the excellent De

Cecco pasta – the preferreddried pasta of most top chefs– olive oil, tomato passataand a wide variety of biscuitsand sweets that attract themany Italians yearning for ataste of home.

The fridges are a treasuretrove of salamis, cured hamsand Italian cheese at pricesthat are not far off those inany Italian’s localsupermercato. The Best of Italyspecialises in the exotic Italian ingredientsnot usually found on the shelves of yourlocal supermarket.

In response to the demand for Italianfood outside the capital, K&C Norton alsooperate a wholesale company, supplyingrestaurants, hotels, shops, delicatessens andcafes all over the country on a daily basis.

The company wholesales householdbrands such as Peroni beer, De Cecco pastaand Negrini meats to a wide variety ofcustomers in the restaurant sector. Withover 20 years’ experience in the wholesale

food business, K&CNorton are in tunewith the needs anddemands of thishighly competitivesector, offering thebest value in themarket withoutcompromising onquality.

Restaurateurs looking to avail of qualityItalian produce, or amateur cooks armedwith lists of ingredients and memories of

holidays on the Amalfi Coast, need look nofurther than The Best of Italy and K&CNorton Wholesale Foods.

The Best of Italy37 Dunville Avenue Ranelagh Dublin 6Tel: (01) 497 3411Email: [email protected]

K&C Norton Wholesale FoodsUnit 5C Ballymount Trading Estate Ballymount Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 450 3062 Email: [email protected]

Sponsor’s Feature

Excel Linen congratulatesDunne & Crescenzi on their10th Anniversary

Unit 9, Ashbourne Industrial Park, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, IrelandTel: 01 801 0222 International Tel: +353 1 801 0222Fax: 01 801 0999 International Tel: +353 1 801 0999

Email: [email protected]: www.excelllinen.com

Success

K&C Norton:

WholesaleA

Fast Food is Slow Food

19


Irish Independent

Fast FoodSlow Foodis

It’s official. Fast food has gone slow. Or moreaccurately, Eileen Dunne has reclaimed the term.Steer clear of packaged dinners, say goodbye toready-made goujons and embrace the Slow Foodmovement: quickly

“Fast food means putting astew together in themorning while you go offand do other things, andthen heating it up in the

evening,” says Eileen Dunne, one half ofrestaurant whizzes Dunne & Crescenzi.

Think weekends at home, feeding yourfamily well with no fuss. Taking your kidsout for the morning, while a delicious one-pot meal bubbles invitingly on the counterfor a few hours. Make good use of your oven– throwing something together and leavingit to cook slowly produces nourishing, tastymeals that could stand to any dinner partytest. “The idea goes back 50 years, to Italianwomen in the countryside, putting ondelicious stews using game or pulses, alldone before a busy morning working thefields; they’d come back home at lunchtimeand it was ready to eat,” says Eileen.Embrace your inner peasant and serve upwith big hunks of crusty bread for truerustic satisfaction!

Eileen’s Lentil StewThis recipe is so simple, wholesome and justplain tasty. Try Eileen’s variations too, orexperiment yourself!

Ingredients:

500g puy lentils (the best are Umbrianfrom Castellucci)

1 carrot

1 stick celery

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

11tsp chilli flakes

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

350g fresh cherry tomatoes

In Italy, you would serve these stewswith big pieces of chunky bread. Youcould also serve with a nice bigsalad, made with string beans. Cookthe string beans al dente (but nottoo crunchy) and while they arewarm, drizzle olive oil and a spoonof balsamic vinegar onto them.These are great served cold as well.

Rabbit StewYou can buy rabbit easily in any butcher inDublin, skinned and ready to go – this is one of Eileen’s favourite dishes, a truly rusticItalian meal.

Ingredients:

Rabbit, chopped into 8 pieces

4 skinned chicken legs

Rosemary

3 cloves garlic

Glass of dry white wine

250g cherry tomatoes


Salt and pepper

Method:It’s great to mix rabbit with chicken tomellow the flavour of the rabbit.

For the stew, put some nice garlic in apan with four tablespoons of extra-virgin

olive oil. Seal the rabbit and chicken meatthen add the cherry tomatoes. After twominutes add the white wine, then coverand simmer slowly for two hours.

Why not try…Change the rabbit recipe slightly to make atraditional cacciatore. Instead of the wine,use vinegar – put in around fourtablespoons, add olives, and if you like,some anchovies.

It’s also delicious if you put rabbit in theoven, with two legs of chicken; kids willprefer that as it’s a little bit milder. Addloads of rosemary, garlic and olives to it aswell, and place in the oven.

To Serve

TipBalsamic vinegar is more versatile thanyou think – you can use it everywhere!Try it on steak, marinating it with wholepeppercorns. As well as on salads, put iton your vegetables for extra flavour.

Method:Put lentils into a pot with the carrot, celery,onion, plenty of water and salt. Boil themfor an hour and a half. (They’re still lovely ifyou eat them like this, with a little olive oilthrown on top).

Then put garlic, chilli and oil in a pan,along with some fresh cherry tomatoes, andthen throw the lentil mix on top of this.

Why not try…Add Italian sausage to this basic lentil stewrecipe – delicious. Or you can substitutelentils for chickpeas.

“It’s not hard to leave chickpeas steepingthe night before. Just before you go to bed,it will take you two minutes. Next morning,I throw them in a big pot of water withonion, celery, carrot and rosemary andleave them boiling while I get ready. Iswitch it off before I go and then finish itlater that evening,” says Eileen, whocombines a busy working life with bringingup a large family.

When the chickpeas are cooked, take outhalf of them and liquify; in another pot heatwater for pasta and cook it (use short pastaor broken spaghetti). With the chickpeasthat you’ve blitzed, fry them in garlic, thenthrow the pasta and the other chickpeas inon top of that. Super-tasty!

Recipes

Cherry tomatoes work well with rabbit

Beautiful fresh herbs for stew

Organic Quality Foods

Cooking the

Italian Way


20

Irish Independent

Italian Ragu with a Dublin TwistServes 6-8Ingredients:1kg of Irish aged steak, minced200g uncooked bacon 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped2 sticks celery with leaves finely chopped1 large white onion, finely chopped2 tins Italian plum tomatoes, roughlychopped1 glass Italian red wine2tbsp olive oilSalt and freshly ground black pepperBasil leavesMethod:m Gently heat the olive oil in a

large saucepanm Add the garlic and onion and gently fry

for approx five minutes until soft m Cut up and add the bacon and fry for

three to four minutesm Add the mince bit by bit and sealm Add the canned tomatoes, wine and

basil leaves and season generously andbring to boil

m Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer andleave for around 90 minutes or until ithas reduced down by a third to give awonderful rich meaty sauce

m Ideally allow to cool for an hour andthen reheat; a ragu improves its taste ifallowed to stand

To servePut on your pasta 10 minutes before youwant to dine and after draining mix in theragu sauce thoroughly before putting theentire pot on the table where people canserve themselves. Sprinkle with freshlygrated parmesan cheese to taste and enjoy!

Kevin Flanagan bravely decides to cook Italian ragu for restaurateurs StefanoCrescenzi and Eileen Dunne, but has hebitten off more than they can chew?

Cooking Italian Way

Call me stupid, call me foolhardy,but I had been entertained sooften by husband and wife teamEileen Dunne and StefanoCrescenzi that I decided to

return the favour and cook them atraditional Italian ragu in my apartment.There was only one problem: when I hadcooked ragu before it had always turned outtoo wet and more like a stew than anythingelse, while also being a little too bland.

Eileen had some useful advice for me:“Use only Italian produce and the best Irishbeef,” she said, handing me tins oftomatoes from the shelf of Dunne &Crescenzi, along with a big packet ofauthentic Italian pasta, “and let it cook slowand long – that will help bring out theflavour.” I popped into Fallon & Byrne andbought mince made with aged Irish beefand once home took time simmering thesauce, allowing it to reduce.

As things turned out the ragu went downbetter than expected (even Stefano gave itqualified thumbs up). It was still a little too“wet” and needed another half hour ofreduction to intensify the flavour, I wastold, but by the end of the meal my twodiscerning guests had cleared their plates!

EILEEN HAD SOME USEFULADVICE FOR ME: “USE ONLY

ITALIAN PRODUCE AND THEBEST IRISH BEEF””

Recipe

the

John Downey Organic Quality FoodsLtd is a long-established, family-owned award-winning butcheringbusiness specialising in organic meatand game, fine organic wines and

exotic and gourmet game from aroundthe world.

They are the first Irish butchers ever towin Gold and Silver awards at London’sOlympia Great Taste Food Awards in 2003,2004 and 2007, and Gold in Dublin. Thismeant that two of their products, Downey’sCorned Silverside of Beef and Downey’sOriginal Spiced Beef, had the distinction ofbeing named the two best beef products inIreland and the UK.

Whether you are looking for a traditionalcut of meat or something different andexotic, Downey’s is the place to go. As wellas staples like loins of pork, racks of lamb,T-bone steaks, sirloin on the bone, and finerib, Downey’s have the largest selection inIreland of free range organic turkeys, freerange organic chickens, free range duck,free range geese and guinea fowl. Downey’salso offer an incredible selection of exoticmeats including ostrich, kangaroo steaksand crocodile steaks.

Downey’s only deal with the bestofficially recognised and certified organicsuppliers and are a member of the Guild ofFine Food. To complement their meat theystock a selection of organic wines andorganic eggs (which are always in stock).

Downey’s products are produced in one ofthe most hygienic premises in Ireland. Allthe staff have been expertly trained in meatand food hygiene. Downey’s guarantee thattheir organic meats contain no antibiotics,herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilisers orartificial colours – only purely natural food.Their Hazard Analysis & Critical ControlPoints (HACCP) safety system is

independently audited and their productswere shown on RTÉ news with BrianDobson during the BSE crisis in 1990s,highlighting their traceability system.

As well as organic meats, wines and eggs,Downey’s stock a range of other organic

produce, including vegetables and fruitjuices, cereals, honey and jams, spices,sauces and oils.

To learn more about Downey’s productsgo to www.organicfoodsireland.com

“We would like to congratulate Eileen and Stefano ontheir 10th anniversary and wish them every successfor the future.” – John Downey & Son

Organic Quality FoodsJohn Downey & Son

John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods97 Terenure Road East Dublin 6Tel: (01) 490 9239Email:[email protected] Web: www.organicfoodsireland.com

John Downey outside his shop in Terenure

Sponsor’s Feature

21


“Aperfect business is like aperfect marriage,” saysEileen Dunne. “You haveto have commitment,passion and empathy – by

that I mean a feel for your customers, a feelfor your suppliers and what they both want.”

This is advice to be listened to. EileenDunne and Stefano Crescenzi opened 12restaurants in 8 years, and they are stillgoing strong. They both love a challengeand have a huge passion for their product –the ‘Italian experience’.

“Sometimes I think we are on a mission,to deliver the best of everything Italian.Italian food and wine is also a culture, a wayof life. It’s a nicer way of living.”

Letters of praise to Dunne & Crescenzistill give Eileen a ‘high’ – but if she gets anycomplaint at all, she investigates andresponds to it personally. “If something hasupset one of my customers, I want to knowabout it,” says Eileen firmly. It is thisattention to detail that has been one ofDunne & Crescenzi’s biggest secrets tosuccess. “If you want your customer toremain loyal to you, then you have to givethem what they want,” says Eileen.

Loyalty, feels Eileen, plays a key role inbusiness survival. Loyalty within thebusiness plays a huge part too. Eileen feelsvery loyal to her suppliers, especially in theeconomic downturn, and Dunne &Crescenzi is a business firmly committed tosupporting other small businesses.

“We deal with a lot of smaller producersin Italy. We travel a lot, go around the foodfairs, sourcing the best of the best. It givesus great satisfaction to do business with

these people. I also buy an enormousamount of products in Ireland. Our fruit,vegetables and meat are all Irish, and we’reproud of it too!”

A flourishing business like D&C alwayskeeps on top of new trends. As well astaking inspiration from the Italian foodfairs, Eileen is an avid reader of the bestItalian food magazines, such as thedefinitive La Cucina Italiana and Il GamboRosso. “In Italy, there’s a revival at themoment of peasant food, like bean andchickpea stews. All the poshest restaurantsare serving up peasant food!” Nowcustomers in Ireland are demanding evenbetter value for money, which Dunne &

Crescenzi happily provide,with one-plate specials and aglass of wine filling the gapin people’s appetites withoutdraining their pockets of cash.

Most of their chefs are under 35, which isgreat, because they know a lot about newfood trends, as well as traditional methods.“They have a fresh approach to Italian food,and great passion,” which keeps thingslively on the restaurant floor and keepstheir customers eager for more.

Their horizons are forever expanding,with the business now carrying out a study oftheir carbon footprint and how to lessen it,sourcing more ingredients locally, thinking

of ways to cut down onimporting. Stefano would liketo go into the manufacturingside of things and producequality Italian products herein Ireland, such as biscuits,bread and pastry. Already hehas made waves with thesmall bakery at Bar Italia inthe IFSC, where there is ahuge demand for their cakes,biscuits and bread. Thebakery supplies theirrestaurants and thecustomers love it: nopreservatives, no colours ortransfats – guilt-free andgood for you.

“At the moment our plansare to make good what wehave,” says Eileen, owner ofa thriving business empire,modestly.

Running a Restaurantm

Do something new! Find a nichein the market. When we startedout in 1995, people had started totravel. They wanted the kind offood they got abroad at home.We saw a gap in the market toprovide the ‘real’ Italianexperience: authentic, goodItalian food and wine in aninformal atmosphere.

mFind your passion. Our businessgrew out of passion. Weconstantly responded tocustomer demand – in fact, ourcustomers almost led us by thehand in terms of growing ourbusiness. They’d ask about thisItalian cheese, or that pasta, andwe would source it for them.

mCustomers really are king! Wehave the same worries as anyoneelse when the economic climatechanges. But we try to respond toit as best we can – focusing evenmore on our customers, listeningto them, what they want to seeon the menu, how much theywant to spend. That’s how yousurvive. Once you are successful,you still can’t dictate the terms –it is all about the customer.

mWork hard. Work as hard as youcan. You need to be very hands-on with your business, knowexactly what is going on at everylevel. “Standards are high, and Igo round constantly checkingeach outlet,” says Eileen.

mKeep on top of new trends, andbe aware of the competition. InItaly, we keep an eye on what’shappening, new productscoming out, or old ones comingback into fashion.

Dunne &Crescenzi’sBusinessBoosters

the

Irish Independent

D&C Way

Dunne & CrescenziDunne & CrescenziThe 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

Arnotts Project Bindella Wines Excel Linen Ferrarelle Water

– Principle Sponsors –

Caterquip Caterquip are distributors of quality cateringappliances and butchers equipment, such aswater boilers, slicers, mixers, mincers andvegetable processors. With over 30 years’experience in the distribution and service of foodprocessing equipment, Caterquip’s range isrenowned for its performance, reliability andmarket-leading features and technology, tosatisfy the most arduous applications. Unrivalledlevels of customer service and after-sales supportensure that a Caterquip product will providemany years of value for money. No wonder Dunne& Crescenzi trust Caterquip!

The following companies would also like to congratulate Eileen and Stefano on 10 years of success…Associate Sponsors

CaterquipUnit Q19 Greenogue Business Park Rathcoole Co DublinTel: (01) 401 1858 Email: [email protected] Web: www.caterquip.ie

Kish FishAll at Kish Fish would like to congratulate Eileenand Stefano on 10 fantastic years in the restaurantbusiness. Kish Fish have been working with Dunne& Crescenzi for a number of years, supplying thetastiest seafood fresh off the boat. Kish Fish alsosupply every type of fresh and frozen seafood to thepublic at their two retail premises, one in Coolockand one in the heart of Smithfield.

Kish Fish Smithfield 40-42 Bow StreetSmithfield Dublin 7Kish Fish CoolockMalahide Road Industrial Park Coolock Dublin 17Tel: (01) 854 3900Email: [email protected] Web: www.kishfish.ie

Little ItalyWell known as importers of fine Italian food andwine, the Little Italy outlet in Smithfield is open toboth retail and wholesale customers. From yourown kitchen to a professional catering affair, youcan bring a taste of Italian culinary style to bothyour everyday life and to special occasions. Withprivate car parking available and a convenientlocation on the Luas line, drop into Little Italy todiscover this treasure trove of culinary delights.Little Italy and San Pellegrino mineral water wouldlike to wish Eileen and Stefano continued success!Buon Compleanno e cento di questi giorni !!!

Little Italy Ltd139-140 North King StreetDublin 7Tel: (01) 872 5208 / 873 3935Email: [email protected]: www.littleitalyltd.com

Hygiene Management SystemsHygiene Management Systems (HMS) would liketo congratulate Dunne & Crescenzi, wish themcontinued success, and thank them for theircontinued partnership with HMS. HMS isIreland’s leading food safety managementsystems provider and auditor. HMS can offer acomplete programme to ensure a safer foodenvironment, with food safety managementimplementation (HACCP), food hygiene trainingand HACCP workshops, food safety auditprogrammes, and health and safety training andservices. HMS helps you protect your customers,your brand and your reputation.

Hygiene Management SystemsBracetown Business Park Clonee Co MeathTel: (01) 877 2737 / 087 900 6561Email: [email protected] Web: www.hms.ie

MövenpickMövenpick is an award-winning super premiumice cream company with a portfolio of over 30 icecreams and sorbet flavours. These range from theclassic (Vanilla and Green Apple Sorbet) to theenticing (Panna Cotta Raspberry and PassionFruit & Mango Sorbet) to the truly inspirational(Ricotta & Pink Pepper, and Balsamic VinegarSorbet). Mövenpick is distributed in Ireland byLeadmore Ireland Ltd, a family-run business withover 30 years’ experience in the foodserviceindustry. To find out more contact GerardO’Sullivan on (065) 905 1026 or 087 286 3195.

Houseware InternationalHouseware International are the distributors forsome of Europe’s leading tableware collections, vizSchott Zwiesel glassware, Tafelstern chinaware,WMF, Bauscher chinaware and HEPP flatware,supplying some of Ireland’s leading hotels andrestaurants. Houseware are delighted to beassociated with the 10th anniversary of Dunne &Crescenzi and would like to wish Stefano, Eileenand David continued success into the future.

Tel: (01) 825 2860Email: [email protected]: www.houseware.ie

Upton Ryan Chartered AccountantsThe partners and staff at Upton Ryan wish Eileen andStefano and their team warmest congratulations onthe occasion of Dunne & Crescenzi’s 10thanniversary. Upton Ryan commends them on theirsuccess story of sure-footed expansion whilstmaintaining a richly deserved reputation forauthenticity, quality and service and the firm isdelighted to have been associated with Eileen andStefano from the beginning. Upton Ryan provide apersonalised and comprehensive range ofaccounting, taxation and business advisory servicesand they wish Eileen & Stefano and all at Dunne &Crescenzi continued success for the future.

Upton Ryan9 Adelaide Centre Adelaide Road Dublin 2Tel: (01) 478 0044

Gleneely Foods Ltd Gleneely Foods would like to congratulate Dunneand Crescenzi on 10 very successful yearsproviding a flavour of Italy throughout Dublin.Dunne and Crescenzi have always used the finestof Italian ingredients, such as buffalo milkmozzarella, pecorino sheep’s milk cheese, granapadano and taleggio cheese. Gleneely Foods havebeen delighted to supply these and many otherauthentic Italian products over the past 10 years.

Gleneely Foods LtdUnit 5 Kilcarbery ParkNew Nangor RoadClondalkin Dublin 22Tel: (01) 403 0300

GleneelyFoods Ltd

“The best cappuccino in town.”– Nic Mac Innes, international photographer

DUNNE & CRESCENZI • BAR ITALIA • L’OFFICINA

& CrescenziIrish Independent Dunne & CrescenziThe 10th Birthday Celebration

John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods K&C Norton Wholesale Foods Kildare Village Salumi Villani

– Principle Sponsors –

Associate Sponsors The following companies would also like to congratulate Eileen and Stefano on 10 years of success…

Reds: The Hair GroupAlan Bruton, the owner of Reds, was one ofDunne & Crescenzi’s first customers and hecongratulates Eileen and Stefano on their 10 yearsin business. Reds was founded in 1984 by Alanand has consistently been nominated as one ofthe best hair salons in the world since 1990. Redswas the winner of the L’Oréal colour trophy in2000 and has held Schwarzkopf Stylist of the YearAward and Salon of the Year Award in Dublin andIreland since 1990.

REDS on the Green21 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 678 8211 / 678 8213 /678 8214Email: [email protected]: www.redshairgroup.com

Getcover.ieThe management and staff of Getcover.iecongratulate Stefano and Eileen Crescenzi onreaching 10 years in business – Getcover.ie is also10 years’ old this year and has been at the leadingedge of online insurance since its launch. A fullyIrish owned and run company, it is Ireland’slongest established online insurance broker andhas grown over the last 10 years providing homeinsurance from as little as €170 pa and travelinsurance (including specialist ski insurance)from €1.35 per day.

McGrath RefrigerationUnit 1 Greenmount Industrial Estate Harold’s Cross Dublin 12 Ireland Tel: (01) 453 3277Web: www.mcgrathrefrigeration.com

JV Hutton Ltd Insurance BrokersCongratulations to Dunne & Crescenzi on 10successful years from JV Hutton Ltd InsuranceBrokers. Jonathan Hutton has over 25 years ofexperience in insurance broking and Hutton’sknowledge of risk assessment and riskmanagement has given his clients invaluableprotection, enabling them to concentrate on theircore business. Large and small risks receive hispersonal attention. JV Hutton Ltd is regulated bythe Financial Regulator.

JV Hutton Ltd Insurance BrokersCorner HouseMain StreetBlanchardstownDublin 15Tel: (01) 820 3722Email: [email protected]

Zuegg SpaZuegg Spa is proud to participate in this specialanniversary magazine, and would like topersonally thank Eileen Dunne and StefanoCrescenzi for this unique opportunity. Zueggprovides Dunne & Crescenzi with some of theirhigh quality Italian fruit juices, their Skipper200ml glass bottle line. The Skipper range,together with other juices and jams, confirmsZuegg Spa as a main actor in the fruit businessand Zuegg is happy to bring freshness, taste andoriginality to the tables of Irish consumers. Tolearn more about Zuegg contact Xavier Vallet,Export Manager, [email protected].

Dawson JewellersDawson Jewellers congratulate Dunne &Crescenzi on their 10th anniversary and wishthem continued success. Dawson Jewellers have25 years of experience in the selling andmaintenance of some of the most sought-afterwatches on the market, specialising in brands likeRolex, Cartier, Breitling and the world-renownedand exclusive Patek Philippe. As well as sellingwatches, Dawson Jewellers specialise in theirmaintenance and repair and Along with theirexcellent watch repair service, Dawson Jewellersremodel gold jewellery and can advise you on thebest way to take care of any jewellery you have.

Dawson Jewellers 21 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 662 4437

G Duke & Co LtdCongratulations to Dunne & Crescenzi from GDuke & Co Ltd, suppliers of catering accessoriesfor hotels, restaurants and pubs. G Duke & Co Ltdsupplies crockery, glassware and cutlery from top companies such as Rak, Wedgwood andFiggjo, and is a member of the Irish Hotel andCatering Institute.

G Duke & Co LtdUnit 5Greenmount Industrial Estate,Harold’s CrossDublin 12Tel: (01) 454 7877 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gduke.com

McGrath RefrigerationLocated in Harold’s Cross in Dublin, McGrathRefrigeration carries a full range of high qualityrefrigeration products in their vast central distributionwarehouse. In business since 1981, they have beendealing with Dunne & Crescenzi for the last 10 years,supplying them with their specialist equipment suitablefor their high standard of preparation and storage ofItalian foods and ingredients. McGrath Refrigerationimports refrigeration equipment from all over theworld, including the US, China, Japan and Europe.From bottle coolers to meat and deli cabinets, icemakers to wine coolers, McGrath Refrigeration pridesitself on supplying only the highest quality equipment.

G. DUKE & CO. LTD.

NDunne & Crescenzi

Hamper Heaven(www.dunneandcrescenzi.com)

Eileen and Stefano would personally like to thank for their support…

Margaret Jeffers, Good Food Ireland; Sally & JohnMcKenna, Bridgestone; Tom Doorley; GeorginaCampbell; Paolo Tullio, Taste of Ireland; Fodor’sChoice; Lonely Planet; Leading Restaurants; LesRoutiers; Lucinda O’Sullivan’s Great Places to Stay andEat; Ernie Walley; Angela Flannery, Irish Independent;Myles McSweeney …and all our customers

dunne & crescenzi

Documents

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