Dunne & Crescenzi

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Dunne Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration Cooking the Italian Way • Perfect Pasta!

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

Contents

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

Editor’s Welcome Editor’s Welcome

Editor Kevin Flanagan raises a glass with Eileen & Stefano

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Eileen Dunne: The Doyenne of Italian Hospitality

Stefano Crescenzi: The Ambassador of Italian Cooking

The Restaurants of Dunne & Crescenzi – The four jewels in the D&C crown

Let the celebrations begin! was one of Dunne & Crescenzi’s first customers! I was walking past their shop on South Frederick Street over a decade ago when I suddenly smelled this incredible aroma of strong, fresh coffee. I entered and waited patiently while two men conversed animatedly in Italian.

I was served an espresso that made me blink with delight – such was its strength and flavour – and as I sat there listening to the two exotic-sounding Italians I wondered what they were doing in our grey, rainy city. I soon found out, when the man in charge – who turned out to be none other than Stefano Crescenzi – introduced himself. In the following weeks I met his other half, Eileen Dunne, as my trips to Dunne & Crescenzi on South Frederick Street became regular pilgrimages. Soon I was bringing my friends and my colleagues to sample this little bit of Italy in the shadows of Trinity College.

Since that first meeting I have come to know both Stefano and Eileen very well. I have sampled their cooking, interviewed them countless times, and even attempted to cook pasta for them (a nerve-wracking experience)! This magazine is really their story and how they changed the way we eat, drink and enjoy all things Italian. May I raise a glass of Prosecco to them, their family and their business partner David Izzo, and toast their 10th birthday with the words: Here’s to the next 10 years!

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Kevin Flanagan Editor

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Ferrarelle Mineral Water – Unmistakable personality

The Wonder of Italian Wine – Stefano Crescenzi picks six of his favourite Italian wines

Bindella – A wonderful wine experience Ed Finn’s Gourmet Traveller – Visits Italy

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K&C Norton - A wholesale success

Fast Food is Slow Food – Convenience cooking, Italian style

Cooking the Italian Way – Kevin Flanagan makes ragu for the maestros John Downey & Son – Go organic

A BeCreative Production www.becreative.ie

Editor Kevin Flanagan kevin@becreative.ie

Deputy Editors Jacqueline Strawbridge jackie@becreative.ie

Design INM Design Studio studio@production.ie 048 3751 6005

Ben Murnane ben@becreative.ie

Original Photography Nic Mac Innes nicmac@eircom.net Barbara Corsico barbaracorsicophoto@gmail.com

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Contents

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Thank You Thank You

Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi would like to offer a sincere ‘Thank You!’ to the generous sponsors who made Dunne & Crescenzi: The 10th Birthday Celebration possible...

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L’Officina at Kildare Village – Ben Murnane travels to the first D&C restaurant outside Dublin

The Italian Kitchen – Everything an aspiring Italian chef needs

Bringing Italy to Ireland – David Izzo chats about bringing a taste of Italia to Ireland

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

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Hygiene Management Systems John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods John McKenna Builders

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JV Hutton Insurance Brokers

A Woman’s Business is to Nurture – Eileen Dunne on combining work and family

L’Officina at Arnotts Project – D&C’s newest venture sits right in the heart of Dublin

Cooking the Perfect Pasta! – Your quick guide to the quintessential Italian food

K&C Norton Wholesale Foods Kildare Village Kish Fish Little Italy McGrath Refrigeration Mövenpick Reds: The Hair Group Salumi Villani

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Running a Restaurant the D&C Way

Thanking our Sponsors

Image Source www.iStockphoto.com

Advertising Leah Doyle (01) 676 7968 leah@becreative.ie

Repro Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd 27-32 Talbot St Dublin 1

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Upton Ryan Chartered Accountants Zuegg and all our loyal customers

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Eileen

Dunne A The Doyenne of Italian Hospitality

Eileen Dunne is a formidable figurehead at Dunne & Crescenzi and its bustling group of restaurants, her engaging, down-to-earth attitude adds an enticing homespun feel to the enterprise

fter studying fine art in Rome, Eileen served a considerable stint in the UN, before returning to Dublin in 1995 with her husband Stefano. Starting out with a well-regarded shop in Sutton, the rest is the stuff of legend in the heady world of hospitality: 14 years on and 12 restaurants later, Dunne & Crescenzi is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.

Dunne & Crescenzi unashamedly rejoices in all things Italian.

Standing proud in the heart of the city, with a chicly busy outlet in Sandymount, Dunne & Crescenzi fuses incredibly tasty food, a warm, lively atmosphere and typically Italian staff to provide a haven for people in Dublin and beyond. A glance at their customer cross-section says it all: the businessman with his double espresso, the four girls-about-town with their plate of pasta and their bottle of 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 there on your own with a nice plate of salumi and glass of wine, or come in and relax with friends and family,” says Eileen. It is, emphatically, all about the food in Dunne & Crescenzi.

Wholeheartedly championing Italian culture, hearty, traditional food such as grilled polenta with parma ham and good olive oil is served up from an Italian waiter so laidback you feel you’re eating in your own kitchen; while Irish dishes get a look-in with a delicious Italian twist (try the smoked Irish salmon crostini with avocado, rocket and shaved pecorino). Their dedication to quality spans two countries, with their use of the best, locally sourced Irish ingredients, such as meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, guaranteeing their membership of the highly regarded Good Food Ireland.

Meanwhile, the prestigious DOP stamp on their Italian products guarantees the highest quality of imports such as olive oil, salumi, cheeses, vinegar and wine. From both Ireland and Italy, the quality of their ingredients and products is second-to-none, reflecting the starting point of their business ethos: good food, served with passion. No shortcuts are taken – the best extra-virgin olive oil is used in cooking as well as in salads.

Eileen takes genuine joy in her own restaurants, and whilst the Italian ‘family’ analogy seems trite, here it holds true. “Last night I went to Nonna Valentina and had just wine and a big plate of bruschetta pomodoro, and it was perfect! Fresh tomatoes, nice chunky bread, olive oil – delicious,” says Eileen, with the same wonder as if she had just discovered it. She is proud of her restaurants, just as she is proud of Stefano and her own brood of four children. The fact that the beautifully simple food served up in her own restaurants can still surprise and delight her speaks for itself.

She is a comforting presence on the restaurant floor, most often in South Frederick Street, where she lunches most days. “It’s a way of life,” says Eileen of her love for sourcing the best of Italian produce and serving it up in creative, authentic Italian dishes. “We feel passionate about it, about bringing it here. Food and wine is about connections. It’s not only about eating: it’s about socialising, being together, family, friends – it’s how society operates, and continues to survive in a certain way. It’s probably a nicer way of living.”

“THERE’S NO FORMALITY Eileen gets philosophical when HERE. IT’S CASUAL DINING, discussing Dunne & YOU CAN SIT THERE ON YOUR Crescenzi. You can see it means so OWN WITH A NICE PLATE OF much more to her SALUMI AND GLASS OF WINE, than just a business. It is her OR COME IN AND RELAX life. She talks of her WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY” “mission”, that of sharing the Italian experience in Ireland. It is a love for family and food, and a heartfelt desire to show us how it’s done the Italian way: with mouth-watering food and no-nonsense bustle; with a mother’s devotion and a businesswoman’s dedication.

Eileen Dunne

The Doyenne of

Italian Hospitality

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Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Stefano

Crescenzi Stefano The Ambassador of

y grandmother taught me the love of food and the whole experience of eating with the family. She was from Rome and lived in Piedmont, where she would spend all morning preparing lunch. And before lunch was over she had begun talking about what we would have for dinner that night! She once fed me so much that I had to have a day off and she thought I was sick. Even when watching telly she was peeling vegetables.” Stefano Crescenzi has taken his Nonna’s love for Italian food and applied it to his day-to-day work in running the various restaurants that he now owns with his wife Eileen Dunne. Now creating new recipes and finding new slants on traditional dishes is one of Stefano’s biggest loves. He is also justly proud of the fact that Nonna Valentina now has a menu that offers its customers six different types of risotto.

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

Stefano works closely with the chefs in his restaurants to come up with new, experimental recipes and as a result Dunne & Crescenzi in South Frederick Street offers two new dishes every day. To aid his creativity Stefano visits Italy regularly, sourcing new ingredients and experimenting in his kitchen once he returns. He also finds that suppliers in Italy are now sending him samples of their produce.

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

Stefano believes that there is now very little difference between the palates of his Irish customers and those of his fellow “MY JOB IS TO CREATE Italians. “Since the advent of lowAUTHENTIC ITALIAN budget travel FOOD AND PROTECT ITS thousands of Irish people have flocked INTEGRITY – JUST AS MY to Italy. They know GRANDMOTHER DID. SHE their Italian food and wine and their WOULD NEVER PASS ONE palates are just as DISH OFF FOR SOMETHING IT sophisticated as an Italian and that WAS NOT. IF WE WANT TO makes my job of APPEAL TO THE IRISH LOVE recreating authenticate Italian OF CREAM WE WILL CREATE dishes even more A DISH FROM EMILIA challenging.”

And with that in WHERE COWS ARE KEPT, mind you won’t CHEESES ARE MADE AND find spaghetti carbonara on one of THE DISHES NATURALLY Stefano’s menus.

FEATURE CREAM.” “Italian carbonara does not have cream and an Italian would not recognise the carbonara dishes served up in many Irish restaurants.” Stefano believes this confusion is created by large-scale food producers who want to use a famous Italian name to promote convenience food and TV dinners. “My job is to create authentic Italian food and protect its integrity – just as my grandmother did. She would never pass one dish off for something it was not. If we want to appeal to the Irish love of cream we will create a dish from Emilia where cows are kept, cheeses are made and the dishes naturally feature cream.”

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

And with that philosophy in mind Stefano Crescenzi has come full circle – back to his love of Italian home cooking instilled in him by his grandmother Nonna Valentina. “The key is not to lose the memory of your mama or grandmother’s cooking – if that goes then the great food tradition and art of cooking will be lost.” But not while Stefano is about – for not only has he been the ambassador of Italian cuisine, he has been its guardian as well.

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Crescenzi –

The Ambassador of

Italian cooking

Stefano Crescenzi thanks his grandmother Nonna Valentina for helping him develop his love for Italian cooking. Such is his gratitude that he has dedicated one of his restaurants to her memory – Nonna Valentina in Portobello

Italian cooking

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Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

The Restaurants of

Dunne & Crescenzi

Dunne & Crescenzi Dunne &

Crescenzi

Simple, fresh Italian food and over 200 carefully selected wines; homely yet elegant, buzzy yet sophisticated unne & Crescenzi opened in 1999 in South Frederick Street and changed the face of the Irish restaurant scene forever. Serving simple Italian food with the highest quality ingredients and good Italian wine by the glass, it was the culmination of Eileen and Stefano’s dream of serving their customers as if they were family: dishes served up with that vital ingredient, a love of food. “We wanted to recreate an authentic Italian eating experience, using only Italian food and wine, and it worked,” says Stefano.

Once people discovered what a good thing Dunne & Crescenzi had going they never looked back. “The highlight for us was when Tom Doorley in The Irish Times said

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Bar Italia

Bar Italia

The traditional Italian trattoria with a deliciously modern twist Dunne & Crescenzi had changed the way the Irish eat,” says Stefano. “It was better than receiving three Michelin Stars!”

Dunne & Crescenzi 14-16 South Frederick Street Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 677 3815 / 675 9892

Bar Italia Custom House Square IFSC Dublin 1 Tel: (01) 670 2887

ar Italia opened in 2000 and was soon catering for a busy business clientele during the day and a vibrant crowd of young people, couples and groups at night. David Izzo managed the front of house while Stefano Crescenzi ran the kitchen, cooking traditional Italian pasta, meat, ragu and fish dishes. “I loved the job because it was like cooking for a large family,” Stefano says. “We recreated the Italian trattoria right in the heart of Dublin and people just loved it.”

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The Restaurants of D Dunne & Crescenzi 11 Seafort Avenue Sandymount Dublin 4 Tel: (01) 667 3252

Signature Recipe

Method – Béchamel sauce:

500g dried lasagne sheets

Melt butter on a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan and whisk in the flour. When the butter has absorbed the flour, pour in the milk gradually, constantly whisking for about 10 minutes. Season and leave to cool.

500g Irish smoked salmon

Method – lasagne:

Ingredients:

Involtini al Sugo Fresco Serves 4 Ingredients: 500g veal slices 200g mortadella

500g fresh spinach 200g grated parmesan cheese 250g mozzarella, diced 4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Ingredients – Béchamel sauce: 50g white flour

Web: www.baritalia.ie

Web: www.dunneandcrescenzi.com

Signature Recipe

Lasagne al Salmone e Spinaci (Smoked Salmon and Spinach Lasagne) Serves 6

Bar Italia Blooms Lane 26 Lower Ormond Quay Dublin 1 Tel: (01) 874 1000

Line the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish (12” x 6” approx) with lasagne sheets.

Cook the spinach in boiling salted water for two minutes and drain well. Place a layer of smoked salmon followed by a thin layer of Béchamel sauce, then a layer of spinach.

Sprinkle the grated parmesan and mozzarella. Continue the alternate layers until the ingredients have been used and finish with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan. Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes. Buon appetito!

1 celery stick, chopped julienne 1 carrot, chopped julienne 1 onion, chopped julienne 4 large beef tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 glass dry white wine 4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper

50g butter Fresh thyme 500ml milk

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Method:

Place a piece of mortadella on each veal slice and sprinkle some pieces of the celery, carrot and onion on top, then fold and fix with a toothpick.

Sauté the involtini in a pan in extravirgin olive oil, then add a glass of dry white wine.

As the wine evaporates add the tomatoes, some fresh thyme and salt and pepper, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the meat is ready.

Serve hot.

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

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

Nonna Valentina Nonna

Valentina

Elegant dining and gourmet Italian food at great prices ituated on the picturesque banks of the Grand Canal in Portobello, Nonna Valentina offers the very best in Italian cuisine without costing the earth. The restaurant is actually named after Stefano’s grandmother, Nonna (Granny) Valentina. “My love of Italian food comes from her,” Stefano says. “She believed in cooking simple, traditional dishes using the fundamental principles of Italian cuisine.” As a result, there is a comprehensive and constantly changing menu, an extensive wine list and all the trappings of a fine dining restaurant but without the usual high prices. Nonna Valentina never got to see the restaurant named after her but Stefano believes she

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L’Officina

L’Officina

Cutting-edge Italian cooking, creating new trends would have approved. “While my parents could not understand why I walked away from a permanent pensionable job as an economist at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, my grandmother gave me her blessing. She gave me her recipe book when I left Italy, and always encouraged me to follow my dream. I think she would be very happy with the result.”

L’Officina Kildare Village Kildare Town Co Kildare Tel: (045) 535 850 L’Officina Dundrum Town Centre Dundrum Dublin 16 Tel: (01) 216 6764 L’Officina Arnotts Jervis Centre Dublin 1 Tel: (01) 814 8933

’Officina means ‘workshop’ in Italian: a place where you improve things.

Here it is all about improving the food. “It was an opportunity to combine all our skills,” says Stefano, “David’s and Eileen’s and my own, to create something new and exciting when eating out.” The result is a restaurant that reflects all that is best in Dunne & Crescenzi, Bar Italia and Nonna Valentina, with one added extra: the shopping experience. So whether you are shopping in Kildare Village, the Dundrum Town Centre or the Arnotts Project you can enjoy the finest Italian food and wine while relaxing in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. “L’Officina is a work in progress – as is life – and a very exciting project,” Stefano says.

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Dunne & Crescenzi Nonna Valentina 1-2 Portobello Road Dublin 8 Tel: (01) 454 9866

Web: www.nonnavalentina.ie

Signature Recipe

Risotto con Coda di Rospo, Cozze e Zafferano Serves 4

Signature Recipe

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Lumaconi Ripieni di Melanzane Serves 4

Salt and pepper

Ingredients:

Method:

24 lumaconi pasta

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

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

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

Remove the fish, then filter the broth where the fish cooked and where the mussels cooked and mix both broths together in a pot.

Pan-fry the chopped leek with some extra-virgin olive oil, add the Carnaroli rice, and stir. Add the wine. Add the saffron to a ladle of broth and mix through the rice.

Cook by adding the boiling stock one ladleful at a time.

Add the monkfish and mussels to the rice at the end and mix carefully.

Remove the risotto from the heat, and let it rest for a few minutes. Add some chopped parsley, some pepper and serve immediately.

Method – pasta:

500g diced aubergines

Cook the lumaconi in boiling salted water, until al dente. Then, drain the pasta and cool under cold water. Drain it again, dressing with some extra-virgin olive oil.

Place the pasta on an oiled dish with the open side of the pasta facing up.

500g fresh, chopped beef tomatoes

Method – for the filling:

Ingredients: 320g Carnaroli rice

Web: www.officina.ie

30g grated parmesan cheese 1 buffalo mozzarella Campagnia 1 clove garlic Basil Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper

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Sprinkle the diced aubergines with salt and leave for one hour, then rinse. Cook the tomatoes with the garlic and basil until they have reduced. Then add pepper, salt and two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.

Pan-fry the aubergines in extra-virgin olive oil. When golden, drain and place in a saucepan. Dress with parmesan cheese.

Fill the lumaconi with the filling and place it in a buttered Pyrex dish. Add some tomato sauce and diced mozzarella with some extra-virgin olive oil. Add some more tomato sauce and sprinkle again with parmesan. Put in the oven, pre-heated to 200°C, until the mozzarella has melted and has turned golden.

Serve hot.

Sponsor’s Feature

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

L’Officina

at Kildare Village

Ben Murnane takes a trip to Kildare to visit the first Dunne & Crescenzi restaurant outside Dublin was friends with Eileen and Stefano in the early ’90s when they were living in Rome and when I heard they were coming back to Ireland to open an Italian deli I thought they were mad.” So says Maria McGovern, the Director of Kildare Village, where the Dunne & Crescenzi restaurant L’Officina is now situated. “It just proves how wrong I was – I think they have around a dozen restaurants now!” It was something of an irony therefore that Maria was given a chance to work with her old friends Eileen and Stefano in Kildare Village when she returned from New York. “We both opened here in 2006 and have enjoyed great success – it has been a happy relationship.”

The L’Officina restaurant is a vital part of the overall experience at Kildare Village, where people tend to spend at least half a day shopping. “Everyone needs to eat before, during and after a good shop,” says Maria, “and L’Officina acts as a central meeting point. It’s a place where people can discuss what they’ve bought and take out their goods like trophies and show off their designer bargains.” Maria also believes the laidback Italian atmosphere of the restaurant has something to do with its success. “No one is hurried and people can take their time.” Maria herself finds she is popping in and out of L’Officina during her working hours. “I love their Antipasti Misto and their Linguini di Mare and drink far too many lattes each day!”

Looking back it now seems perfectly logical that Eileen Dunne’s and Stefano Crescenzi’s first restaurant outside Dublin is located in a place that matches their ethos: relaxed and casual but exuding style and class, as Kildare Village itself does.

Maria explains: “The Village is a designer outlet shopping heaven with over 50 international fashion and home brands discounted up to 60 per cent all year round on the previous seasons’ collections.”

Situated on the M7, Kildare Village is only an hour’s drive from Dublin by car, but I took the train from Heuston Station, which takes only 35 minutes. I was met at Kildare Station by the Village’s very own shuttle bus. There’s also a Shopping Express bus that goes straight from Dublin city centre to the Village at the weekends.

“I

with brands like Le Creuset, Designers Guild and Cath Kidston, while coming soon are Louise Kennedy and 7 For All Mankind.

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

L’Officina at

L’Officina at the Village

youth brand. The Village is label heaven, with slick accessories being found in Anya Hindmarch, high fashion in L.K. Bennett, Regine, Jaeger and Karen Millen. For the guys there’s Ted Baker, as well as tailored, offthe-peg suits at Savoy Taylors Guild; while Thomas Pink and Café Coton have a massive array of designer shirts. Children are well catered for as well, the French label Petit Bateau having its only Irish boutique there.

Homeware options are equally impressive,

Kildare Village

Dining or having a coffee break at L’Officina is an integral part of the shopper’s day out and many people – particularly visitors to Ireland – experience Eileen and Stefano’s cuisine here for the first time. Particular favourites among the extensive main courses are the Lasagna di Salmone e Spinaci and the Fettuccine Funghi e Pancetta con Panna (both €14.00), while the Bruschetta Rustica makes a tasty snack (€10.00). There is a new range of salads, including the Insalata Bomba made with tuna (€10.00), while homemade Tiramisu is just €6.00 for a little taste of heaven! Wines

Enjoying a coffee at L'Officina, Kildare Village

served by the glass include the white Gavi di Gavi at €8.00, a fine Pinot Grigio ‘Friuli Isonzo’ at just €7.00 per glass, while their Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘Terra d’Aligi’ is only €6.00 a glass and a Chianti Classico Castelgreve will set you back just €7.00. The delicious house wine is only €5 per glass.

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

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

L'Officina at Kildare Village

A tour through the Village

The first thing that strikes you about Kildare Village is its ‘day out’ feel. There is free car parking, a children’s playground, and easy access to all designer outlets, while the L’Officina restaurant itself overlooks the ruins of the 13th-century Grey Abbey – one of Kildare Town’s many heritage attractions.

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

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Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

The

Anchovies Anchovies really are an essential. Always have a jar in the fridge, and a tin in the cupboard for emergencies – for melting into tomato sauce, flavouring lamb or simply as a pizza topping. The fresh, marinated silver anchovies that you often see in the deli are also fantastic – a handful of these along with a sliced tomato and some toasted sourdough makes a heavenly supper!

Italian

Kitchen

Eileen Dunne shares her kitchen essentials talian cuisine is among the best in the world. Bursting with fresh, vibrant, Mediterranean flavours, the Italian way is based on making the most of local, seasonal produce. Specialities vary enormously from region to region, but these kitchen essentials are things that every aspiring Italian cook should have at home.

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Rosemary Rosemary can easily be grown indoors, although it is more commonly found outdoors. Having no garden, I have been known to carry scissors with me and lop off a few branches of an overgrown bush near my house when no-one is looking! Indoor rosemary plants require plenty of space, fresh air and light.

Herbs and spices

Bay leaves Fresh bay can be hard to obtain, so unless you’re lucky enough to have your own tree, dried bay leaves are an acceptable alternative.

Many of us now have our own little herb garden on our windowsill, so try to have the following on hand at all times…

Basil A potted basil plant can be found on the windowsill of many an Italian kitchen. The pungent, heady aroma of fresh basil instantly makes me think of a delicious insalata caprese.

Parsley Parsley is also well suited to a pot on the windowsill. It is very easy to grow and maintain. Always grow the flat-leaved Italian parsley, rather than the oldfashioned curly variety.

Sage Fresh sage is best for Italian cooking.

It will grow easily on the windowsill or in the garden.

From the store cupboard Dried mushrooms Porcini mushrooms are perhaps the most famous in Italian cooking. They can be eaten fresh, but the wonderful flavour of porcini is intensified by drying. Dried porcini are now available in many supermarkets. Although expensive, a little goes a long way and the distinctive flavour really can’t be beaten.

Perfect for risotto al funghi.

Arborio & Carnaroli rice The most common types of rice used in risotto-making. The plump round grains are perfect for absorbing flavour and ensuring your risotto has the perfect consistency.

Pesto A simple yet divine combination of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan, pesto is a firm favourite. Whilst it is delicious when freshly made, sometimes time is short and for this reason I always have a jar of good quality pesto in my store cupboard.

Pasta Dried pasta is absolutely not inferior to fresh – each suits different sauces, with dried being more suited to oily or tomato-based sauces. Go for pasta with a rough texture so the sauce clings better. Always cook al dente and remember, the water you cook your pasta in should be saltier than the sea!

Marsala wine Frequently used in Italian cooking, it can be used for savoury and sweet dishes, such as tiramisu or zabaglione.

Balsamic vinegar Real balsamic vinegar has a flavour and complexity like nothing else. It can only legitimately be produced in Modena and Reggio, but is much copied, so be aware of poor imitations!

Pine nuts For making pesto, toasted in salads, baked with figs or simply eaten as a snack, always have a bag to hand.

Capers For use in pasta sauces, gremolata or antipasti, or served with meat to cut through rich or fatty flavours.

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

Sicilian sea salt The course variety – use everywhere!

Olive oil The obsession with olive oil in Italy is akin to the worship of wine in France. The best olive oil is extra-virgin, in which the olives are hand-gathered, and the acidity must not exceed one per cent of the weight. I’d recommend having two to hand – a high quality extra-virgin, preferably Ligurian or Tuscan, to use for dressing salads and cooked foods, and a standard olive oil, with a lighter flavor, that is more suitable for cooking. Don’t scrimp on price with the extra-virgin, you’ll be rewarded with flavour!

Sardinian saffron An essential for Risotto Milanese.

Fresh produce Tomatoes (and lots of other fresh fruit and veg) Tomatoes are essential, along with an abundance of seasonal fresh fruit and veg.

Plum tomatoes are the best option for cooking, as they have less juice so need a shorter cooking time.

Selection of Italian charcuterie A selection of quality Italian charcuterie is a must - e.g. Parma ham, salami and bresaola (air-dried and salted beef aged for a couple of months), as well as fresh and seasoned Italian cheeses.

Pancetta Pancetta, the same cut of pork as bacon but salted rather than smoked, is very important to Italian cooking. It can be found in most good supermarkets, and is used to make the famed spaghetti carbonara.

Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano is the undisputed king of cheeses. Any cheese with those familiar words stamped into the rind is going to taste amazing – ripe, pungent and rich. A thousand uses here, it can be served as an antipasto, shaved over carpaccio, used to make pesto and simply grated over pasta or risotto. Save the rind and use to add a wonderful depth of flavour to soups and pasta sauces.

Mozzarella di bufala The other essential Italian cheese, made entirely from buffalo milk. Snow-white, creamy yet slightly sour, it is an essential ingredient in a true pizza margherita.

However, it is best served ripped apart and drizzled with some fine olive oil, fresh tomatoes and basil. You'll know a great bufala because it is slightly chewy and squeaky.

Olives In Italy olives are often cured and marinated with garlic and herbs before eating. Delicious with an aperitivo!

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Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

A Taste of Italy

David Izzo, the business partner of Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi, has his roots in 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

Italy to

Ireland

f it wasn’t for the sun streaming down out of the clear, blue Dublin sky, David Izzo would look a little out of place. He has the deep tan, the stylish clothes and the wraparound Dolce&Gabbana shades that only an Italian can get away with; so, how does he cope with our soggy Irish summers? “It is difficult, especially when the summers are terrible, like this year,” he says as we sip espresso on a surprisingly sunny September day, “that is when I long for Italy.”

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

“We had our own vineyards and would make our own wine, pasta and pomodoro (tomato sauce),” says David. He remembers accompanying the men out of the house before dawn to pick ripe tomatoes and load them onto a trailer. “We would wash them and put them in this huge pot where they were cooked under giant gas rings.”

David’s eyes roll as he recalls the experience. “It was the smell of Mother Earth. My grandmother’s house was full of tomatoes that were as red as hell and we would take fresh bread, mash the tomatoes into it and dress with our own homemade olive oil. We called it bombette rosse – it was really the mother of the bruschetta.”

These early influences stayed with David when he came to work with Eileen and Stefano in Dublin, helping them open and operate a string of highly successful restaurants. “Our success always depended first and foremost on the food – on reliably sourced produce.”

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

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with everyone from judges to students queuing to get in. Stefano was a brilliant cook and he prepared wonderful dishes that the customers loved. We had great staff and everything was just about perfect.”

Another Bar Italia was opened in the IFSC in 2001, and yet another on Ormond Quay in 2004, followed by Nonna Valentina in Portobello, and L’Officina restaurants in Dundrum, Kildare and then Arnotts Project in the Jervis Centre. Now David and his partners are entering the next phase.

“We are now making our own tarts, cakes, biscuits, sweets, bread and pasta and want to become self-sufficient,” David explains, adding that they started using Bar Italia as a workshop where they could experiment. “We started with making pizzas using only natural ingredients like slow-rising dough that makes the pizza easier to digest.”

The ethos of the restaurant group has always been to use only the very best ingredients and making their own produce helps considerably in this regard. “When we make our own pizzas or pasta we can control the quality, ensuring that only the very best product is served.”

The group started making their own bread and pizza dough and followed that up

”

“WE ARE NOW MAKING OUR OWN TARTS, CAKES, BISCUITS, SWEETS, BREAD AND PASTA AND WANT TO BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT”

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

The bakery produces its very own bread and biscotti

with their own biscuits, cakes and now fresh pasta. “The reaction of the customers has been just great and everything we produce is in big demand. For example, we originally started selling around 20 cakes a week and now that has climbed to over 200,

while at Bar Italia on Ormond Quay we started serving 30 pizzas a week and now were are doing between 600 and 700! Our pizzas are renowned for being light and easy to digest – they do not sit on the stomach making you feel heavy; while the

cheese we use is real mozzarella and not the processed cheese most pizza manufactures use. In the end the customer notices and we’ve the reputation for having one of the best pizzas in Dublin.”

David now sees a future where not only

Sponsor’s Feature

Ferrarelle Water, Unmistakable

Personality

errarelle Spa is the leading sparkling water brand in Italy, thanks to their signature product, Ferrarelle mineral water.

Thousands of years of expertise in sourcing water means that Ferrarelle is a naturally sparkling mineral water with an unmistakeable personality.

Italian people have been enjoying Ferrarelle water since 1893, and to this day they still choose it for its unique and lively taste. The uniqueness comes from precious mineral salts and delicate natural bubbles, the trademark of this brand of water.

The unmistakable taste of Ferrarelle is a natural gift, resulting from a long journey through volcanic rock which lasts over 10 years, naturally carbonating the water.

Thanks to its bicarbonate and calcium, drinking Ferrarelle from the very start of your meal allows you to fully enjoy your food without it giving you the full feeling of other carbonated drinks.

Ferrarelle is a uniquely Italian product and is as distinct as any Italian made wine. When coupling mineral water with Italian food and food from around the world, it is important

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to recognise some of the properties of carbonated and still waters. By drinking a still water which is poor in mineral salts, you will notice its neutrality by the slightly bitter and astringent taste. Water with a lower mineral salt content is characterized by fullness and roundness, with stronger tones of either saltiness or sweetness.

Sparkling waters that have carbon dioxide added to them unnaturally are immediately recognisable by the amount of large bubbles producing a sour taste.

Ferrarelle natural mineral water distinguishes itself from other brands by being the only water that is naturally sparkling, thanks to the natural gases added at the source.

There fine bubbles create the perfect balance with the dissolved mineral salts leaving a gentle and velvety sparkling sensation.

Ferrarelle Water is of such a high standard and unique taste that the International Taste and Quality Institute gave it three stars in the 2007 Superior Taste Awards, recognising it as a superior product.

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will they be self-sufficient but supplying others as well. “Our dream is to eventually sell to customers anywhere in the world. In the meantime we want to keep our customers happy and we do that by giving them a real taste of Italy.”

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

The Wonder of

Italian Wine

taly is the cradle of wine, home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. It was the Etruscans and Greek settlers that first began producing wine in Italy, long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards in the second century BC. With such an incredible background in wine production, it is little wonder that Italy has more local grape varieties than any other country. Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has granted over 350 grapes authorised status, while there are more than 500 other documented grape varieties as well!

Italy’s 20 wine regions correspond to the 20 political regions, with each region’s cuisine reflecting its own unique native wines. Italy has 36 DOCG wines, located in 13 different regions, but most are concentrated in Piemonte and Tuscany.

DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita – is a designation guaranteeing that the wines are produced locally and from local grapes. Among these are famous appellations sought by wine lovers worldwide such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello and Chianti Classico.

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

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produces a lighter red wine. When it comes to white wines, arguably the most important Italian grape is Pinot Grigio, which produces a classic, crisp wine that has won acclaim around the world.

It is not unusual for Italy to find itself at the top of many wine-related lists, as it is one of the largest producers, exporters and consumers of wine in the world. In 2005, production was about 20 per cent of the global total, second only to France, which produced 26 per cent.

”

ITALY’S 20 WINE REGIONS CORRESPOND TO THE 20 POLITICAL REGIONS, WITH EACH REGION’S CUISINE REFLECTING ITS OWN UNIQUE NATIVE WINES. ITALY HAS 36 DOCG WINES, LOCATED IN 13 DIFFERENT REGIONS, BUT MOST ARE CONCENTRATED IN PIEMONTE AND TUSCANY.

Quality control A guide to Italian wine labels m m m m

m m

m

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

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Vino da Tavola – Table Wine IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) – Typical Geographic Indication DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) – Appellation of Controlled Origin DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) – Appellation of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin Classico (Classic) – is a wine produced in the most typical and renowned area of the appellation.

Superiore (Superior) – is wine that has a percentage of alcohol by volume higher than the normal requirement for the appellation.

Riserva (Reserve) – is a wine that went through a longer aging process than the normal requirement for the appellation. A ‘Riserva’ requires a minimum of two years’ aging and has usually been aged for three to five years.

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

Italy’s Wine Regions Valle D’Aosta

6 Best! of the

Lombardia Veneto

Piemonte

Emilia-Romagna

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

Liguria Le Marche

Toscana

Umbria

Wine-growing in Italy is unique in that the country’s wineproducing regions stretch from the snow-covered Alps in the north down to the hot, dry plains of Sicily in the south, where the vineyards are almost within sight of the African coast! This geographical stretch means there are many different microclimates, terroir and growing conditions, leading to an incredible variety of wines. And as Italy is a relatively narrow country, the sea is never far way, bringing with it cooling offshore winds that have a beneficial effect on the differing varieties of grapes.

Abruzzo Molise

Lazio

Puglia Campania Sardegna

Basilicata Calabria

Sicilia 1) Barbaresco from Piemonte: “Piemonte is one of the best wine-producing areas in Italy.

A DOCG label guarantees that the wine can only be produced in that region. Barbaresco goes well with meat and cheese as the flavour is light but intense.

Expect to pay around €28 a bottle. For something a little cheaper try a Barbera D’Alba from the same region at around €14. It is a younger wine but goes well with main meat and pasta courses.

My grandmother and father drank it every night!”

BAVA Barbaresco DOCG

2) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany: “Tuscany is the other great wineproducing area in Italy, accounting for over 50 per cent of Italian awardwinning wines. This Bindella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is 100 per cent Sangiovese matured in French oak and has great tannins, with blackberry and red rose hints laced with tobacco and leather – spectacular!

It is great with red meat, game and mushroom dishes or aged cheese like cheddar or Italian pecorino. Expect to pay around €17 a bottle.”

Bindella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

3) Prosecco di Valdobbiadene from the Veneto: “This sparkling white wine comes from the hilly region around Venice and is light and fruity. Dunne & Crescenzi was one of the very first restaurants in Ireland to serve Prosecco by the glass and I was taken aback by how much our customers loved it. People often ask what the difference between Prosecco and Champagne is and I always answer that Prosecco is less bitter and easier on the palate and, of course, much cheaper.

Expect to pay around €18 a bottle (duty and VAT account for about half of that). I love a glass at the start of a meal – serve very cold from a 5-6°C fridge.”

Astoria Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

5) Greco di Tufo from Campania: “This white wine comes from the ancient Roman grape developed in the Tufo area in rich, volcanic soil over 2,000 years ago. It produces a very intense colour and bright golden shimmer. I’d highly recommend it with risotto as its light, fruity tones really help the risotto melt in the mouth without overpowering the taste. Expect to pay around €23 a bottle.”

Greco di Tufo dei Feudi di San Gregorio

4) Salice Salentino Rosso DOC Reserva from Puglia:

6) Pinot Grigio from Trentino-Alto Adige:

“This wine comes from the heel of Italy in the south: the great flat area of land that produces some of our greatest Italian food and wine. The intense summer sun here produces intense wines but the fact that the vineyards are close to the sea means the grapes benefit from cooling coastal breezes. Serve this wine at room temperature with ragu, roast chicken or dishes with bacon. Expect to pay around €28 a bottle.”

“This white grape is incredibly versatile, growing particularly in the northeast region of Italy in an area that stretches from the hills to the valleys. The variety of landscape means the structure and taste of the wine varies accordingly. I find the more you chill Pinot Grigio the better the flavour! I would always favour a small producer like Cormòns, or Abbazia di Novacella – a wine made by monks in a beautiful church on top of a mountain – or wines produced by Edmund Mach of the Istituto San Michele. Pinot Grigio goes well with fish or pasta with a light sauce.

Expect to pay from €12 to €20.”

Cantine due Palme Salice Salentino Rosso DOC Riserva

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Istituto Agrario San Michele All'Adige Trentino Pinot Grigio

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Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Terra Vite Vita!

Bindella a wonderful wine experience

a wonderful wine Texperience he Bindella family have been in the wine trade in Switzerland for over 100 years. However, since their purchase of the Vallocaia estate in the province of Siena, Italy, in 1984, they have also become a leading force in the wine trade of that region. Regarded as a producer of the finest wines and olive oil, Bindella’s motto, terra vite vita, highlights their close bond with the earth, respect for nature and zest for life.

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

Trebbiano, and Sauvignon Blanc. The lowyield farming techniques used on the Vallocaia estate strengthen the grapes, which creates the highly concentrated and intense flavours that Bindella is famous for.

Always looking to develop and move forward, Bindella will be launching a new top wine next spring, a delightful merlot, 100 per cent IGT Toscana, Antenata 2007, while to celebrate Vallocaia’s 25th anniversary this year, new labels were designed for all their quality wines. These new labels allow the wine itself to take centre stage, while still emphasising the common ancestry of Vallocaia’s quality wines.

Bindella’s wines are available in selected countries in Europe, as well as the USA, Canada and Japan. Better still, why not visit Vallocaia and truly experience all that this special estate has to offer.

Gourmet Traveller

Ah! L’amore…

Ed Finn on the fantastic food of Italy ’m having a love affair. With Italian food. You can easily nip across to Italy – Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) still do cheap flights, from Milano in the North right down to Alghero in Sardinia, while Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) will take you into crazy, beautiful Naples or down to Catania in Sicily.

Go to Piedmont in autumn, famous for its wine and truffles. Think velvety Barolos and divine whites like Gavi or Cortese.

You’ll have your antipasto at lunch, a plate stuffed with the best salami and hams, stuffed vegetables, little omelettes and fabulous cheeses. In the south of the region, try the bollito misto, a dish of mixed boiled meats with a beautifully balanced flavour, or the traditional brasato, meat such as beef, pork or rabbit cooked super-slowly in white wine. Delicious! Liguria is the champion of pesto, a sauce of basil, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil – made faintingly fresh, and not remotely resembling the jarred version. Their burrida, a hearty fish soup, is to die for.

Further down, the food in Tuscany is superb, with traditional regional cooking using pulses as their staple; try them in one of the local agriturismi, where the food served is grown on their land. You will not

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taste better food than in an agriturismo, and they are all over Italy. Don’t leave Tuscany without your panforte, a special cake given at Christmas, and grab a few bottles of Chianti or Montepulciano. It would be rude not to.

The robust cooking in the Lazio region will sweep you off your feet – traditional Roman cooking uses cheaper cuts of meat, as well as offal, and the flavours are superb.

Think gnocchi alla romana, usually served with grated cheese and butter and browned in the oven, or rigatoni alla pajata, pasta tubes served with an exquisite sauce of veal intestines, parsley, oil, garlic, white wine, tomatoes and peppers. Further south, in Campania, you’ll get all the

Ah! L’amore…

delights associated with a Mediterranean diet: robustly flavoursome vegetables, oils, meats, fish and pasta. Pizza? If you haven’t tried it in Naples then you’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 in Italy with sauces? We’re talking fresh, salty, tasty… heavenly. In Sicily, try the salted

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ricotta and the big fat olives. Don’t forget about Sardinia, famous for their pecorino and rich Cannonau. There are 20 regions in Italy, and don’t stop eating until you’ve been to every one – each of them has a gorgeous regional speciality waiting to be devoured.

The Gourmet Traveller is offering you a chance to visit some of these Italian gourmet havens next spring. There will be cooking classes in Rome with Eileen Dunne and vineyard tours, as well as visits to some of Eileen's favourite restaurants.

For details contact the Gourmet Traveller at ed@thegourmettraveller.com

AWoman’s Woman’s Business A Business

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

is to Nurture

Nurture

is to

Jacqueline Strawbridge speaks to Eileen Dunne about combining work and family life alled upon to speak at a Women in Business conference with Meath County Enterprise Board, Eileen Dunne drew on her own business experience as an inspiration to other women who were starting out.

Unwilling to paint herself as anyone out of the ordinary, nevertheless she is so.

Taking formidable characters like Mary Robinson and Hilary Clinton as her own inspiration, Eileen’s success in business is a huge motivation to others starting out, especially women. Work and family go together hand-in-hand for Eileen, and there has never been a question of sacrificing one for the other.

“Like a mother is protective of her children, I nurture my business,” says Eileen, one half of the dynamic couple who masterminded the Dunne & Crescenzi empire.

Business and family life are intertwined, the two blending into Eileen’s life seamlessly. “Women instinctively approach business with a caring attitude,” Eileen continues. Of course, any businessperson cares deeply about what they do. As well as the requisite hard work and determination, it is this passion that makes a business truly successful. Eileen came back to Ireland from Italy in 1995 with a 14-year-old son and three younger kids aged four, three and two respectively. With her husband Stefano, she proceeded to build up a business empire, combining work and family life with aplomb.

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

The word ‘choice’ grates on Eileen.

“There is the typical guilt of the working mother. Will it be family or business? But it doesn’t have to be a choice between the two.

Family can be business, and a family business is probably the best there is.”

There is a part of Eileen that believes that not working is an opt-out. She is passionate about education and equality in the workplace, whilst acknowledging that such equality can be difficult for women in Ireland. “The government doesn’t make it easy on working parents,” she says, referring to the lack of adequate, affordable crèche facilities in Ireland. “In our company last year, four of our fully trained staff fell pregnant and none of them were able to come back. The reason they couldn’t come back was because the crèches were too expensive and they couldn’t afford to work.” But women have invested in education, Eileen points out, and they must bring their talents to fruition. For her, it boils down to this: women cannot expect to

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have an equal say in society if they don’t play an active role in society.

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

Today things are different for women.

Household duties and childcare are second nature to men. Younger men have seen their mothers go out to work and play a much more active role in domesticity. “My sons are great,” says Eileen proudly. “They cook, clean, do the laundry. Very enlightened!”

She still deals with her fair share of male ego in the restaurant business. “It seems absurd in 2009, but it’s true. Be it other restaurant owners, suppliers, staff, the restaurant world is very male. Sometimes I have to say things three times to get the

”

“BUT BEING IN BUSINESS IS A HUGELY POSITIVE THING FOR YOUR CHILDREN. IF THEY ARE PART OF YOUR WORK, YOU DISCUSS IT AT HOME, AND THEY WORK IN IT AS THEY GET OLDER, IT BRINGS YOU CLOSER. AND THEY EXCEL IN SCHOOL AT ANY BUSINESSRELATED SUBJECTS!”

message through, while Stefano just has to look at someone.”

Irish men are different. “I think they have a certain kind of admiration for women in business. But you don’t come across enough Irish women in business. I go to meetings with financiers, solicitors, accountants and it is pretty much maledominated,” she says.

Eileen feels that women have to work twice as hard to get to these positions. And she knows that women will.

“I always tell my daughters what my mother said to me. Every woman should be financially independent. It is so important.

You can only really realise your potential if you pursue what you love and what you are passionate about. You can be a good mother, a good wife, and still have your career. You must pursue a career. Women CAN have it all!”

Sponsor’s Feature

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration L’Officina at Arnotts Project, designed by award-winning Gottstein Architects

L’Officina at Arnotts

Project Ben Murnane paid a visit to Dunne & Crescenzi’s newest venture at Arnotts Project in the heart of Dublin hen you think of Dublin institutions, there are two names that should certainly spring to mind: Arnotts, part of the capital’s shopping scene for generations, and Dunne & Crescenzi, the restaurant that brought Italy to Ireland like never before.

Now, the two iconic brands have joined together in a new departure: Arnotts Project at the Jervis Centre.

Jervis is one of Dublin’s best-loved shopping centres, in the heart of the city’s shopping district, and Arnotts Project puts a new twist on this old favourite – quirky, funky and urban, Arnotts Project is four floors and 90,000sqft of classy designer labels, up-to-the-minute ladies’ and men’s fashions, and essential accessories for you and your home. This is the upper end of fast fashion – a department store that wouldn’t feel 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 old favourite. L’Officina at Arnotts Project is the third and most recent incarnation of this latest D&C venture.

“L’Officina was the next step in the evolution of our restaurants,” says Stefano Crescenzi. “A l’officina is where you change or improve something – in our case Italian food. It is a laboratory of sorts. We have inherited this great Italian culinary tradition and we wanted to help it evolve to the next stage, so we created a setting where we could enhance and improve the great Italian dishes.”

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L’Officina Arnotts Project Jervis Centre Dublin 1 Tel: (01) 814 8933

Designing L’Officina

Refined and exuding that classic D&C style, L’Officina is also thoroughly modern, chicly designed by Gottstein Architects and built by John McKenna Builders. The designers focussed on creating a restaurant environment which provided a counterpoint to the shopping experience, with dark tones and soft colours inviting you in after a few hours of bargain hunting.

There’s great value to be had at L’Officina too, with a bowl of pasta and a glass of Sicilian house wine or Bruschetta and a Bellini Cocktail for €12. Pop in for breakfast and for €3.50 you can enjoy excellent Italian coffee or tea and a pastry.

For Gottstein Architects the challenge with L’Officina at Arnotts Project was to create a beautiful restaurant in a commercial setting.

Intimate, warm and welcoming spaces were created through the design and placement of the three main ‘theatrical events’: the café centre island, the kitchen pod and the banquette seating. The dark tonal qualities and reduced palette of materials used, create a calming ambiance, in contrast to the brightly lit, visually stimulating spaces of Arnotts Project and the surrounding shopping centre. And all this makes L’Officina a place where you can dine and converse in comfort.

A walk through Arnotts Project

D&C’s stylish new restaurant sits in fashionable surroundings. On the same floor you’ll be tempted by brands like Warehouse, Derhy, St Martins, Oasis, French Connection and edc by Esprit. The floor above is where you’ll find all your homeware essentials – from gorgeous beds and linen to kitchen necessities – along with hip clothes for kids from Mexx and Ladybird.

The ground floor at Arnotts Project is girly-treat heaven, with make-up from all the top brands like Lancôme, Chanel and

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

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Superdry mean that the latest trends can all be found here.

Bright, full of space to browse, and impressively and eclectically designed, Arnotts Project is adding to the heritage of Arnotts, while creating a new urban and contemporary offering – just as L’Officina is adding to and redefining the legacy of Dunne & Crescenzi. They’re perfect partners, right in the centre of Dublin City.

Visit Arnotts Project online at www.arnottsproject.ie, follow Arnotts Project on Twitter (@arnottsproject), email info@arnottsproject.ie or call (01) 805 0400

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Cooking the

perfect pasta!

Stefano Crescenzi shows Kevin Flanagan the secrets of cooking pasta the real Italian way an you tell the difference between your calamaretti and cannelloni?

Or cook pasta al dente? I spent an evening with Stefano Crescenzi, watching the maestro cook pasta to perfection. He even showed me how to turn last night’s cold pasta remains into a mouth-watering hot supper!

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Pasta comes in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta is made without eggs and can be stored for up to two years. Fresh pasta is made with eggs and will only keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

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Where to buy your pasta

Stefano suggests you always buy pasta made in Italy. “They use the right combination of flour and the standards are so high that Italian pasta will never let you down.”

Expect to pay around €3 for a kilo for basic and up to €6 a kilo for artisan pasta.

What pasta shape to buy

There are hundreds of pasta shapes to choose from, reflecting the culinary and artistic imagination of the country. The shape of the pasta you choose should compliment the sauce in terms of taste and texture. For example, linguine pasta works well with seafood while tagliatelle compliments ragu.

A brief guide to pasta Bavette Thin, flat strands similar to linguine, delicious with pesto Genovese.

Bucatini Thick spaghetti with a fine hole running through the centre; goes with all'amatriciana (pancetta and tomato sauce).

Fusilli Spiral pasta that makes a great cold pasta salad.

Gnocchi Italian dumplings. Use with ragu or try the delicious gnocchi gorgonzola e noci (dumplings with gorgonzola cheese and walnut).

Lasagne Egg pasta sheets usually pre-cooked and then dried. An essential ingredient in all types of lasagne, from traditional ragu to D&C’s delicious smoked salmon and spinach variety.

Linguine Thin like spaghetti, but flat. The name means ‘little tongues’. Use with pesto or seafood – e.g. linguine alle vongole (clams).

Orrecchiette ‘Little ears’, divine with broccoli e salsicce (broccoli and sausages).

Paccheri Square tubes, use for most fresh fish dishes.

Penne Hollow short pasta tubes, great for arrabiata sauces or smoked salmon and cream.

Ravioli Egg pasta filled with such delights as spinach, meat, fish, ricotta or pungent cheese, or even pumpkin.

Rigatoni Hollow pasta great for absorbing tomato sauce, with pepperoni or pancetta.

Spaghetti Use with fish, ragu (meat-based sauce such as Bolognese), carbonara, pomodoro, aglio olio peperoncino (olive oil, garlic and chilli). It is the most difficult pasta to cook as it can glue easily and is difficult to mix with the sauce.

Strozzapreti The name in Italian means ‘priest choker’! Terrific with cozze e zucchine (mussels and courgettes).

Tagliatelle Long egg pasta strands, each around 7mm wide, that form into a bird’s nest. A very delicate pasta that compliments Bolognese or wild mushroom and white wine sauce.

Cooking the perfect pasta!

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

two and a half litres for five people, in a large saucepan. Boil the water, adding one heaped tablespoon of coarse salt.

Do not add olive oil – it is myth that it keeps the pasta apart.

Use 100g of pasta per person and place in the boiling water allowing it to swim.

You have to control the heat and slowly reduce it so it does not over boil but it must not go off the boil either.

Stir and taste after seven or eight minutes and check salt levels. Then as it approaches the cook time on the package try a strand of pasta. It must be al dente – that means you have to bite through it and it’s not mushy! Try cutting a strand with a knife. If it’s white in the centre it’s not cooked – it should be yellow.

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

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

Serve the entire bowl at the table immediately so people can help themselves as they like.

Dress with parmesan grated fine like powder (Italians never add parmesan to fish dishes).

PASTA IS THE ARTISTIC, CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL FOOD OF ITALY

How to cook leftover pasta For short pasta – pasta al forno

m Take from the fridge the day after. It may look a bit dried up so sprinkle with olive oil once you have placed it on a glass oven tray. m Chop some fresh mozzarella into cubes (50g per person) and sprinkle onto the pasta. Add a small slab of butter (to taste). m Put in a 220°C preheated oven for 15 minutes until all the butter and cheese has melted.

For long pasta – frittata di pasta m Place your long pasta leftovers (like spaghetti Bolognese) into a frying pan and cook with olive oil till crisp and crunchy. m Try mixing in a couple of eggs. Make sure they do not stick and flip twice when cooked. This is called frittata di pasta and is a fantastically tasty and complete food – full of proteins and carbs.

17

Sponsor’s Feature

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

K&C Norton:

A

Wholesale Success

t a time when olive oil was a scarce commodity in Ireland, a shop opened in Ranelagh that would become an essential stop for lovers of Italian food in Dublin and beyond.

Established by Ken and Catriona Norton in the early ’80s, The Best of Italy has become a landmark on Dublin's foodie map. The shop is a haven for lovers of Italian food.

The shelves are stocked with store cupboard essentials, like the excellent De

A

wholesale Success The Best of Italy 37 Dunville Avenue Ranelagh Dublin 6 Tel: (01) 497 3411 Email: bestofitalyranelagh@gmail.com

K&C Norton Wholesale Foods Unit 5C Ballymount Trading Estate Ballymount Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 450 3062 Email: kcnortonfoods@eircom.net

Cecco pasta – the preferred dried pasta of most top chefs – olive oil, tomato passata and a wide variety of biscuits and sweets that attract the many Italians yearning for a taste of home.

The fridges are a treasure trove of salamis, cured hams and Italian cheese at prices that are not far off those in any Italian’s local supermercato. The Best of Italy specialises in the exotic Italian ingredients not usually found on the shelves of your local supermarket.

In response to the demand for Italian food outside the capital, K&C Norton also operate a wholesale company, supplying restaurants, hotels, shops, delicatessens and cafes all over the country on a daily basis.

The company wholesales household brands such as Peroni beer, De Cecco pasta and Negrini meats to a wide variety of customers in the restaurant sector. With over 20 years’ experience in the wholesale

food business, K&C Norton are in tune with the needs and demands of this highly competitive sector, offering the best value in the market without compromising on quality.

Restaurateurs looking to avail of quality Italian produce, or amateur cooks armed with lists of ingredients and memories of

Excel Linen congratulates Dunne & Crescenzi on their 10th Anniversary

holidays on the Amalfi Coast, need look no further than The Best of Italy and K&C Norton Wholesale Foods.

Unit 9, Ashbourne Industrial Park, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, Ireland Tel: 01 801 0222 International Tel: +353 1 801 0222 Fax: 01 801 0999 International Tel: +353 1 801 0999 Email: info@excelllinen.com Web: www.excelllinen.com

18

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Fast Food is

Slow Food

Fast Food is Slow Food

It’s official. Fast food has gone slow. Or more accurately, Eileen Dunne has reclaimed the term.

Steer clear of packaged dinners, say goodbye to ready-made goujons and embrace the Slow Food movement: quickly ast food means putting a stew together in the morning while you go off and do other things, and then heating it up in the evening,” says Eileen Dunne, one half of restaurant whizzes Dunne & Crescenzi.

Think weekends at home, feeding your family well with no fuss. Taking your kids out for the morning, while a delicious onepot meal bubbles invitingly on the counter for a few hours. Make good use of your oven – throwing something together and leaving it to cook slowly produces nourishing, tasty meals that could stand to any dinner party test. “The idea goes back 50 years, to Italian women in the countryside, putting on delicious stews using game or pulses, all done before a busy morning working the fields; they’d come back home at lunchtime and it was ready to eat,” says Eileen.

Embrace your inner peasant and serve up with big hunks of crusty bread for true rustic satisfaction!

“F

Recipes

Eileen’s Lentil Stew

Method:

This recipe is so simple, wholesome and just plain tasty. Try Eileen’s variations too, or experiment yourself!

500g puy lentils (the best are Umbrian from Castellucci)

Put lentils into a pot with the carrot, celery, onion, plenty of water and salt. Boil them for an hour and a half. (They’re still lovely if you eat them like this, with a little olive oil thrown on top).

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

1 carrot

Why not try…

Ingredients:

1 stick celery 1 onion 3 cloves garlic 11tsp chilli flakes 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 350g fresh cherry tomatoes

Add Italian sausage to this basic lentil stew recipe – delicious. Or you can substitute lentils for chickpeas.

“It’s not hard to leave chickpeas steeping the 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 with onion, celery, carrot and rosemary and leave them boiling while I get ready. I switch it off before I go and then finish it later that evening,” says Eileen, who combines a busy working life with bringing up a large family.

When the chickpeas are cooked, take out half of them and liquify; in another pot heat water for pasta and cook it (use short pasta or broken spaghetti). With the chickpeas that you’ve blitzed, fry them in garlic, then throw the pasta and the other chickpeas in on top of that. Super-tasty!

Rabbit Stew You can buy rabbit easily in any butcher in Dublin, skinned and ready to go – this is one of Eileen’s favourite dishes, a truly rustic Italian meal.

Cherry tomatoes work well with rabbit

Tip Balsamic vinegar is more versatile than you think – you can use it everywhere!

Try it on steak, marinating it with whole peppercorns. As well as on salads, put it on your vegetables for extra flavour.

olive oil. Seal the rabbit and chicken meat then add the cherry tomatoes. After two minutes add the white wine, then cover and simmer slowly for two hours.

Why not try…

Ingredients: Rabbit, chopped into 8 pieces 4 skinned chicken legs Rosemary 3 cloves garlic

Change the rabbit recipe slightly to make a traditional cacciatore. Instead of the wine, use vinegar – put in around four tablespoons, add olives, and if you like, some anchovies.

It’s also delicious if you put rabbit in the oven, with two legs of chicken; kids will prefer that as it’s a little bit milder. Add loads of rosemary, garlic and olives to it as well, and place in the oven.

Glass of dry white wine 250g cherry tomatoes

To Serve

4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

In Italy, you would serve these stews with big pieces of chunky bread. You could also serve with a nice big salad, made with string beans. Cook the string beans al dente (but not too crunchy) and while they are warm, drizzle olive oil and a spoon of balsamic vinegar onto them.

These are great served cold as well.

Salt and pepper Method:

Beautiful fresh herbs for stew

It’s great to mix rabbit with chicken to mellow the flavour of the rabbit.

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

19

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Recipe

Cooking

Italian Ragu with a Dublin Twist Serves 6-8

the

Italian Way

Kevin Flanagan bravely decides to cook Italian ragu for restaurateurs Stefano Crescenzi and Eileen Dunne, but has he bitten off more than they can chew?

m Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan m 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 minutes m Add the mince bit by bit and seal m Add the canned tomatoes, wine and basil leaves and season generously and bring to boil m Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and leave for around 90 minutes or until it has reduced down by a third to give a wonderful rich meaty sauce m Ideally allow to cool for an hour and then reheat; a ragu improves its taste if allowed to stand

all me stupid, call me foolhardy, but I had been entertained so often by husband and wife team Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi that I decided to return the favour and cook them a traditional Italian ragu in my apartment.

There was only one problem: when I had cooked ragu before it had always turned out too wet and more like a stew than anything else, while also being a little too bland.

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

As things turned out the ragu went down better than expected (even Stefano gave it qualified thumbs up). It was still a little too “wet” and needed another half hour of reduction to intensify the flavour, I was told, but by the end of the meal my two discerning guests had cleared their plates!

Sponsor’s Feature

John Downey & Son

C

Cooking the

Italian Way

Ingredients: 1kg of Irish aged steak, minced 200g uncooked bacon 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 2 sticks celery with leaves finely chopped 1 large white onion, finely chopped 2 tins Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 glass Italian red wine 2tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Basil leaves Method:

”

EILEEN HAD SOME USEFUL ADVICE FOR ME: “USE ONLY ITALIAN PRODUCE AND THE BEST IRISH BEEF”

To serve

Put on your pasta 10 minutes before you want to dine and after draining mix in the ragu sauce thoroughly before putting the entire pot on the table where people can serve themselves. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste and enjoy!

Organic Quality Foods “We would like to congratulate Eileen and Stefano on their 10th anniversary and wish them every success for the future.” – John Downey & Son ohn Downey Organic Quality Foods Ltd is a long-established, familyowned award-winning butchering business specialising in organic meat and game, fine organic wines and exotic and gourmet game from around the world.

They are the first Irish butchers ever to win Gold and Silver awards at London’s Olympia Great Taste Food Awards in 2003, 2004 and 2007, and Gold in Dublin. This meant that two of their products, Downey’s Corned Silverside of Beef and Downey’s Original Spiced Beef, had the distinction of being named the two best beef products in Ireland and the UK. Whether you are looking for a traditional cut of meat or something different and exotic, Downey’s is the place to go. As well as staples like loins of pork, racks of lamb, T-bone steaks, sirloin on the bone, and fine rib, Downey’s have the largest selection in Ireland of free range organic turkeys, free range organic chickens, free range duck, free range geese and guinea fowl. Downey’s also offer an incredible selection of exotic meats including ostrich, kangaroo steaks and crocodile steaks.

J

independently audited and their products were shown on RTÉ news with Brian Dobson 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

John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods 97 Terenure Road East Dublin 6 Tel: (01) 490 9239 Email: johndowney@organicfoodsireland.com Web: www.organicfoodsireland.com

Downey’s only deal with the best officially recognised and certified organic suppliers and are a member of the Guild of Fine Food. To complement their meat they stock a selection of organic wines and organic eggs (which are always in stock).

Downey’s products are produced in one of the most hygienic premises in Ireland. All the staff have been expertly trained in meat and food hygiene. Downey’s guarantee that their organic meats contain no antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilisers or artificial colours – only purely natural food.

Their Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) safety system is

Organic Quality Foods

John Downey outside his shop in Terenure

20

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

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

Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Running a Restaurant

D&C Way

the

perfect business is like a perfect marriage,” says Eileen Dunne. “You have to have commitment, passion and empathy – by that I mean a feel for your customers, a feel for your suppliers and what they both want.”

This is advice to be listened to. Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi opened 12 restaurants in 8 years, and they are still going strong. They both love a challenge and 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 way of life. It’s a nicer way of living.”

Letters of praise to Dunne & Crescenzi still give Eileen a ‘high’ – but if she gets any complaint at all, she investigates and responds to it personally. “If something has upset one of my customers, I want to know about it,” says Eileen firmly. It is this attention to detail that has been one of Dunne & Crescenzi’s biggest secrets to success. “If you want your customer to remain loyal to you, then you have to give them what they want,” says Eileen.

Loyalty, feels Eileen, plays a key role in business survival. Loyalty within the business plays a huge part too. Eileen feels very loyal to her suppliers, especially in the economic downturn, and Dunne & Crescenzi is a business firmly committed to supporting other small businesses.

“We deal with a lot of smaller producers in Italy. We travel a lot, go around the food fairs, sourcing the best of the best. It gives us great satisfaction to do business with

“A

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

A flourishing business like D&C always keeps on top of new trends. As well as taking inspiration from the Italian food fairs, Eileen is an avid reader of the best Italian food magazines, such as the definitive La Cucina Italiana and Il Gambo Rosso. “In Italy, there’s a revival at the moment of peasant food, like bean and chickpea stews. All the poshest restaurants are serving up peasant food!” Now customers in Ireland are demanding even better value for money, which Dunne &

Crescenzi happily provide, with one-plate specials and a glass of wine filling the gap in people’s appetites without draining their pockets of cash.

Most of their chefs are under 35, which is great, because they know a lot about new food trends, as well as traditional methods.

“They have a fresh approach to Italian food, and great passion,” which keeps things lively on the restaurant floor and keeps their customers eager for more.

Their horizons are forever expanding, with the business now carrying out a study of their carbon footprint and how to lessen it, sourcing more ingredients locally, thinking of ways to cut down on importing. Stefano would like to go into the manufacturing side of things and produce quality Italian products here in Ireland, such as biscuits, bread and pastry. Already he has made waves with the small bakery at Bar Italia in the IFSC, where there is a huge demand for their cakes, biscuits and bread. The bakery supplies their restaurants and the customers love it: no preservatives, no colours or transfats – guilt-free and good for you.

“At the moment our plans are to make good what we have,” says Eileen, owner of a thriving business empire, modestly.

21

Dunne & Crescenzi’s Business Boosters Do something new!

Find a niche m inoutthein market.

When we started 1995, people had started to travel. They wanted the kind of food they got abroad at home.

We saw a gap in the market to provide the ‘real’ Italian experience: authentic, good Italian food and wine in an informal atmosphere.

Find your passion.

Our business m grew out of passion. We constantly responded to customer demand – in fact, our customers almost led us by the hand in terms of growing our business. They’d ask about this Italian cheese, or that pasta, and we would source it for them.

Customers really are king!

We m have the same worries as anyone else when the economic climate changes. But we try to respond to it as best we can – focusing even more on our customers, listening to them, what they want to see on the menu, how much they want to spend. That’s how you survive. Once you are successful, you still can’t dictate the terms – it is all about the customer.

Work hard.

Work as hard as you m can.

You need to be very handson with your business, know exactly what is going on at every level. “Standards are high, and I go round constantly checking each outlet,” says Eileen.

Keep on top of new trends,

and m beItaly,aware of the competition. In we keep an eye on what’s happening, new products coming out, or old ones coming back into fashion.

Dunne &

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

Irish Independent

– Principle Sponsors –

Arnotts Project

Associate Sponsors

Bindella Wines

Excel Linen

Ferrarelle Water

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

Caterquip Caterquip are distributors of quality catering appliances and butchers equipment, such as water boilers, slicers, mixers, mincers and vegetable processors. With over 30 years’ experience in the distribution and service of food processing equipment, Caterquip’s range is renowned for its performance, reliability and market-leading features and technology, to satisfy the most arduous applications. Unrivalled levels of customer service and after-sales support ensure that a Caterquip product will provide many years of value for money. No wonder Dunne & Crescenzi trust Caterquip!

Gleneely Foods Ltd Gleneely Foods would like to congratulate Dunne and Crescenzi on 10 very successful years providing a flavour of Italy throughout Dublin.

Dunne and Crescenzi have always used the finest of Italian ingredients, such as buffalo milk mozzarella, pecorino sheep’s milk cheese, grana padano and taleggio cheese. Gleneely Foods have been delighted to supply these and many other authentic Italian products over the past 10 years.

Hygiene Management Systems Hygiene Management Systems (HMS) would like to congratulate Dunne & Crescenzi, wish them continued success, and thank them for their continued partnership with HMS. HMS is Ireland’s leading food safety management systems provider and auditor. HMS can offer a complete programme to ensure a safer food environment, with food safety management implementation (HACCP), food hygiene training and HACCP workshops, food safety audit programmes, and health and safety training and services. HMS helps you protect your customers, your brand and your reputation.

Caterquip Unit Q19 Greenogue Business Park Rathcoole Co Dublin Tel: (01) 401 1858 Email: caterquip@eircom.net Web: www.caterquip.ie

Gleneely Foods Ltd Gleneely Foods Ltd Unit 5 Kilcarbery Park New Nangor Road Clondalkin Dublin 22 Tel: (01) 403 0300

Hygiene Management Systems Bracetown Business Park Clonee Co Meath Tel: (01) 877 2737 / 087 900 6561 Email: info@hms.ie Web: www.hms.ie

Houseware International Houseware International are the distributors for some of Europe’s leading tableware collections, viz Schott Zwiesel glassware, Tafelstern chinaware, WMF, Bauscher chinaware and HEPP flatware, supplying some of Ireland’s leading hotels and restaurants. Houseware are delighted to be associated with the 10th anniversary of Dunne & Crescenzi and would like to wish Stefano, Eileen and David continued success into the future.

Tel: (01) 825 2860 Email: info@houseware.ie Web: www.houseware.ie

Kish Fish All at Kish Fish would like to congratulate Eileen and Stefano on 10 fantastic years in the restaurant business. Kish Fish have been working with Dunne & Crescenzi for a number of years, supplying the tastiest seafood fresh off the boat. Kish Fish also supply every type of fresh and frozen seafood to the public at their two retail premises, one in Coolock and one in the heart of Smithfield.

Little Italy Well known as importers of fine Italian food and wine, the Little Italy outlet in Smithfield is open to both retail and wholesale customers. From your own kitchen to a professional catering affair, you can bring a taste of Italian culinary style to both your everyday life and to special occasions. With private car parking available and a convenient location on the Luas line, drop into Little Italy to discover this treasure trove of culinary delights.

Little Italy and San Pellegrino mineral water would like to wish Eileen and Stefano continued success!

Buon Compleanno e cento di questi giorni !!!

Kish Fish Smithfield 40-42 Bow Street Smithfield Dublin 7 Kish Fish Coolock Malahide Road Industrial Park Coolock Dublin 17 Tel: (01) 854 3900 Email: sales@kishfish.ie Web: www.kishfish.ie

Little Italy Ltd 139-140 North King Street Dublin 7 Tel: (01) 872 5208 / 873 3935 Email: info@littleitalyltd.com Web: www.littleitalyltd.com

Mövenpick Mövenpick is an award-winning super premium ice cream company with a portfolio of over 30 ice creams and sorbet flavours. These range from the classic (Vanilla and Green Apple Sorbet) to the enticing (Panna Cotta Raspberry and Passion Fruit & Mango Sorbet) to the truly inspirational (Ricotta & Pink Pepper, and Balsamic Vinegar Sorbet). Mövenpick is distributed in Ireland by Leadmore Ireland Ltd, a family-run business with over 30 years’ experience in the foodservice industry. To find out more contact Gerard O’Sullivan on (065) 905 1026 or 087 286 3195.

Upton Ryan Chartered Accountants The partners and staff at Upton Ryan wish Eileen and Stefano and their team warmest congratulations on the occasion of Dunne & Crescenzi’s 10th anniversary. Upton Ryan commends them on their success story of sure-footed expansion whilst maintaining a richly deserved reputation for authenticity, quality and service and the firm is delighted to have been associated with Eileen and Stefano from the beginning. Upton Ryan provide a personalised and comprehensive range of accounting, taxation and business advisory services and they wish Eileen & Stefano and all at Dunne & Crescenzi continued success for the future.

“The best cappuccino in town.”

– Nic Mac Innes, international photographer D U N N E & C R E S C E N Z I • B A R I TA L I A • L’ O F F I C I N A

Upton Ryan 9 Adelaide Centre Adelaide Road Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 478 0044

& Crescenzi Irish Independent

Dunne & Crescenzi The 10th Birthday Celebration

– Principle Sponsors –

John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods

Associate Sponsors

K&C Norton Wholesale Foods

Kildare Village

Salumi Villani

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

Zuegg Spa Zuegg Spa is proud to participate in this special anniversary magazine, and would like to personally thank Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi for this unique opportunity. Zuegg provides Dunne & Crescenzi with some of their high quality Italian fruit juices, their Skipper 200ml glass bottle line. The Skipper range, together with other juices and jams, confirms Zuegg Spa as a main actor in the fruit business and Zuegg is happy to bring freshness, taste and originality to the tables of Irish consumers. To learn more about Zuegg contact Xavier Vallet, Export Manager, xavier.vallet@zuegg.it.

McGrath Refrigeration Located in Harold’s Cross in Dublin, McGrath Refrigeration carries a full range of high quality refrigeration products in their vast central distribution warehouse. In business since 1981, they have been dealing with Dunne & Crescenzi for the last 10 years, supplying them with their specialist equipment suitable for their high standard of preparation and storage of Italian foods and ingredients. McGrath Refrigeration imports refrigeration equipment from all over the world, including the US, China, Japan and Europe.

From bottle coolers to meat and deli cabinets, ice makers to wine coolers, McGrath Refrigeration prides itself on supplying only the highest quality equipment.

Reds: The Hair Group Alan Bruton, the owner of Reds, was one of Dunne & Crescenzi’s first customers and he congratulates Eileen and Stefano on their 10 years in business. Reds was founded in 1984 by Alan and has consistently been nominated as one of the best hair salons in the world since 1990. Reds was the winner of the L’Oréal colour trophy in 2000 and has held Schwarzkopf Stylist of the Year Award and Salon of the Year Award in Dublin and Ireland since 1990.

G Duke & Co Ltd Congratulations to Dunne & Crescenzi from G Duke & Co Ltd, suppliers of catering accessories for hotels, restaurants and pubs. G Duke & Co Ltd supplies crockery, glassware and cutlery from top companies such as Rak, Wedgwood and Figgjo, and is a member of the Irish Hotel and Catering Institute.

Dawson Jewellers Dawson Jewellers congratulate Dunne & Crescenzi on their 10th anniversary and wish them continued success. Dawson Jewellers have 25 years of experience in the selling and maintenance of some of the most sought-after watches on the market, specialising in brands like Rolex, Cartier, Breitling and the world-renowned and exclusive Patek Philippe. As well as selling watches, Dawson Jewellers specialise in their maintenance and repair and Along with their excellent watch repair service, Dawson Jewellers remodel gold jewellery and can advise you on the best way to take care of any jewellery you have.

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

REDS on the Green 21 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 678 8211 / 678 8213 / 678 8214 Email: sales@redshairgroup.com Web: www.redshairgroup.com

JV Hutton Ltd Insurance Brokers Congratulations to Dunne & Crescenzi on 10 successful years from JV Hutton Ltd Insurance Brokers. Jonathan Hutton has over 25 years of experience in insurance broking and Hutton’s knowledge of risk assessment and risk management has given his clients invaluable protection, enabling them to concentrate on their core business. Large and small risks receive his personal attention. JV Hutton Ltd is regulated by the Financial Regulator.

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

JV Hutton Ltd Insurance Brokers Corner House Main Street Blanchardstown Dublin 15 Tel: (01) 820 3722 Email: info@jvhutton.com

Getcover.ie The management and staff of Getcover.ie congratulate Stefano and Eileen Crescenzi on reaching 10 years in business – Getcover.ie is also 10 years’ old this year and has been at the leading edge of online insurance since its launch. A fully Irish owned and run company, it is Ireland’s longest established online insurance broker and has grown over the last 10 years providing home insurance from as little as €170 pa and travel insurance (including specialist ski insurance) from €1.35 per day.

G. DUKE & CO. LTD.

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

G Duke & Co Ltd Unit 5 Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold’s Cross Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 454 7877 Email: info@gduke.com Web: www.gduke.com

Margaret Jeffers, Good Food Ireland; Sally & John McKenna, Bridgestone; Tom Doorley; Georgina Campbell; Paolo Tullio, Taste of Ireland; Fodor’s Choice; Lonely Planet; Leading Restaurants; Les Routiers; Lucinda O’Sullivan’s Great Places to Stay and Eat; Ernie Walley; Angela Flannery, Irish Independent; Myles McSweeney …and all our customers

Dunne & Crescenzi Hamper Heaven

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(www.dunneandcrescenzi.com)