Castelnuovo Berardenga, Italy 

From the moment we were greeted on a breezy afternoon outside their lovely Tuscan villa, Seamus O’Kelly and recently wed spouse Patrizia Barbieri (below) extended to us the warmth and hospitality one might expect of old friends.

Our time together was delightful for the palate, uplifting for the soul and enlightening for the mind. The woman who arranged our villa for a weeklong stay in southern Tuscany (La Dolce Via Italy) suggested lunch in the home of an authentic local chef. We signed on without hesitation. It was our best decision of the week.

Seated outdoors with a sweeping vineyard view, we savored the chef’s delicate sage leaves (grown on property) prepared with a light batter, then moved inside to a table adorned with sparkling stemware (photo below). A delicious dish comprised of boiled wheat germ bathed in red wine over a bed of fresh arugula was the next course.

Seamus soon appeared from his kitchen with a platter of green-peppercorn rissoto marinated in Chianti and served with grated local pecorino. We were then treated to classic Sienese duck a l’orange with a garnish of goose, followed by a fragrant green salad and aged pecorino paired with slightly seared handmade marmalade (concentrating its sweetness). Dessert? A simply excellent tiramisu, light and flavorful.

Every course was accompanied by a gem from the wine cellar, most notably a 1998 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Sangiovese-based red. The 2 1/2 hours flew by, the dining experience exceeded only by Seamus’ engaging wit and Patrizia’s considerable charm. It was truly an exceptional afternoon.

Seamus de Pentheny O’Kelly is not a stranger to foodophiles in the U.S., as he has appeared on Discovery Channel’s master chef series over the years. He is of Irish descent but was born and raised in South Africa. Seamus moved to Italy in the early 1980s, first working in Rome but ultimately finding his calling in Tuscany’s Chianto Classico region. He recently retired from restaurant ownership after selling Osteria del Castello, a celebrated dining destination for many years within the Castello di Brolio wine estate.

Together, he and Patrizia, a certified sommelier and tourism specialist, plan to operate cooking schools and create private dining experiences close to home and across the United States. A percussionist and arranger, Seamus often punctuates an evening of fine food and wine by treating guests to musical performances. He collaborated with a friend to produce a CD of traditional African music, the sales of which support efforts to help African children battling AIDS.

Seamus is passionate about music, good conversation, irises (he has a sizeable iris farm in Switzerland), wine and Tuscan cuisine. He says two obvious red flags signaling when a meal is not authentically Tuscan are the presence of parmesan cheese (instead of pecorino) and butter (instead of olive oil).

“The basis of Tuscan cooking,” Seamus told us as we devoured his rissoto, “is not the ingredient but the quality of the ingredient.” 

– Steve Woodward    

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