Fred Bollaci recently spent an incredible evening at The Miami Culinary Institute on February 29th with Chef Sandra Rosy Lotti, inaugural worldwide Platinum Palate award winner and member, and her son Alessio JM Da Prato of Toscana Saporita Cooking School in Tuscany and enjoyed their signature authentic Tuscan cuisine with each course demonstrated before a live audience, paired with great Italian wines from Zonin!
At the event, Mr. Bollaci had the honor of awarding Sandra and Toscana Saporita Cooking School the first worldwide Platinum Palate™ Certificate of Excellence award, a new elite level of membership and recognition reserved for the best of the best in wonderful hands-on owners and fabulous establishments.
Sandra spoke of the benefits of the Italian and Mediterranean diet, which underscores fresh, local, and seasonal and utilizes products like quality olive oil and the best tomatoes which are antioxidants.
Many of Sandra’s alumni got to enjoy visiting and tasting the foods we learned to prepare and enjoy in Italy and some new favorites! There were other guests in attendance who had not yet visited Toscana Saporita. “Toscana Saporita needs to be at the very top of your bucket list,” Mr. Bollaci said. “If you ever dreamed of attending cooking school in Tuscany, this is your dream come true! The very best people and experience, period. Go see what makes them my first Platinum a Palate, it’s about the people and a life changing experience! Sandra and her family are one-of-a-kind, and Toscana Saporita is a gem.”
Bollaci, a columnist with Venu Magazine, the leading contemporary arts and culture magazine in the New York-New England area and South Florida (and growing in the Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco-Napa-Sonoma markets and overseas) writes about Toscana Saporita and the new Platinum Palate award and membership in the spring 2016 issue, due out this month!
Bollaci will be announcing his first US Platinum Palate award winning establishments and new members this spring and is in the process of evaluating and inviting other select establishments and discerning owners to consider this new level of exclusivity in a growing global family, where healthy-gourmet, quality, and service are at the forefront.
