LOCAL RESIDENT WINS OLIVE GARDEN’S

CULINARY INSTITUTE OF TUSCANY SWEEPSTAKES

PORT MATILDA, Pa. – Port Matilda resident Jack Orlandi recently traveled hundreds of miles overseas for the ultimate culinary adventure.

  Orlandi, accompanied by his wife Colette, spent eight days in Italy as one of five grand prize winners in Olive Garden’s annual Culinary Institute of Tuscany Sweepstakes, co-hosted by Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

  At Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany, Orlandi enjoyed learning the time-honored traditions of Italian cooking, such as how to select only the freshest ingredients, layer flavors to create the perfect sauce, perfect al dente pasta, and pair sauces and pasta to create the most flavorful meals.

 “It was exciting to create dishes from fresh ingredients we handpicked at the local al fresco market just hours before,” said Orlandi. “Everything we made was very simple, but so delicious and flavorful. Just wait until my family and friends see what I can do now.”

 “The trip included a visit to Olive Garden’s Riserva di Fizzano restaurant, located in the same -century village as Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany in Chianti, Italy, and the source of inspiration for many of the flavorful dishes on Olive Garden’s menu. Both were established in partnership with Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli, a local Italian family who owns the Rocca delle Macie winery, one of Italy’s finest wineries and leading producers of Tuscan wines, and another stop on the sweepstakes tour.                                                                  

 “Winners and their guests were captivated by the rich history of Italy and the hospitality of its people. “The people made Italy so meaningful,” said Orlandi“We felt at home everywhere we went.”

 “During the trip, they also traveled to Florence, to the medieval city of San Gimignano and to Rome where they toured the world-famous Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

“We continue to be inspired by the warmth and true hospitality of the Italian people, as well as the importance of family in their culture,” said John Caron, executive vice president of marketing for Olive Garden. “We are delighted this year’s winners experienced our source of inspiration first-hand and hope they come away with a greater understanding of the genuine Italian dining experience.”

 “The trip’s co-host, Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, is the leading producer of authentic Italian extra virgin olive oil. For more information on Colavita’s family of high-quality products, such as balsamic vinegars and semolina wheat pasta, visit www.colavita.com.

          Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with 603 restaurants, 70,000 employees and more than $2.6 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI), the world’s largest casual dining company in sales and market share. For more information, visit Olive Garden’s Web site at www.olivegarden.com.

 “For pictures of their trip visit their website.

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