In Good Taste: The Italian Job

Vicki and Les Jayne have spent years patiently nurturing vines of Vitis vinifera on their forty-seven-acre property in the hills of northern Pickens County, seemingly exclusively for idyllic evenings such as this. The winery—built in the style of a French château—inspires and impresses the first-time guest, the sun dipping below perfectly rounded hills, stitched with rows upon rows of grape vines, the youngest ones in closest view.

Their vineyard, Victoria Valley, is a labor of love, a work in progress, and at times an extension of the family kitchen, this night included. It marks their monthly celebration of marrying savory food with fine wine, creating an ambience that is elegant and inviting all at once. The Jaynes take care of the wine, of course—signature chardonnay, syrah, cabernet, and merlot. The menu, meanwhile, is left to tonight’s guest chef: the effervescent and seriously Italian John Dioguardia, who with his wife, Kelly, owns and operates Bella Vita Ristorante—a twenty-five-seat restaurant hidden in an old mill district of Easley.

“John is like ‘dinner and a show’,” Vicki jests within earshot of her friend. Indeed, the chef’s fast-talking, wisecracking repartee is served generously alongside his food. Sporting a baseball cap backwards and small, round, horn-rimmed glasses, John is about as unassuming in the looks department as a chef could be. But his big personality fills the space and envelops the diners in a warm embrace.

The Jaynes paid great attention to detail when constructing the château and the wine enclave in particular, which houses Victoria Valley’s oak barrels and offers guests an elegant surrounding in which to experience the wines. Massive beams and doors were designed and made by hand of white oak, the same wood that forms the aging barrels. Most weekend afternoons, curious tasters flock to the European-style winery to sip a Silk, Blush, or Pulse in authentic surroundings.

But tonight, in addition to enjoying wine, their guests will indulge in a four-course meal. Not having a fully stocked professional kitchen limits their options somewhat, but the monthly dinners have proved to be a creative solution to the modest cooking space, as the Jaynes invite a favorite local restaurant to essentially cater the evening and provide their guests with some culinary expertise alongside their wines.

Held in the “enclave,” the aging room where massive oak barrels line the walls, guests sit eight to ten to a table and share a dinner that highlights the freshest seasonal cuisine carefully paired with a selection of Victoria Valley Vineyard’s wines. Les revels in the happy gathering, and it’s clear he is never merrier than when strangers sit down and break bread as friends. As he wends his way between tables laden with china, goblets, and linen napkins, he gestures, enthusiastically exclaiming, “This atmosphere is like a big home."

And he knows homes: Before taking over the winery, he was in the business of building custom, curved staircases throughout the Southeast and beyond (including the Caribbean). His company, Staircrafters Inc. (now run by his eldest son so that he can focus on the business of wine), produces intricate, lofty, and architecturally splendid specimens that have brought the Jaynes regional and national attention. For Les, woodworking is an art, an occupation that he says “is not about time; it is about the result.” The philosophy has stood them in good stead as they pursue the wine business.

Back at the dinner table, John has emerged from the kitchen to greet friends and guests. “How ya doin’ over here,” he booms, clapping one gentleman on the shoulder as the first course is served. He is greeted with a hug by another couple who are regulars at his diminutive, yet thoroughly charming Easley establishment.

Laden with the heavy cadences of a New Yorker (although he’s quick to point out that he was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, birthplace of Frank Sinatra), John’s explanation of the meal and his philosophy of serving the best selections from air, land, and sea that he can find, is peppered with quips such as how he’s been slaving over a hot microwave in the back room. He gets serious, however, as he ticks off the Italian-inspired menu items, which begin with a seafood salad containing succulent shrimp, calamari, and scungilli paired with the vineyard’s signature ’04 chardonnay.
“Going to the market is part of the experience,” he tells those assembled. “I love to find the best ingredients and pass that on to you,” he says, opening his arms wide.

The next course features plump and tender ravioli made from fresh pasta, stuffed with five cheeses and topped with a buttery parmesan sauce spiked with sage that John grows fresh in the garden surrounding his restaurant. This herbal flavor profile blends well with the sweeter ’06 Vintner’s Select syrah.
The sound of talk and laughter rises as John reemerges from the kitchen with a choice of two entrées: a whole rainbow trout stuffed with capers, olives, oven-roasted roma tomatoes, and more fresh herbs, or the boneless pork tenderloin with portabello mushrooms, gorgonzola, and spinach pâté baked in puff pastry and served with a Chianti reduction.

Appreciative “oohs” and “ahhs” are heard as the plates are set down. Glasses are refilled with Vintner’s Select cabernet sauvignon ’06 by servers including the Jaynes’ lovely elder daughter. As everyone tucks in, John circles the room chatting up the guests. Then, just as they are spooning up the last morsels or sopping up a bit of sauce, he begins to sing a hearty rendition of “That’s Amore!” The diners sing along, each one filled with goodwill and plenty of good food.

It is not long before John’s wife, Kelly, also the pastry chef, has her handiwork take center stage, or table as it were. Dessert, the “chocolate hazelnut decadence,” is just that: silky and rich, dark, nutty, and not too sweet. Paired with the final wine selection of the evening, a smooth and balanced Vintner’s Select ’06 merlot, the meal concludes with deep sighs of satisfaction all around.

No one is ready to leave when the doors of the enclave are thrown open to reveal the sun setting beyond the hills. The sky is suffused with golden light, and guests trickle out to stand and admire the views. One woman throws her arms around Les’s neck and says for all to hear, “You just saved me $5,000.” Les is slightly confused, but she continues. “I feel like I’ve been in Europe for a day; you saved me the price of a trip!”

He smiles broadly at her, his wife, and those gathered around. “This makes it all worth it."

Trouta Cartoccio (Trout poached in parchment paper )

Servings: 

6

Ingredients: 

• 4 sheets parchment paper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 whole trout (butterfly cut with head and bones removed)
• 1 cup baby Roma (grape) tomatoes, halved
• 1⁄2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1⁄4 cup capers
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Cut the sheets of parchment paper into 12-inch squares and brush the center of each with olive oil. Place trout diagonally in center of each square, open with the skin side down. Sprinkle one quarter of the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, and parsley on each fish, and then drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Close the filets around the tomatoes and other ingredients. Bring the edges of the paper together, and roll and fold the paper until it is tight against the fish. Fold the ends of the paper under the fish to form a pouch. Place on a cooking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 17 minutes. Open the packets and serve with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil.

Insalata di mare (seafood salad)

Servings: 

6

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. mussels (cleaned)
• 2 stalks celery
• 1⁄2 onion (cut in half)
• Bay leaf
• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• 2 Tbs. salt
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 lb. jumbo shrimp
• 1⁄2 lb. calamari
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup chopped flat Italian parsley

Directions: 

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl with one half ice and one half water. Steam mussels for three minutes and chill. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place celery stalks (cut into quarters), onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and juice of half a lemon in the pot and let boil for five minutes. Add shrimp and boil for two minutes, then add calamari and boil leaf, peppercorns, salt, and juice of half a lemon in the pot and let boil for five minutes. Add shrimp and boil for two minutes, then add calamari and boil for an additional minute. Drain and place into the ice bath to chill.

Dressing: In a bowl, add garlic, oregano, vinegar, remaining lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. While whisking the ingredients, slowly pour in olive oil. Toss the seafood into the bowl, add parsley, and mix well.