Welcome to A standing reservation! Thanks for reserving your table. If you’ve found your way here via pure luck and haven’t already reserved your standing reservation, pencil yourself in the book and we’ll be sure to serve you up something good:
I’m back! After a long hiatus, I’ve decided to revamp and reignite the newsletter. Some of you may be thinking, I signed up for this thing? Well, you did. So deal with it. Kidding, I’m not that mean - there’s a little unsubscribe button below if you feel so inclined to tick it, but surely you don’t want to do that. Partly because, if you’re like me, you’d like a little sunshine to fill your inbox and mostly because, we’re going to have a lot of fun here. Along with sunshine and good times, we’ll be chatting all things food, travel, and sometimes just random thoughts - and that’s OK, we like some spontaneity!
Who am I?
For those of you who might be new here or have just joined our table, I’m Paige - cook, TV producer, & lover of the standing reservation. Producer turned Chef, some might consider my love for food a bit gluttonous. But no, I consider it my creative outlet. After realizing my passion for food went beyond the recipes I grew up with and the occasional dinners out, I decided to dig deep into that feeling that was igniting me. My curiosity for learning techniques and honing my skills lead me to culinary school in London at Leiths School of Food and Wine. I kept my day job (more like round the clock job - my production people know what I mean) working in television and cooked at night - fresh pastas, cured salmon, naan breads, sourdough. You name it, I needed to try my hand at it. And so, these days, I mix my passion for food and my skills of producing to create good food that I can share with you - whether we’re near or far.
Why a standing reservation, you ask?
A standing reservation holds a space that’s near and dear to my heart. Every Saturday night at 5pm, my grandfather had a standing reservation at one of his favorite restaurants. No matter rain nor blizzard (true story, we still went out to dinner in a blizzard), table twelve was there waiting for us - drink orders already on the table.
Tavolotwelve
My grandfathers table, table number 12, has now inspired me to start my own communal table. And so, tavolotwelve was born. Its name is an ode to my Italian heritage and my love for the standing reservation. We host cooking classes, offer private cheffing, slow travel experiences, and hopefully soon, we’ll be hosting you around our own communal table. Stay tuned…and hungry!
I bid you all adieu, with a recipe for a martini, but of course.
My grandfathers drink was a dirty martini - straight up and drier than the desert. It was always waiting for him on table twelve, our standing reservation; and, to this day remains a constant at family gatherings. Recipe is below and I hope it treats you well. It sure does a number on me.
Dirty martini, straight up, drier than the desert. The shaken ice on the side. - Bob Shirvanian
Serves 2
5 ounces vodka or gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
Green olives in their brine for garnish
Ice
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, vodka or gin, and vermouth, along with a drop of olive brine - if you’re feeling you need that extra saltiness. Give it a good shake and pour into your chilled and olive garnished martini glasses. When you order this out at a restaurant, the trick is to ask for the shaken ice. This isn’t just ANY ice. This is the ice that’s coated in all that martini goodness. Every once in a while, my grandpa would throw a cube into the martini glass - maybe just to freshen and chill the martini but there's always an extra bit of martini at the bottom of that ice and I’d rather not miss out on any of it.
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige