Cinque di Vino Viale San Francesco, 32 San Casciano Val di Pesa Tel: 055-822-8116 Closed Monday and Tuesday

native Florentine and a graphic artist by trade, Federico Bacci began his culinary career by chance while working in Ibiza, Spain. From 1994 to 1998, he provided a "taste of Tuscany" to the island crowd! This led him back to Florence where he was chef at the historic bar Procacci on Via Tornabuoni. He left the kitchen to run the shop, and finally broke out on his own in July 2000. Cinque di Vino, which he owned until 2005, was his dream! It was a tiny restaurant, 25 seats (20 more when the garden was open in the summer), serving his favorite dishes, which he prepared himself. And, of course, every dish was accompanied by fabulous wines. His regular menu featured tastings of local cheeses and cured meats, traditional pastas such as Pappardelle sull'anatra (fresh pasta with duck sauce), and La Cipollata, a slow-stewed red onion sauce with black pepper. Then then there was my favorite--sage pesto. Tuscan soups were also one of his specialties. You could watch the open grill where he prepared the Bistecca alla Fiorentina (a huge piece of beef to share!), and a Cinta Senese, grilled or in red wine sauce. It was a free-range pig, again being raised in Chianti. It's fed only acorns and chestnuts; the meat is flavorful, and although it has quite a large strip of fat, the fat is really good to eat. So don't cut it off! There was also a daily menu and a tasting menu. Federico didn't mind if you just wanted cheese or a plate of pasta with a salad. This is "slow food." Like mom made ...or you wish she had! In Bocca al Lupo, Federico! I love people who take risks and follow their passions! Try Federico's Pesto di Salvia, a winter pesto. READ ABOUT David Lebovitz Kate Hill Paulette Mitchell Benita Leo Piazzesi Gianni Migliorini Germana Conti Gabriele Ferron Osteria Luchin Federico Bacci Gastronomia Perini Romeo Colzi Dario Cecchini Mimmo Baldi Donatella Lauteri Giovanni Cappelli Fabio Picchi Andrea Francini Click here for Federico's recipe for Sage Pesto.