decorate with bowls of oranges; at the restaurant she will fill
antique citrus crates with fruit from Louisiana.
The responsibilities that come with a new restaurant mean
that Wilcomb will be staying in New Orleans during the holidays,
but she hopes friends will gather to fill and twist the tortellini,
which is always a group affair. The festivities will be aided by
the Babbo Natale Spritz (recipe p. 123) created by Cary Palmer,
the Link Group’s beverage director. Named for Father Christmas,
the drink is “a seasonal take on the classic Italian spritz,” says
Palmer. “The cranberry liqueur keeps things dry and tart, and
the aperitivo has a backbone of baking spice that screams ‘holi-
days.’” For her part, Wilcomb can’t wait: “A big familial meal
is so festive during the season. It’s the Italian way.”Stephen Stryjewski about opening what would
become Gianna, she knew the tortellini would
be on the menu year-round. “Whenever I visit
my grandmother, it’s the first thing she makes
for me.” (See p. 123 for the recipe.)
Wilcomb, who won a James Beard Award
for Best Chef: South while executive chef at
the Link Group’s flagship Herbsaint, spent
long stretches of time in Italy before opening
the new restaurant. She and her colleagues
made trips as a group to Sicily and Rome and Campania. She
worked in a pasta lab in Bologna and made repeat trips to her
grandparents’ house. Now that the restaurant is a reality, she is
looking forward to sharing not just her expertise but also her
family traditions during her first Christmas at Gianna. “Christ-
mas is really big in Italy,” she says, “And the celebrations last
almost a month.”
While the tortellini is the sacrosanct Christmas Day first
course, it is usually followed, Wilcomb says, by a whole roasted
bird. During the season, she plans to offer a similar festive
family-style dinner at the restaurant, where duck will be roasted
in the wood-burning oven. Baccalà, which was always her fam-
ily’s Christmas Eve main course, will be on the menu as well.
Wilcomb braises the salt cod with tomatoes and olives—the
strong, acidic flavors hold up well with the fish—and serves
it over polenta (recipe on p. 123). A special dessert will be a
chocolate cassata (see p. 120), the classic Sicilian cake featuring
a liqueur-soaked sponge cake layered with sweetened ricotta
and topped with candied fruit (in this case, lots of citrus).
The use of citrus in holiday feasts turns out to be a shared
custom. “Italy and Louisiana have the same citrus season,” Wil-
comb says. “Different types of lemons are grown year-round in
Italy, but the winter, especially around Christmastime, is orange
season. Markets all over the country are filled with the many
varieties grown in the South.” At home, Wilcomb plans to
THE MENU
Babbo Natale Spritz
(TOP LEFT,
recipe p. 123)Tortellini in Brodo
(TOP RIGHT,
recipe p. 123)Tomato-Braised
Baccalà with Olives
and Polenta
(BOTTOM RIGHT,
recipe p. 123)Chocolate-and-
Citrus Cassata
(photo p. 120,
recipe p. 122)