Italian Restaurateur Cooks true to his Heritage
Gadaldi embraces Slow Food philosophy while celebrating 10-year anniversary

San Francisco, CA – November 17, 2006 – It’s divine coincidence that the 10th anniversary of restaurateur Ruggero Gadaldi’s Antica Trattoria came on the heels of his return from this years’ Slow Food Terra Madre world convention. For Gadaldi – a Bergamo native – the invitation to participate meant a chance to officially honor his lifelong commitment to the Slow Food ideals – ideals he’s espoused at Antica Trattoria since its inception 10 years ago. "Sustainability, community, taste, and health are most important values to me and I strive to keep true to my origin," said Gadaldi.

These philosophies are at the very root Gadaldi’s past. Raised in a town with a population of less than nine hundred, Galdadi grew up immersed in a lifestyle today’s popular culture coins as ‘slow food'. His family, owners and operators of the town store – Gadaldi’s Gastronomia – produced and cured their own salami and handcrafted butter and cheese from local milk; all trades Gadaldi mastered by the age of 14. Gadaldi honed these skills with classical training at the Hotel Pitrizza in Porto Cervo, Italy, and at the Palace Hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland. Ruggero moved to San Francisco in 1991 and worked at Etrusca, whose regional food won high praise from the press. He opened Antica Trattoria in 1996, which San Francisco Chronicle’s executive food editor Michael Bauer calls "one of the best Italian Restaurants for the past decade," adding that "the food has a familiar feel but Gadaldi gives the recipes enough of a twist to make them his own."

Gourmet Magazine’s Caroline Bates concurs. "There are delicious revelations all through the small seasonal menu," she writes. Each of his Italian restaurants have a neighborhood sensibility and more, they each take you back to the authentic flavors of Italy. These dishes include vitello tonnato, a quintessential Italian classic of thinly sliced veal topped with tuna mayonnaise, house made black pepper pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and tagliata, thinly sliced sirloin steak finished with dressed local arugula.

In addition to Antica Trattoria, Ruggero Gadaldi is also chef and owner of Pesce, a Venetian seafood restaurant now in its sixth year, and The Last Supper Club, which features southern Italian cuisine and opened last year. He plans to continue to encourage his diners to practice the principals celebrated at Terra Madre this year: the enjoyment of regional, authentic foods and their origins. "I am committed to educating my customers and others on the ideals and mission of the Slow Food movement," says Gadaldi.