Mohegan Sun’s annual WineFest is my Super Bowl. Before the big game, football aficionados took to twitter in anticipation of the showdown. I, too, waged a full out blitz on social media- enthusiastically counting down til I could try some great wines and see my favorite chefs back in action! For the Super Bowl, avid fans suited up in team apparel and NFL jerseys. I also donned some fancy getup; my yearly uniform is a pink shirt bedazzled with “Wine Diva” and a sparkly headband. Some people love calfskin; I love food, wine, and fun.
From the moment I entered the Convention Center, it was apparent that this year’s festival was bigger than ever. Media members are granted an additional hour to peruse the venue. Last year there was a handful of us and it was easy to get a preview of what was to come. This year, however, it seemed that people everywhere were vying to cover the event. Media members were elbow-to-elbow before the doors even opened to the public. It was an extravaganza!
The SunWineFest’s signature event is its Grand Tasting, which spans the weekend.
Like Oprah or Madonna in pop culture, Lidia is one-name-famous to foodies, a television star (Lidia's Italy -- PBS), renowned restaurateur (Felidia, Eataly, Delposto, Becco), a worldwide brand (Lidia's Sauces and Pasta), bestselling author (Lidia’s Commonsense Guide to Italian Cooking is her latest), mom, grandmother, whew, one name so many roles.
Incidentally, Lidia is no stranger to Connecticut. Her son Joe and his family live in Greenwich, she tapes her PBS show in Norwalk, and of course the Bastianich clan is associated with Tarry Lodge in both Westport and Port Chester.
We began the conversation, wondering what Lidia the little girl would think if she could peer into a crystal ball and see the famous Lidia of today.
“When I was nine years old we had fled from Communist Yugoslavia and my family was in a refugee camp,” she told us, “I think that little girl, her mouth would be open at what I’ve accomplished.” Then Lidia thought about that youngster for a moment and resolutely stated, “But you know, I always had confidence I was going to amount to something And food was so very important to me, because we didn’t have much.”
