Introduced! La Tavola Marche

1) Please introduce yourself (Name, Location, Age, where do you come from)
Ciao – we are a young American couple – Ashley & Jason Bartner, originally from the west coast, we most recently lived in NYC for almost 8 years before moving to the tiny town of Piobbico in Le Marche, Italy.

2) Which countries/cities have you lived in?
Ashley – Seattle, WA – Brooklyn, NY in America & Piobbico – Italy
Jason – Danville, CA – Seattle, WA – Brooklyn, NY & Piobbico, Italy

3) What is your blog about?
Our blog is where we share our crazy stories (of living & owning an agriturismo farmhouse in Italy), pictures, local seasonal Italian recipes, updates on our farm, day trips in Le Marche and all things Italian! We own an Agriturismo (farmhouse) and Cooking School. Celebrating life at every meal – from the farm to the table. What better way to know a culture but through its food!

4) Why are you blogging? Do you have any goals with it?
I started our blog for our family & friends in the States so they could stay up to date with what we were up to! But it really expanded fast & took off! I blog now to tell more the story of our area, our farm & our food. My goals are to expand the knowledge & name recognition of our little-known region of Le Marche, enticing travelers to visit this area with its fantastic food, festivals & hill top towns as well as maybe one day write a book.

5) Your favorite Italian meal?
Ohhh what a question! It depends on the season, since it’s fall with those great crisp cool nights, I’d have to say something meaty – I love Osso Buco! Jason made it the other day & it is to die for!
Here’s the recipe.

6) What is your favorite Italian song?
It’s so sad but I love it – L’Appuntomento by Ornella Vanoni

7) Do you have recommended links concerning the subject of your blog or Italy in general?
Well that all depends – food, culture, news, expats in Italy or how to move here – here’s a few to check out!
www.blogfromitaly.com
www.wanderingitaly.com
vallenuova.blogspot.com

8) Anything to add?
Our farmhouse has 5 self-catering guest apartments, we serve a four course feast nightly all home-made with produce from our garden as well as our hands-on Cooking School!

Pull up the Wellies because at our farmhouse and cooking school here in Le Marche, Italy, we head straight into the garden to pick our fruits and vegetables for every meal! We jam, jar and preserve to extend the season. Sample our house-bottled local wine and homemade liquors—vin santo, nocino and visciolino made by Ashley. In the winter months, Jason and Ashley make their own sausages, salami, and lonzo from scratch, curing them in the cool winter breeze that passes through the rafters of the house.

It is incredibly satisfying to walk a hundred feet from the house with a group of guests and pick the night’s dinner! Our guests experience picking zucchini and eggplants off the vine, checking in on the tomatoes, popping bright red cherry tomatoes into their mouths, then heading up to the kitchen to create deliciously simple dishes with the cucumbers still warm from the sun!

With a crate full of fresh-picked vegetables, the cooking begins!”Farm to the Table” experiences can truly transcend the holiday—many guests return home excited to become more connected to their food and start digging their own gardens or expanding their current ones.