Day: March 24, 2018

Buddy V’s Ristorante opens in San Antonio

Buddy V's Ristorante
Chef Bryan Forgione puts the finishing touches on dishes during the grand opening of Buddy V’s Ristorante. Photo: Darren Abate, used with permission.

On Thursday, March 22, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Buddy V’s Ristorante at The Shops at La Cantera. It featured Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, his wife Lisa Valastro, their four children and various family and Cake Boss cast members, in celebration of the restaurant’s highly anticipated opening. (Buddy V’s Ristorante, 2018)

Following the ceremony, invited guests, media and tastemakers enjoyed a private reception at the restaurant. Hosted by the “Cake Boss” himself, the bash featured delectable hors d’oeuvres and passed dishes including Grandma’s Meatballs with beef, veal, pork, marinara and parmesan, My Mother in Law’s Capellini Shrimp Scampi with roasted tomatoes, spinach, garlic and white wine, and Bone-In Veal Parm Chop oven baked with provolone, mozzarella and marinara; along with wine and signature cocktail offerings.

Aside from remarks by Jason Lapin of Blau + Associates, on behalf of Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla, there was also a champagne toast by Buddy Valastro in honor of the event. In true “Cake Boss” fashion, numerous cakes exemplifying the spirit of San Antonio including The Alamo, armadillo, cowboy boots and more, were presented for guests to enjoy and satisfy their sweet tooth.

Buddy V’s Ristorante is now open and serves both lunch and dinner. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11a.m. to 10p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11a.m. to 11p.m.

Renowned baker Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro has opened Buddy V’s Ristorante at The Shops at La Cantera, partnering with veteran restaurateurs Elizabeth Blau and Chef Kim Canteenwalla, to bring a taste of Valastro’s family gatherings and beloved heirloom recipes to San Antonio.

Inspired by family gatherings, neighborhood barbecues and the beloved recipes passed down by Buddy’s mother, grandmother and aunts, the restaurant features signature dishes such as My Dad’s Bucatini Carbonara with pancetta, cracked black pepper and egg; Lisa V’s Linguine & White Clam Sauce with white wine, garlic and extra virgin olive oil; Bone-In Veal Parm Chop oven-baked with provolone and mozzarella and served alongside spaghetti marinara; Valastro Sunday Gravy with meatballs, sausage, lamb, pork and a bowl of rigatoni; Steak Pizzaiola with peperonata, grana padano and polenta, and Nona’s Lasagna Al Forno.

Author Q & A with Rebecca Kightlinger

Kightlingerphoto
Rebecca Kightlinger, author of ‘Megge of Bury Down.’  Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Megge of Bury Down’ and how did the story come about?
A: It took roughly seven years from concept to publication. Like many of my narrators, Megge just appeared in my mind’s eye one day when I was ready to write and started showing me around her home and telling me the story of her family and her life.

When she described a river that ran alongside a circular castle and emptied into an estuary along a southern coast, somewhere west of Holland, I got out a globe and opened Google Earth, and realized that the river was the Fowey. Megge’s story was set in Cornwall.

I then had to research medieval Cornwall, medieval medicine and midwifery, and ancient grimoires and herbcraft. Then I had to turn this story into a novel. Never having written one before, I knew I would have to seriously study writing craft. That was when I learned about low-residency MFA programs.

I looked at all of them from Pennsylvania to the east coast and felt most strongly attracted to the University of Southern Maine. It was there, at Stonecoast, among the talented students and faculty, that I learned how to take Megge’s story from mostly summary narrative to a scene-driven novel.

Q: Fans of which authors/books do you think would enjoy this title and why?
A: I think fans of novels featuring strong female characters will enjoy this book. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon comes to mind: iconic mystical and mythical fiction set in Dark-Age Cornwall. Bradley’s characters are depicted as real people in a world in which the mystical plays an integral part and the protagonist is often at odds with her family: wanting to belong but often rejecting the core tenets of her family’s beliefs. The Mists of Avalon features strong women who are outside the bounds of traditional society, and I think this resonates with readers of all ages.

Q: What do you want readers to remember about your story or characters long after they have finished reading?
A: I hope they will hold on to the feeling of togetherness and protectiveness that exists in Megge’s family through generations, even after family members have passed. In this family, there is such a strong bond that they are willing to return to the living world after death, and even die horrific deaths, rather than allow wisdom and knowledge to be lost. There is an abiding sense of love, trust, and dedication that transcends death.

Q: Is the book based on events in your life or related to your background or expertise/experiences?
A: Not consciously. But since Megge’s mother and aunt were healers in a rural setting where there were no physicians handy, I might have drawn on some of my experiences in Guyana, where non-physician clinicians provide medical care very skillfully. The birth scenes did come naturally given my work as an OB/GYN, and I enjoyed writing them.

Q: What is your favorite genre to write?
A: Historical fiction. Most of my stories are from a distinct time in the past. My first novel, which I haven’t published, was set in the 1930s and involved the struggle to organize the Steelworker’s union.

Megge’s story is set in the thirteenth century, but I’ve already written drafts of some of the future installments in this series, and they are set in every century from the fourth century to the present day. Researching each era and location is fascinating and a great pleasure.

New release: ‘Megge of Bury Down’ by Rebecca Kightlinger

meggeofburydownbook
‘Megge of Bury Down’ is the new release by Rebecca Kightlinger.  Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Rebecca Kightlinger is a novelist,  book critic for Historical Novels Review, fiction- submissions reader for New England Review and Stonecoast Review and a copy editor for Stonecoast Review. Earning an MFA from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program and a copyediting certificate from UCSD, she turned her Masters thesis into her debut novel. Kightlinger and her husband reside in northwestern Pennsylvania. (Smith Publicity, 2018)

Confused, unsure, and trying to avoid a twist of fate, a vow that she fears will lead to murder, a young woman makes a decision that places her family in unimaginable danger. A story intertwining destiny with reckoning, and tradition with dreams, the debut coming-of-age novel ‘Megge of Bury Down: Book One of the Bury Down Chronicles’, by Rebecca Kightlinger, radiates feelings of togetherness and protectiveness as seen through the eyes of a young girl embroiled in a mystical struggle that threatens to tear her family apart.

Set in thirteenth-century Cornwall, on a sheep farm in the shadow of Bury Down, known for a thousand years as the land of the second sight, a healer has vowed to face flames rather than fail in her one task in this life: to bring her young daughter to vow to protect The Book of Seasons, an ancient grimoire whose power sustains the spirits of all their ancestors.

On the night of her vow-taking, wanting only to become a woman of Bury Down like her mother and aunts and drawn by an inexplicable yearning to possess her mother’s book, Megge reaches for it. But when she touches its cover, it burns her fingers and she hears it whisper, “Murderer.” Fearing that the book will make her harm those she loves, she rejects it and renounces her birthright.

To what lengths will Megge’s mother go to help the child find the courage to take that vow? And how far will Megge go to elude a terrifying destiny?

This newly released title, ‘Megge of Bury Down’, addresses family issues prevalent in today’s world in a tender yet cryptic setting, creating a story readers of all ages will want to visit again and again.

In this magical and suspenseful chronicle, ‘Megge of Bury Down’ depicts:

  • An unimaginable bond of family. Through generations, even after family members have passed, togetherness and protectiveness are ever-present in Megge’s family.
  • Powerful female characters and how their strength, wisdom, and compassion allow them to defy all odds.
  • The intense conflict between the yearning to belong and the need to find your own path.
  • Tolerance—understanding that the life you must lead to hone your skills may make you an outsider, even to those you serve.
  • A real-life setting—Bury Down is an ancient hill fort whose ruins can still be seen on a hilltop just outside of Lanreath, Cornwall.

‘Megge of Bury Down: Book One of the Bury Down Chronicles’ is available for purchase in paperback and e-book via Amazon and all major booksellers.

“Creating powerful female characters, combining magic and medicine, Rebecca Kightlinger tells a compelling tale of what it takes to walk the ‘path of the protector.’ In a timeless yet also timely story, Kightlinger’s heroine rallies supernatural strength and all matter of healing arts to find her path toward protecting books, the land, and most of all her fellow women. Readers will not forget the women of Bury Down.” —Elizabeth Searle, author We Got Him and librettist for Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera