Acetaia Del Sole, Under the Tuscan Son

Cesare Casella has always been a committed culinary emissary — a Tuscan cook who took it upon himself to spread his inherited cuisine around the world. He first learned how to cook at family’s trattoria Vipore, in Lucca, Italy, sharing their generous food and hospitality to locals and travelers alike. With full plates of prosciutto — his company Casella’s Salumi, founded in 2016, uses heritage breed pigs across small farms in the US to produce dry-cured ham — bistecca alla fiorentina and pappardelle pastas, Casella took his Italian Renaissance roots and fortified their flavors with fresh herbs and acidity. It’s his latest venture, Acetaia del Sole, a vinegar company based in Hurleyville, New York, Casella once again brings attention to another often enjoyed, but overlooked culinary tradition.

Casella first found fame in New York City in the early - late aughts, with his restaurants Beppe, Maremma and Salumeria Rosi. Known for proselytizing cucina povera (which translates to peasant food), to a more metropolitan crowd, Casella wore his signature sprig of rosemary sticking out of his chef’s coat pocket with pride, a symbol of his food/life philosophy of cooking and eating simply. Along his journey to bring this version of Italian cuisine to the masses, Casella’s also been the dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Center (ICC), and currently acts the Chief of Nourishment Arts at The Center For Discovery, which provides care for over 500 people with special needs across Sullivan County in upstate New York. In 2019 he contacted prominent acetic acid alchemist, Andrea Bezzechi of San Giacomo in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and in 2020 they started turning apples they pruned from CFD’s biodynamic orchard into superlative cider vinegars.

The apples Casella collects, all 23 different varieties, come from 15-20 year-old trees on CFD’s campus, a relatively young orchard compared to others in the region. Apple juice is ultimately transformed into vinegar through a solera system, composed of local whiskey barrels from Alton Distillery, similar to the balsamico batterias (series of barrels) that Bezzechi utilizes in his Italian acetaia. Although they put small-batch and craft-vinegar on the labels, much of what Casella does bears resemblances to Slow Food thought processes, an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking.

Instead of quick-aging Acetaia Del Sole’s vinegar with a mother — the mix of cells, yeast and bacteria favored by many commercial makers — they slow down fermentation, keeping most vinegars in barrels for at least 9 months, which helps them retain their innate health benefits. Since 2018, Casella has been talking to the dietician on campus about apple cider vinegar’s ability to help control one’s blood sugar amongst other things.

Casella’s not calling his vinegars a remedy — instead, it’s a culinary revival. Four Thieves, an herb-infused apple cider vinegar coming from the South of France, was once a cure-all in the time of bubonic plague. It carries a bouquet of herbs and spices (black pepper, juniper, cinnamon, coriander, oregano, rosemary, sage and lavender), much of which come from CFD’s Healing Garden. There, they also cultivate wild fennel, for a fennel vinegar, which has an inherent sweetness reminiscent of Finocchiona salumi, or porchetta. Aside from apples, Casella also makes oxymela, a honey vinegar that’s based on a recipe which dates the snack to Roman times. Any of these options are wonderful in pan sauces for roast chicken, dressing oysters as if pre-made mignonettes, or splashed atop a Sicilian fennel salad with oranges and olives.

Casella’s also attempted a Maaple vinegar (maple and apple), and has a new project using native Concord grapes, which are similar in vinifera to Emilia Romagna’s lambrusco, the very grapes used for balsamico. Although most of these vinegars are small-scale products for now, and all proceeds support CFD’s farm program, Casella hopes their brightness can help shine light on this ancient art.