BILL SUMMERVILLE edition
Bill Summerville is a sommelier and real life gourmand. He inspires us because he cooks meals out of his cozy fireplace and is an epic host with unique style.
Bill shares an intimate glimpse of his life at home. Baked stuffed lobster for brunch is cooked in his fireplace. Dinner with friends means an ethereal lobster bisque and a table studded with roast pork belly.
Hi Bill, You are an incredible host. Did your parents cook/entertain when you were growing up?
Bill: My Mother was a great cook. She just made things taste delicious. She had instinct, not technique. Her Roast Chicken, Gravy and Stuffing were legendary in our family.
Jamie: Describe for me, a perfect weekend at home.
Bill: That’s a funny question after this past year. I’m teasing. But, I love my home even more after spending so much time here. Friends, a fire, cocktails, dinner. Taking a moment to slow the pace of the night and appreciate it.
Jamie: You are so philosophical about hospitality, it’s deeply inspiring to me. You taught me that our goal in the restaurant is to give our guests an emotional experience. Tell about an emotional experience that you have been given at a restaurant?
Bill: We were at Da Guido in Alba, Italy. It was the height of the evening and we were literally the only guests there. It turns out that when Mama, who is the chef, took our reservation it was for the only night they’re closed. They opened just for us.
HORS’D OEUVRES: Lobster Bisque served with Manzanilla Sherry
“Somehow, years ago I fell in love with Thomas Keller’s lobster bisque paired with La Cigarerra Manzanilla Sherry.” BS
Bill begins the weekend with the most rich yet ethereal bisque imaginable. He serves it in his collection of antique espresso cups. An exquisite delight served in a tiny treasure. The pairing of sherry and shellfish is wildly good. RECIPE.
DINNER: slow roasted pork belly with onions and apples with a citrus salad
“The slow roasted pork belly with roasted apples and caramelized onions is so satisfying and hard to screw-up”
BS
BRUNCH: baked lobster stuffed with crab and scallops
"Sunday morning. The fire is lit. The baked stuffed lobster is in the fire and I’m about to bring up her espresso and the NY Times" Bill. RECIPE
Jamie: What are your favorite moments in an ordinary day?
Bill: “My second cup of coffee in the morning. My cocktail in the evening. Noticing the small beautiful things we pass by everyday.”
Pull inspiration from Bill’s incredible use of vintage treasures.
Three great ideas, HERE.
Bill: One of my favorite things about wine is that it is magical. We do not always know what is happening with it or in pairings. But, perhaps it’s the salinity and viscosity that sync-up so beautifully with sea creatures.
Jamie: Over the years, you have imparted your love of sherry and shellfish to me. I’m obsessed. What do you think makes it magical?
Jamie: Thank you so much for writing a wkndr menu. It is, of course incredible! Walk me through it?
Bill: Somehow, years ago I fell in love with Thomas Keller’ lobster bisque paired with La Cigarerra Manzanilla Sherry. The slow roasted pork belly with roasted apples and caramelized onions is so satisfying and hard to screw-up. The baked-stuffed lobster Sunday morning with champagne is really luxurious, celebratory and intimate.
Jamie: Describe your perfect weekend abroad.
Bill: Rome. Just hanging out around Campo dei Fiori. Espresso and snack at Rosciolis’s stand up Bar, a little shopping at Chez DeDe, gnocchi at Roscioli Restaurant for lunch. Maybe a nap. Getting lost in Antica Libreria Cascianelli. Stroll the most romantic street, Via Giulia late at night.
What is the most uniquely Bill item in your home?
My Persian Carousel Horse, found it in Tuscany. A friend named him Kevin.
Jamie: Do you have a philosophy for decorating your home?
Bill: My home is filled with things from my travels. Beauty is very important to me.
Do you follow recipes?
Only if I’m baking. I take inspiration from recipes, but can’t be hemmed in by them.
Best wine pairing tip?
Taste a really bad pairing so you recognize the good ones.
Best cooking advice?
Read lots of recipes. Read about cooks. Pay attention to technique.
Best wine drinking tip?
Drink alone at home. Close your eyes. Read. Read Andrew Jefford, because he said , “to go about naming its parts would demain its Beauty.”
Do you have a favorite wine of all time?
What a wine means to me or becomes goes far beyond the wine itself. Its’ the people, the mood, where you are, what you’re eating.
One though, would be Marie Noelle-Ledro Champagne. I could drink it alone at my kitchen counter and get lost In It.
Jamie: What is your favorite book?
Bill: I would have to say Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises.” There are many pages I could skips, but certain passages, I don’t know, they really evoke the emotion of the moment - I’m talking about the eating and drinking. No, Wait. “When French Women Cook.” from Madeleine Kamman. It’s a memoir about Mimi, Claire and the other women who shaped her life through cooking and love.
