Primi Piatti, First Course *SIGNED* (Trattoria Mollie's Primi Piatti, First Course)

Ethiopian born and Italian-trained, Chef Mollie Ahlstrand helms the kitchen at Trattoria Mollie where she has been serving fresh and simple Italian classics with an emphasis on organic foods and locally-sourced products for over nineteen years. Chef Mollie was trained in Rome, Umbria and Bologna. Studying under Gianfranco Vissani whose restaurant in Braschi has the highest rating in La Guide De l’Espresso, the Italian Michelin style guide, Chef Mollie also received a pasta education in Bologna and mastered the centuries old technique to prepare Ciabatta bread in Padua. In turn, Chef Mollie’s culinary acumen and vivacious personality has garnered a celebrity following that includes Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and as well as the President Obamas. Trattoria Mollie, amongst numerous awards and recognitions holds five stars from Star Diamond Award and is noted, two years running, as one of National Geographic’s The Ten Best of Everything: An Ultimate Guide For Travelers as one of the “Ten Best Destination & Special Restaurants in the World.