DETAILS: Join renowned Chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti as they revive Piccolo, their beloved former Italian restaurant, for one night only! Take your seat around the signature horseshoe counter in Portland’s West End for an unforgettable 5-course Southern Italian-inspired dinner featuring five wines from Frank Cornelissen, Sicily's and Mt. Etna's most emblematic winemaker. Indulge in five of his small-productions wines, including magnums and exclusive library vintages, all perfectly paired with a diverse menu of fish, meat, house made pastas, and desserts made from local ingredients … and perhaps even Piccolo’s famous cavatelli (if you know you know!)
Space is extremely limited! Book your table in advance to experience this one-off, boutique dinner during Portland Wine Week.
PRICE: $135, plus tax and gratuity.
LINK: Ugly Duckling
RESERVE: Email reservations@chavalmaine.com
Portland Wine Week is Presented by Wine Wise with Partner Sponsors Bangor Savings and Buoy Local.
Before Chef Damian Sansonetti was the acclaimed chef de cuisine at the uber-French Bar Boulud in New York, co-owner Damian Sansonetti grew up savoring his mother's and grandmother's cooking from handmade pasta to grilled fish to learning how to cure meat and make sausages with his grandfather. A career in food was practically his birthright. After graduating from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Sansonetti worked at Nantucket’s Brant Point Grill and Pittsburgh’s Steelhead Grill, moving to New York to open Heartbeat in the W Hotel. Sansonetti met Daniel Boulud while working at Shallots in Midtown and eventually took a position at Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne. Sansonetti was a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Award, Best Chef Northeast.
Chef Ilma Lopez has worked in some of the most demanding and rewarding kitchens in the industry, such as DB Bistro, Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Café Boulud, and Le Bernardin. When she left New York City to the quieter reaches of Maine, Lopez found a new terrain she couldn’t resist. Arriving with a mastery of colors, flavors, textures, and spices—and a seasoned ability to work under pressure—Lopez makes classic dishes her own, with attention to micro-detail and thoughtful twists. For her work, Lopez earned a 2014 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star Pastry Chef Award, Has been a multiple-time James Beard top-Chef finalist, and you may have seen her name in the September issue of Bon Appetit Magazine highlighting her incredible talents when naming Portland, Maine as their pick for Restaurant City of The Year. You can find her daily at their new bakeshop and luncheonette The Ugly Duckling.
