Change is afoot, friends.

First off: we will be closing the food cart as of January 1st. We love dishing up Tuscan fare for our cherished Portlanders and visitors from afar, but we need to focus our time and energies on locating (and setting up) a space for Burrasca, the restaurant. In looking ahead, we realized that Paolo cannot be in two places at once and that a brick & mortar incarnation calls for our full, undivided attention. Our projected opening is Spring 2015.

So please come out during this month and show us your support–and get your fill of Florentine goodies before the hiatus! We wouldn’t be able to even dream of opening a restaurant if it were not for the love and support our dear customers and friends have graciously bestowed upon us since we launched the cart in August of 2013. Your enthusiasm and appetite for Paolo’s food has overwhelmed and touched us deeply.

Speaking of support…. in the coming months, we will (hopefully) be launching a Kickstarter campaign to help us with some of the expenses involved in going brick & mortar. So watch for news regarding this here on the website or on our Facebook page or Twitter feed (follow us if you haven’t already!). A few friends have expressed interest in investing in the future Burrasca endeavor, and we are incredibly grateful. If any of you might like to become a private investor, please email us and let us know.

During our hiatus, we will host a few pop-up dinners–some of which may be in our (albeit tiny) home for small group family-style eating in an intimate setting. Again, look out for announcements coming in the months ahead.

Rent-a-Chef

Additionally, we are happy to offer Paolo’s culinary services–you need only inquire! On a few occasions over the past year he has cooked multi-course Tuscan meals for groups of 10-20 people in private homes. These were fun, intimate affairs and proved a smashing success.

Or how about a private Florentine cooking lesson in your home? We’ll arrange the shopping/supplies and teach you, your friends and family how to create memorable, authentic dishes–which you then get to eat. Now there’s a holiday gift idea!

A Much-Needed Break

Paolo has been working the burners (almost entirely as a one-man show) and, save for a few brief get-aways, almost non-stop since July 2013. He typically puts in 11- to 12-hour days, which obviously means that time spent with our two children is very little. (In true Italian style, our cherished family time is typically around the dinner table; we eat at about 8pm, having waited for Babbo–that’s Tuscan for Daddy–to come home). And as many family- and partner-run food cart owners know, the stresses of being in business together as a couple can be fatiguing.

We’re not complaining. The decision to move to Portland and open a food cart was the best one we’ve ever made. But it’s time for some rest, recharging and reconnecting, especially since the demands of Burrasca the restaurant will preclude any significant time off for probably another two years or so. Thus, during our hiatus, we are taking a family vacation to a place we’ve been dreaming of (and saving our centesimi for) for years: India. Specifically South India. We’re going to take a huge leap away from all things Italian and embrace the chaos and culinary wonder that is India, and we are so excited! (Oh, wait–Italy is also full of chaos and culinary wonder. Guess it’s not such a leap. Plus ça change and all).

If all the years living in Italy taught me (Elizabeth) anything, it’s that health and well-being and slowing down for quality family time is a crucial part of living well and fully. Paolo and I also feel that it is key to the success of our (and any) business endeavor: you can’t build something and function at your highest level if you’re running on fumes and haven’t spent some solid time listening to your son’s corny jokes or seeing the impish grin on your daughter’s face when she rides her bike like the wind.

So we will return from India stoked and ready to make Burrasca the restaurant a special, unique place that will give you so much more than the food cart ever could: an expanded Tuscan menu, beer and wine, and shelter from the elements :-) And we’ll hold true to the essential food cart–and Italian family-style dining–philosophy and keep it all at an affordable price.

For the person on your holiday list who has everything: BUY OUR FOOD CART

If you or anyone you know wants to wallow in the glamor and grit of owning/running a food cart that’s in excellent, turn key condition (seriously, this baby’s good to go!) and in a great location (SE’s Pod 28), contact us. Check out our ad on Craigslist.

We are excited about what 2015 holds in store, and want to take this time to express our deep gratitude to all of you for your wonderful smiles and support. And for my part, as Burrasca wife, seeing Paolo come home every day exhausted but happy because he’s doing what he loves for so many appreciative folks is a gift you have given to me and my children.

Watch for news and above all come see us during this month of December!!!!!!

Grazie di cuore,

Paolo, Elizabeth, Giacomo and Gemma