There are a few things that are important to Brian Bornemann, and at the top of that list is eating local. He credits his training, which started in Tuscany at a little place called Osteria del Gatto in Siena, for this unwavering love. He worked for a chef-owner who would make his own pasta, his own olive oil from his own trees and hunt wild boar and venison to bring whole into the kitchen. It inspired him to become the chef-owner he is today, with Crudo e Nudo in 2021 and now Bar Fortuna, an Italian cocktail and wine bar, which opened on Main Street on Oct. 21.
Crudo e Nudo is the maritime embodiment of eat local. The whole mission, explained Bornemann, is to get people to recognize seafood from their own front yard — what they should be eating instead of seafood from Japan, Mexico or Spain. Bar Fortuna extends this “‘locavore philosophy’ by exclusively using California ingredients,” he said. “Instead of Parmesan and Pecorino, we’re showcasing an incredible Broncha cheese from Petaluma; pastas are made from Tehachapi Grain Project’s Sonora flour and produce comes from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, where I’ve been going since childhood.”
Another dynamic feature of Bar Fortuna’s menu is the butchering of a whole lamb and pig from California ranchers to be featured across a variety of dishes: one day a lamb chop, the next a grilled lamb shoulder and the next a braised lamb ragu on tagliolini. . . .
Read the entire article at The Argonaut.
