A Garden Restaurant

     Joe & Mary Laudiso left the corporate world and opened a restaurant in Columbus, NC.  They named it Trattoria Giardini.  Translated it means "Garden Restaurant."  The little yellow house sits in between their garden and a greenhouse where they grow their own organic produce.  Everything from lacinato kale to zucchini, to beets and carrots, and their own herbs are used to make authentic regional Italian meals in the foothills of North Carolina.  Before the farm to table concept was in vogue they were serving the public fresh and seasonal food, just like Joe's ancestors did in Italy.

     I stopped by on Saturday night and had the opportunity to chat with Joe as I enjoyed a bowl of pasta fagiole and a plate of merluzzo livornese.    It is a seafood dish originally served in the Tuscan seaport of Livorno.  Both the conversation and the food were exceptional!