The Story behind this Michelin Star
My quest for this Michelin Star started during a trip to Puglia, Italy in 2020 at a local Ristorante. The owners of this restaurant are a couple who used to live in Hong Kong, and the husband (Angelo Sabatelli) was the chef at Grissini in Grand Hyatt.
Angelo Sabattelli
Grissini, Hong Kong is very special to me because it was where Miriam and I had our first date in July 1993 and where I proposed to her 2 weeks later on 8 August 1993.
Grissini, Grand Hyatt, HK
Grissini, 8 Aug, 1993
Being a sentimentalist, I hit it off with Angelo immediately and elicited a desire in me to ask for one of Angelo's Michelin-Star plaques as a momento. But because Michelin never issues replacement plaque, Angelo politely declined and offered to take a group photo showcasing his 2020 Michelin Star. When it was handed over to my super-athletic wife, she promptly dropped it onto to the floor. Lucky us, the plaque was metal not porcelain.
Group with Angelo Sabatelli & wife
Fast forward to my next Italian trip in 2023 to Tuscany. A serendipitous event happened on 16 June when our planned visit to the Antinori vineyard was cancelled, and was replaced by a luncheon wine tasting at the restaurant Osteria di Passignano at Via Passignano 33, Loc. Badia a Passignano, 50028 Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.
Osteria di Passignano is an unique venue not only because they have been awarded a Michelin Star unimpeded since 2007, the restaurant is located in an estate owned by the Antinori family that encompasses the Abbey of Passignano, a medieval monastery founded in 395 AD. In addition to monastic study, the Abbey has a long history of promoting scientific research (Galileo Galilei was a teacher in 1587) and turning the surrounding country side into vineyards. The estate houses a thousand-year-old wine cellar where some of the best Antinori’s Chianti is laid to age.
Antinori Estate; Abbey of Passignano
Entrance to the thousand-year-old wine cellar
I had the Michelin vibes the moment I walked into Osteria di Passignano, and quickly went to work to identifiy the manager (Gabriele Gorelli). This time around, I decided to harness the “Force”. Aided by the midi-chlorians, I unrelentingly used the Jedi Mind trick on Gabriele. Lucky me, Gabriele is a big fan of Star Wars and he went along with it. So here we are with this 2018 Michelin-Star plaque.
Gabriele Gorelli
Inside the restaurant Osteria di Passignano
The garden at Abbey of Passignano
