With Bassist Paul Cullen, Bad Company Is Very Good Company Indeed
The congenial and entertaining Paul Cullen, former bassist of the classic rock band Bad Company and founder of Tune Your Palate, recently serenaded a ravenous group of culinary aficionados and whipped up a delectable Italian dinner at the state-of-the-art Culinaria Cooking School in Vienna, Virginia, (www.culinariacookingschool.com.) In his ‘Cullenary’ classes, Paul Tagliaferro Cullen prepares tasty, straightforward Italian dishes like those of his grandmother and pairs them with Italian wines – such as wild mushroom risotto with Barbera. Inspired by Paul’s mushroom risotto, I hit the Falls Church Farmers’ Market—the biggest in the area and open year-round—where there is a mushroom expert who cultivates and gathers numerous types of mushrooms, including the fabled porcini. I then recreated Paul’s version of wild mushroom risotto, but decided to substitute the Italian whole grain farro. My friendly and astute cooking class neighbor, Elizabeth Solorzano, noted the “earthiness” of both the Barbera wine and the wild mushroom risotto.
It all started when musician Paul Cullen was about ten or twelve years old. Paul, his mother, and his Grandma Tag (Tagliaferro) would make 100 ravioli for Thanksgiving each year. He was further inspired to get back into cooking at a whole other level by Mario Batali, who was making the same recipes on his Cooking Channel show Molto Mario that Paul’s grandma had taught him. Paul likes to shop at Harris Teeter, but makes his own cheese—mozzarella and ricotta. He also favors di Bruno Bros., a culinary landmark since 1939 in a South Philly Italian neighborhood, where he buys their olive oil by the case.
“I love having people over for dinner. They’d say, ‘Can you do this at my house?’ I thought, ‘I guess I can. I just did it at my house.’ So people started to hire me to come cook. Now I do in-home cooking 15 to 18 times a month. I bring my grandma’s pasta machine!” He then kneads fresh dough and cranks out tagliatelle or perhaps Southern Tuscan tortelli with cheese and bitter greens, like broccoli raab or arugula, right there on your counter! He’s so versed, he barely needs to measure. He just knows instinctively what to do.
“Last week was wicked. I cooked for 112 people in five days in the Rehoboth Beach area. They said it was the coolest experience.” Interestingly enough, Rehoboth, where he lives with his lovely wife Bonnie, is a Sister City of Greve in Chianti, whose noted navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano, as in the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge which links Manhattan to Brooklyn, discovered Rehoboth back in 1524 on his way north to explore New York’s Hudson Bay as he charted the Atlantic coast of North America.
Paul Cullen is now officially a sommelier. He started us off with a Lambrusco from Denny Bini vineyards in Emilia-Romagna near Parma, which he described as “cold, fizzy, red, and dry.” Next, he shared a Villa Rom Pino Blanco from Trentino, as he tends to find Alpine wines to be quite balanced. He also served a Nero d’Avila by Villa Pozzi from Sicily. Long ago, I was on an archaeological dig in Sicily with the University of Virginia, and we drank nice local red table wine in the courtyard each night. But this time they were clearly pulling out the good stuff!
Paul fascinated the crowd of Italophiles, foodies, and rockers, as well as everyone in cyberspace on the mobile Facebook Live app while it simultaneously records. “He cooks, he plays the guitar, he knows the wine. If he knows how to dance, I’m taking him home,” said one of the ladies in the class. Another chimed in, “You might have some competition,” to which the first replied, “But we don’t know if he can dance yet.” And apparently he can do that, too!
One longtime and enthusiastic fan of Culinaria, Karen Hilliard, gushed, “I love this! I have been to a dozen participation and demonstration classes—and just so you know—this is the best class!” And the response was so overwhelming that it looks like he’ll be back for a repeat performance sometime soon. Keep an eye on the Selected Events section of VivaTysons for an update.
As for his Bad Company days, Paul recounted that he saw Bad Company in ‘76 when he was 16 and started playing the bass at age twenty. He recalls when he was on the plane to London, “On my way to try out for Bad Company, the people said, ‘You kept us up all night, so you’d better call us and let us know how it goes.’ When I found out, I called ‘em on a payphone and later got ‘em backstage.”
In the early eighties, he toured with bands from Florida to Alaska. He then toured all over with Bad Company from 1990 to 1994, playing for 20,000 people every night, including five times at our own Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. He described it as “a great experience.” As a solo artist, Paul Cullen has recorded a total of four CDs and recently opened for Heart, and two years ago for Foreigner. He “morphed” from rock ‘n roll to a jazzy Mediterraneo-style music, as is melodiously revealed on his 2015 CD release “In the Light of Tuscany,” recorded at Conti di San Bonifacio Vineyard near Gavarano with accomplished Italian violinist Alessandro Golini. “We started making beautiful music from the first note.”
Count Manfredo San Bonifacio is the proud owner of this impeccable Wine Resort Hotel— an exquisite Tuscan estate on an enchanted hilltop, surveying the vast realm of vineyards, olive groves, and forest in the Maremma part of Tuscany. (www.contidisanbonifacio.com) Manfredo’s family is intertwined historically with those of Dante Alighieri, as well as Romeo and Juliet. According to the site, “Manfredo’s grandmother grew up in the beautiful historic home of Dante in Verona where he built his life after his exile from his beloved Firenze.” Also, “the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet finds its origins in the history books and archives written about the Counts of San Bonifacio by Rolandino, a 13th century historian.”
Paul also had the unforgettable experience of learning culinary secrets from none other than their international Italian chef Jacopo Camozza, who kindly imparted to Paul the recipe for the flavorful Cinghiale Bolognese (Pappardelle with Boar) Paul then so artfully prepared for our appreciative group. The food philosophy of the organic, locally sourced Restaurant Maremmana is as follows:
“Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last until it ends, to make all the parts come out even, like when you rub the last piece of bread in the last drop of oil on your plate and eat it with the last sip of wine in your glass.” Allow me to linger if you will…
So if you’re considering planning an unforgettable trip to Italy, I can teach you Italian conversation before you go and help you figure out some great travel plans, including tips on great hidden hideaways, Italian cuisine, and great little restaurants! (For more information, please visit page 151.) In fact, Stephen Sands, former nuclear physicist and creative force behind Culinaria (of which he is co-owner with expert Chef Pete Snaith,) and his lovely wife were Italian students of mine, which is how I initially encountered this stellar culinary school and even celebrated its much-anticipated opening several years ago. I also enjoyed teaching Italian to his wonderful brother-in-law Karl and his adorable wife, Susan—also well-traveled Italophiles! Their remarkably intelligent dog Kenzie even started to pick up some Italian and anticipated my visit eagerly by the window fifteen minutes before my arrival for class each week. Brava, Kenzie!
On November 1, 2016, Paul will embark upon a Mediterranean cruise with world-renowned French master chef Jacques Pépin, who oversees the restaurants for the cruise line. The voyage will travel to Venezia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta, Bari, Catania, Naples, and Roma. Paul also organizes several vineyard excursions while in port. “Oceania is the best cruise, food, wine, and, of course, music. I’ll bring my guitar.”
He cooks, he pours, he plays—even at your place! “Let the former bassist of Bad Company rock your kitchen with handmade Italian cuisine and groovy Italian vino, and play an intimate concert afterwards for you and your friends.” Prices start at $75 per person for the evening. For a full price list, check out www.paulcullenguitar.com/#!in-home-dining/c1jc8. He chats amicably about his jaunts to Italy, at Culinaria complete with slide show and maps! “I will artfully blend my passion for music, wine, and food to create a memorable event for you and your guests.” As Paul likes to say, “Have guitar, wine, and sauté pan, will travel—anywhere!” And that’s what I call good company.
Pictured at top: Paul Cullen and Allison Sutherland
