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To Market, To Market

Nose-to-nose with the source at Vela

By CHRISTINE LIU

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Vinophiles have a glut of wine dinners around town at any given day of the week. Beer advocates, in kind, enjoy the occasional brewery dinner. Many Boston restaurants sport impressive eco-friendly practices and remarkably local and sustainable menus. Yet a new concept takes the special occasion of the paired food feast to a specific green spotlight: local businesses and their purveyance of the seasonal and the special.

"It's just something that I wanted to do, as opposed to wine dinners, which I think are kind of overdone right now," says Frank Santonastaso, chef/owner of Vela, Wellesley's outpost for modern and traditional Italian. "I want a different avenue. It's not just a dinner, it's an educational thing as well. I prioritize local—these are the companies I work with. I talk to them about what's in season, what's good, what they suggest."

Every month Vela features a local food business with a unique four-course meal paired with wines. The menu is the result of collaboration between the collective brains of Chef Santonastaso and the featured guest. In April, the "To Market, To Market" series kicked off with Kim Marden of Captain Marden's seafood. "We had a spectacular turnout," says Santonastaso. "We explain what's in [a dish], where's it from and the reason why we're doing it." Marden suggested that he do cod cheeks ("I'd never heard of cod cheeks in my life," recalls Santonastaso), but it ended up turning out so fantastically that Vela has been carrying it since. Cheesemonger Brad Wasik is up next "to discuss and enjoy the benefits of both domestic and international cheeses," according to the fromager's website.

"Anything that's fresher or local, when it comes from the farm to the table," remarks Santonastaso, "yeah ... it's much better."

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

FIRST TUESDAYS OF THE MONTH

NEXT DINNER: TUE 5.6

WITH BRAD WASIK OF WASIK'S CHEESE SHOP

312 WASHINGTON ST., WELLESLEY

781.235.4449

6PM-8PM/$50

VELAWELLESLEY.COM

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