I grew up in an Italian family in Santa Monica, so I felt right at home walking into Il Grano. This was another location where the natural light did all of the work (okay… most of the work) for us! The bonus was that there was a little mix up in communication about which recipe we were supposed to be shooting for the CFAC Cookbook. Consequently we shot (and ate) two recipes. Chef Sal Marino was SO gracious and welcoming, and just plain fun to be around (can’t you tell?). I can’t wait to go back and sit down with another bowl of this amazing Caramelle di Burrata e Pomodorini (for which Chef Marino grew all of his own tomatoes).