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Q U E S T
P E T R A ' S
SETTLING THE NAPA-MALFATTI RUMOR ONCE AND FOR ALL
The argument concerning the origin of the malfatti in the Napa Valley does not rival that of the Hatfields and McCoys but it can get testy at times. WHO "invented" them? HOW? WHY?
I can tell you—having had a first-hand interview with a descendent tied to the true story, and having viewed 19th century Napa land title documents.
For the inside scoop as well the reason for the difference between Lawler's malfatti and Clemente's, read on...
If there is such a thing as a starting point when it comes to malfatti, it is the Depot Hotel—so named because of its close proximity to the California Pacific Railroad lines at the southern end of Napa. It was a stopover for travelers needing room and board after disembarking from the train.
The Depot was originally built and established by Giovanni Battista (aka G.B.) and Virginia (Tornari) Ferrogiaro. On October 5, 1881, they purchased the 6,000 square-foot lot that had previously been the site of the Washington Hotel (formerly known as the Ghisletta Hotel) before it burned down.
The Depot Hotel was also known as The Depot Saloon—where Cayetano Juarez died in 1883 while sitting at the bar, talking with his friend, G.B.. But what about malfatti?
Virginia, a native of Corbesassi in the Lombardia region of Italy, introduced malfatti to the Depot. Virginia DID NOT, NOR DID ANYONE ELSE in Napa, invent the recipe. This savory dumpling is a signature recipe in Lombardia. And when I say "recipe", I mean “a handful of this and joosta-little of that.” However, there are various recipes throughout every region of the Italian peninsula.
The question WITHOUT A CONCLUSIVE ANSWER is whether Virginia’s malfatti is the same that Napa enjoys today.
More history: G. B. passed away in 1890 and ownership of the property transferred to Virginia. She then leased it to a man named Delucca who held it for about 15 years, continuing the business. The lease was later held by Louis Daglia.
Hang in there, I'm about to tie the pieces together.
In 1925, Joseph and Theresa Tamburelli purchased The Depot from Virginia. What we will NEVER KNOW is if Virginia passed down her malfatti recipe to Theresa—or if Theresa (née Martini), also a native of northern Italy, had a recipe of her own.
Regardless, and fortunately, Theresa shared a malfatti recipe with Clemente Cittoni when he became part-owner and chef at the Depot. What we DO KNOW is that the legend about malfatti being invented on the fly upon the unexpected arrival of a baseball team... is false.
WHAT ABOUT Clemente's Authentic Italian restaurant (formerly located at Val's Liquors), now on West Imola?
WHAT ABOUT Lawler's Liquors malfatti on Jefferson?
Here's the scoop: Although we don't know which recipe Theresa Tamburelli handed down to Clemente Cittoni, it IS different from the one used at Lawler's. But guess what? It was Theresa's sister, Rose Martini, who established what is now known as Lawler's, and who prepared her own malfatti recipe. Note: Ray Lawler purchased the business in the mid-1950s and later sold it to the Ibrahim family who carry on the tradition to this day!
WHAT IS TRUE: There are hundreds of malfatti recipes throughout Italy. Some are made of herb, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Some are spinach, cheese and flour. Some even use meat. And some are just rolled pasta dough cut in a haphazard (or bad) way. “Mal fatto” translates as “badly made.” Malfatti is just the plural.
TWO REASONS WHY I CARE: (1) The decades-old malfatti rumor has been remiss in giving G.B. and Virginia Ferrogiaro their rightful due. This bugs me. (2) The Depot is a brief setting in Petra's Quest. Although technically a fictional novel, it is 80-90% factual with all characters, except two, based on real people. I gave painstaking attention to historical accuracy in my research in every instance. I wanted to do the same when writing about Napa's malfatti.
Sources: I've been blessed to call the great-granddaughter of G.B. and Virginia Ferrogiaro my dear friend for over 50 years. I also had the priviledge to interview their grandson—who held childhood memories of watching Viriginia make malfatti.
