Al Fresco, Callisto Style 

Story by Jenny Wonderling

Under a big sky, the air carrying the edges of the cooler months ahead, INSIDE+OUT had the good fortune to share a meal that celebrates the elements, along with thoughtfully grown ingredients and old-world simplicity. 

Taste the Earth. This September, Callisto Hudson Valley served up yet another gorgeous meal al fresco, this time weaving the gifts of Chef Norberto Piattoni, who coaxes flavors born of fire and the earth. A carefully sourced, flavor-packed seasonal harvest was slow-cooked in a traditional style of cooking that is, in fact, one of the oldest—the result: pure delicious. 

Norberto, originally from Argentina, worked for years alongside famed Chef Francis Mallman, also a proponent of this ancestral cooking technique and the return to nature and balance it offers up. Co-founder of The Modestos, a Catskills-based pop-up outdoor dining experience born in response to the isolation people felt due to the pandemic, Norberto shares his passion for sourcing and implementing a swoon-worthy culinary experience.

From Fire. “Al Rescoldo” means in embers, which is exactly what lent such robust flavors to our meal. Onions and eggplants nestled among glowing charred wood, boiled-then-smashed potatoes were laid out to brown over the heat, along with charred beets and hen of the woods. Later, divinely grilled peaches would be kissed by dulce de leche, whipped creme fraiche and candied pecans in a sublime denouement to reflect life’s sweetness. But long before that finale, short ribs were cooking to perfection, suspended from the ribbing of a cage over more embers. That primal vision was in sharp contrast to the picturesque rustic chic that was the rest of the scene at Callisto: well-dressed guests sipping pretty cocktails, iPhones in hand, recording each other and making friends with goats.

InstaLove. The overall vibe of the evening was friendly and relaxed as if everyone was relishing this return to timelessness and connection. However, when asked, it turned out very few seemed to know one another prior to arriving. Less than a handful of guests had been personally invited to the event. Those our team spoke to weren’t even there because of a love for or even knowledge of the deep relationship to food and the land that this specific cooking style or chef offers up. Jenny Ong, a self-pronounced “slow life lover and earth advocate” with 155k followers on Instagram, shared how she found out about the dinner.

“Instagram. I like alternative dining experiences, and my husband and I have met some interesting people that way.”

Later, Callisto’s owner, Amalia Graziani, would confirm Jenny’s words and our hunch: guests had almost universally been enticed to the event by posts on Instagram alone. 

Amalia, with her bright smile and graceful stride, soon led guests on a pre-dinner walk through the snaking trails of her property. Conversations fluttered effortlessly along the path. Back by the barns and dining area, young children chased romping furred kids in the nearby paddock, everyone enjoying the understated simplicity and photo ops at every turn.

Later, during dinner, there was a collective purr, stories shared across the long handmade wooden tables, strangers soon becoming friends. Social media may have been the culprit to entice guests, but the impact of the event’s authentic intentions and execution was palpable, a kind of unfurling… to something quintessentially bucolic and peaceful. 

Valley Tales + Food Favs. INSIDE+OUT caught up with a woman named Alba and asked what she thought of the influx of so many to the valley in the last few years especially. “Everything changes. I’m okay with it, as long as there’s consideration of the environment and the land parcels aren’t carved up too much. I moved to New Paltz in 2019. My house has unfortunately flooded a lot. My neighbor who lives above me says flooding has never been this bad and that it’s not just a result of so much rain. He explained how it’s actually a result of so many trees being clear-cut, and that is causing extreme runoff.”  Others shared their concerns about the environment as well.

Between mouthfuls of delight, some recent transplants swapped stories with those who had been here generations and excitedly offered top picks of other dining experiences in the valley. Eryn, who runs an Instagram account called Hudson_Valley_Eats and whose farm has been in her family for 93 years, loves “all the changes, the influx of culture and great food, farms becoming more respected.” She tossed around some of her local culinary favorites of the summer of 2023: “A Rhinebeck eatery called Pretty to Think So. A chef named Nicholas Leiss does really nice farm-to-table events in the area. Chaseholm Farm has incredible raw milk, grass-fed beef, yogurt and cheese in Pine Plains, and is worth the trip.” 

More than just picturesque farm chic. Throughout the sprawling scene and overall design of Callisto, one can sense a nostalgia for what once may have been, old elements gently courted by a modern elegance that never feels overdone. Here, the thoughtfully gussied-up old Dutch barn and older rustic buildings showcase spare faded antique accents set against painted cinder blocks and cement. There, that perfect old siding set against scraggy rolling hills, paths lush with wildflowers and tall grasses.

All around the barn or decorating each of the tables, unexpected bouquets of what might otherwise be overlooked and undervalued declare a wild beauty: goldenrod, thistle, mature dill, kale, and amaranth cozied up with a burst of Sungold tomato vines and marigolds for color. A penchant for untethered simplicity, for what rises up close, reveals owner Amalia Graziano’s eye for detail as well as the opportunities she seizes to deepen relationships and celebrate what is local and authentic. Yet this is beneath a cloak of refined beauty that pervades every aspect of Callisto. As for the flowers, she partnered with Dani Opatovsky of ettastudiosf.com, with whom Amalia co-creates regularly. Together, they also dream up planting plans for the property, which only include native pollinator species, to help our local winged pollinator friends thrive.

Slow Food, Deep Love. Norberto’s carefully sourced ingredients and slowly cooked food embody this “modest” approach to life, experienced with every uncomplicated, delicious and nourishing bite. Norberto explained to INSIDE+OUT about cooking with fire and fermentation, his other love, and why he chose these two mediums to pursue.

“Because these are two of the oldest techniques of cooking, even before electricity existed. These techniques allow you to execute great food without any resources.”

He continues, “I grew up in Argentina, where cooking with an open fire is very common; it is a ritual you do with the intention of celebrating others. I love that about cooking with open fire and the time, knowledge and patience that is involved with this style of cooking. Today, everything is about speed and efficiency, especially in New York, but cooking with fire is about patience and presence, like meditation. I also love that it is a practice that must be done outdoors, in nature. It’s nice to be outside of a restaurant kitchen. It is the most elemental way of cooking; it connects us with our ancestry.”

Out of Time and Place. We asked Chef Piattoni, “What or when was your first inspiration… the moment you knew, THIS, this is the path you wanted to follow in life?”

He replied, “I loved cooking from a very early age. I learned how to cook from my grandfather and my mother. I was always in the kitchen with them. In my early 20s, I was sure that this was the path I should focus on. I had been studying Chemical Engineering for six years, and I knew deep down that was not the right path for me. I had always loved to cook, so I left school and started cooking pizzas at a nightclub bar. Eventually, I worked my way up and through renowned restaurants in Argentina, Uruguay and the US.”

“Now I’m here doing what I love: cooking outside in the open air with incredible produce from farmers that I have the utmost respect for. It’s so important to me to respect the ingredients, the land and the animals.”

Global to local. Norberto’s early passion led him to 1884, a restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina, where, according to chefs4impact.org, he had the opportunity to train with renowned Chef Francis Mallman. “Alongside him, Norberto cooked dinners for the Prime Minister of China and the President of Uruguay. Piattoni’s culinary journey in the US started in Kentucky in 2013, followed by San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, where he opened Mettā and San Pedro Inn Bar and Restaurant in Brooklyn.”

Now, lucky for those of us in the Hudson Valley, Norberto expresses his passions and talent through The Modestos with partner and friend Chef Danny Newberg at beautiful, ever-shifting backdrops like Callisto and others.

Between courses, INSIDE+OUT caught up with Amalia Graziani to find out what she loves most about dinner events at Callisto. “I love seeing the farm filled with people. It had been neglected for over a decade when I found it, and it was a real leap of faith to begin the process of restoring these structures. The opportunity to fill the barns with life, witness people enjoy the trails and gardens we’ve made—it’s extremely fulfilling.”

Future Forward, One Veggie at a Time. INSIDE+OUT asked Amalia what plans for the future she has for Callisto. “We’ll definitely have a more robust dining program next year, which I’m very excited about. Beyond the seated dinners, I’d love to see the farm activated with a wide array of offerings so that more people can enjoy the property and experience great food and talent.” She goes on to tell us, “For the fall and spring, we’re working on creating a few cozy indoor dinners. We haven’t locked our dates yet, but will be announcing on Instagram. When it’s fully cold and snowy, we’ll be closed and making improvements for next year. We’ve had such an outpouring of requests for private rentals–I love seeing what people dream up for the space. People can get in touch via our website.”

“The dinners provide an opportunity to engage so many talented individuals to create something collectively. It’s a dream to see chefs express their creativity here and bring the produce to life. In an outdoor setting like this, cooking is the focal point.”

Local Resources, a la Amalia Graziani. When asked to share some of the local resources who had a hand in the dinner and farm’s co-creativity, Amalia offered them up just as readily as she shared praise and gratitude for her collaborators during our opening dinner toast. Such collaboration, she explained, was another boon to these events. “All the purveyors–from the flowers, custom furniture and ceramics, so many hands touch this space before the chefs even arrive. It’s been creatively rewarding and a special way to connect with the abundance of local talent.”

Amalia’s Keeping-it-Local List:
Ceramics by Alex Meltz of Meltz Studio, Newburgh

Meat Things in Stone Ridge 

Bluebird Wine in Accord

L’impatience Ceramics, Kingston

Back Home Farm, High Falls

As for the beautiful furniture around the farm?  Amalia said, “We make our own furniture on-site using found materials from the farm or materials from Williams Lumber in High Falls. I design it, and my construction team builds it. We’ve made dining sets, console tables and coffee tables so far, borne out of a need to create furniture that fit an oversized space. So far, they’re just for use on site, but it’s been extremely fun and producing for others is something that’s been on my mind. Maybe we’ll have some to sell next season!”

What is a farm without a farmer? As for another essential collaborator at Callisto, Amalia sings the praises of Nathan Pollack, a joyous farmer who speaks exuberantly about the conventional veggie, herb and fruit garden he tends and even more excitedly about the more uncommon vegetables and herbs that he and Amalia have been experimenting with. Amalia also said, “We’re having some fun growing things for the first time that we’re looking forward to next season: saffron, Siberian ginger, blue and orange turmeric, Galangal, indigo for dyeing, glass gem corn and more. Our farmer Nathan is really curious. We bonded about this early on–we both get a kick out of experimenting, potentially getting it wrong. His laundry list of unusual things he’d like to grow here is extensive.”

Of course, many in the valley already can’t wait to taste how all these experiments will influence Callisto’s upcoming menus and the dreams of chefs who may be cooking up culinary inspiration there. And since there are no more al fresco dinners planned for the 2023 season, we will all have to be patient and wait to see what falls from the stars next spring and summer. As Jenny Ong shared after the event,

“Callisto Farm and The Modestos really highlighted the best of this transitional weather. Late summer produce roasting over an open fire pit, served just before the crisp autumn air rolled in, is a feeling that sings like no other.”

Indeed.

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Article written by Jenny Wonderling
Photos by Nils Schlebusch / Nils360_