What can I say? I’m a lucky man.

Venice in the spring time… and for “work?” The sous vide cooking process–or “sotto vuoto” as it’s called here in The Boot–is one of the most important culinary discoveries in the past several decades and they want me to become its master. Hmmm, the Sotto Vuoto Master…I kind of like the sound of that…

If you don’t know what sous vide/sotto vuoto is, just take your and every home cook’s favorite slow-cooker/crockpot and give it a 21st century upgrade. Brooke and I love all slow-cooking techniques that include a lot of unattended cook time (read: you can drink a glass of wine together/go for a walk around the block while your dinner cooks itself) so we’ve made sure that they play a big role in our second cookbook.

Anyway, while the company has flown me over here, teaching me all that I need to know about this awesome technique, I have to get out, right? I have to eat (and take pictures and buy Brooke and Parker chocolates for their Easter baskets).

On this week’s agenda: checking out the Rialto produce and fish market, sampling “cichetti” (aka Venetian “tapas” or incredibly delicious small plates) until I burst, buying those chocolates and generally having the time of my life. Not bad–for a work trip.