On a chilly January evening, Wolfe’s Neck Center welcomed the team from Spannocchia for a special collaboration dinner. Rooted in shared values and seasonal ingredients, the evening brought together Wolfe’s Neck Center’s Chef Malcolm Kelly and Spannocchia’s Chef Laura Capalbo for a thoughtfully curated dining experience celebrating regenerative agriculture across borders.
Spannocchia is an organic farm and education center in Tuscany dedicated to land stewardship, cultural preservation and sustainable agriculture. With a shared commitment to ecological resilience and education, our partnership highlights the global importance of regenerative practices and the incredibly local, place-based nature of our work in food and farming.
“There’s something deeply powerful about gathering around a table,” Wolfe’s Neck Center executive director Dave Herring said to the dinner guests. “When food is grown with care and shared with intention, it opens the door to conversation and new ways of thinking.”
Using fresh vegetables grown on campus, Wolfe’s Neck Center’s pasture-raised meats, and Spannocchia’s sustainably crafted olive oil, the chefs collaborated on a seasonally inspired menu. Guests enjoyed Roasted Mushroom Crostini and Gnocchi Fritti to start, followed by Zuppa di Cozze, Braised Pork with Rye Risotto, and a delicate Panna Cotta to close the evening.
“Chef Laura and I wanted to focus on highlighting the ingredients of Maine while honoring the heritage of cooking techniques and flavors of Tuscany,” said Chef Malcolm Kelly. “Each dish is a balance of these goals.”
Surrounded by friends, donors and supporters, the evening underscored what is possible when organizations working across landscapes and cultures use food to align around shared goals for agriculture and land stewardship.
“This evening was a reminder of what can happen when values are shared in action,” said Herring. “Resilient agriculture is built through collaboration, care for the land and long-term relationships, both locally and globally.”
← Back to Blog
