Inside My Table #93 | Excerpt
10 Nosy Questions for Carla Cardini
By Paula Murphy
Houstonian Carla Cardini is a member of culinary royalty, so to speak. What else would you call a direct descendent of the creator of the Caesar salad? With the 25th Annual Caesar Salad Competition on our mind, we thought it was the perfect time to check in with her. FYI: Cardini will be one of the official celeb judges at the competition on Friday, October 2, at the DoubleTree Hotel.
CARDINI … HMMM … THAT NAME SOUNDS FAMILIAR.
You may have seen the Cardini’s Original Caesar Salad Dressing on the supermarket shelves. That was the company started by my great-uncle Caesar Cardini. After my grandfather, Alex, created the salad and it became popular in California, Caesar seized the opportunity to bottle a dressing. The company was sold in the 1990s, but it is still Caesar’s face on the label and the recipe he originally bottled.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING RELATED TO A CULINARY CELEBRITY?
A ton of fun. I suppose if someone is not a foodie, they would never get it, but I surround myself with foodies. My entire life has centered around food, from the earth to the table. It is always fun when someone thinks it’s cool that my grandfather created the Caesar salad. It’s even more fun to prove it when someone doesn’t believe you! And even better when we prepare it, and people think it’s the best salad they’ve had.
YOU TOLD ME ONCE THAT THE CAESAR SALAD HAD A DIFFERENT NAME WHEN IT WAS FIRST CREATED.
The original name was the Aviator’s Salad. Alex Cardini, my grandfather, was a pilot for the Italian Air Force during World War I before he moved to Tijuana to join my great-uncle Caesar. Remember, it was Prohibition, and Tijuana was where people went to party. Caesar’s Place, my great-uncle’s bar and restaurant, was very popular. After a long night of drinking and missing curfew, a group of Rockwell Field Air Force pilots woke up at Caesar’s, and what Alex made for them for breakfast that morning is what we know today as Caesar Salad. That day he called it the Aviator’s Salad in honor of his flying buddies, but as the salad gained popularity with visitors from Southern California it evolved into the Caesar Salad. “Let’s go to Caesar’s and have that salad …”
DID YOUR DAD FOLLOW IN HIS FATHER AND UNCLE’S CULINARY FOOTSTEPS?
My father and his brother worked with my grandfather in his restaurants in Mexico City, but outside of that, not really. Although, my dad carried on the tradition of how to make the Original Caesar Salad and still makes it best.
YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE FOOD AND WINE BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME.
My first love is cooking, but I found a great niche in the front of the house with a passion for wine. [Cardini is a sommelier at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.] A truly great dining experience is when the food and wine are perfectly paired. It makes for an unforgettable memory. One of the first places I worked in the kitchen was Lagniappe, where the old Don’s Seafood was on Post Oak Boulevard. Chef Angus McIntosh brought dishes to Houston that were amazing. Whole steamed artichoke with crawfish-ginger buerre blanc served with a fino Sherry – wow! After that, I learned more about wine and food by working at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in San Francisco under chefs Mitchell and Stephen Rosenthal.
DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DESTINED TO BE IN “THE BIZ”?
I make the sixth generation in my family to be in the hospitality industry. Up until eight years ago there was a Cardini’s restaurant outside of Stresa, a small town near Lago Maggiore, Italy, that was there for six generations.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE NEXT “BIG THING” IN WINE?
If I had that foresight I would probably be working via the internet from the Caribbean on my boat! Yet, considering our current economic climate, wines of great value are and will continue to be very hot. These wines include Malbec and Malbec blends from Argentina and Shiraz and blends from Australia. These wines also fit the current Western taste profile, which is full-bodied, fruity and high alcohol.
HOW WELL DO YOU THINK AMERICAN WINES COMPETE WITH THOSE FROM EUROPE?
Well, that’s like comparing apples to oranges (well, grapes to grapes, but you know what I mean). Realistically, they are getting easier to compare to each other because Italy, France and Spain are all using modern wine-making techniques and making wines that sell fast because they are made to be drunk young. It gives them the opportunity to make more profit if they can sell the wine faster.
THE CAESAR SALAD IS A STAPLE ON MENUS ACROSS THE WORLD. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE NEXT BIG DISH?
If I had to guess, I would say gluten-free pastries and pastas that taste really good.
OK, I JUST HAVE TO ASK: DO YOU EVEN LIKE CAESAR SALAD?
I love it! Especially when Daddy makes it!
SIDEBAR
WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT CAESAR SALAD
The Houston Chowhounds, a local foodie group, recently hosted a Caesar salad-making demonstration with Carla Cardini as instructor. We were surprised by a few revelations:
•Caesar salad does not need to be made with extra-virgin olive oil According to Cardini, a neutral-flavored vegetable oil works just fine. That’s what her grandfather and great-uncle used.
•The proper citrus juice for the Caesar salad is lime, not lemon juice. An error in translation from the Spanish is the reason we use lemon juice today.
•Americans use way too much garlic in the salad. Do not rub the bowl with garlic. Rather, let a garlic clove infuse the vegetable oil for an hour or two before using, then discard the garlic.
•Caesar salad is made with whole romaine leaves. They should not be torn.
•Do not pour in the boxed croutons. Instead, brush a slice of baguette with oil and toast. Using anchovy paste, add a smear to the crouton. Allow one crouton per person and add them to the salad.
•The salad should not be tossed. Rather, the leaves should be gently “rolled” to mix the dressing. Use your hands.
•Also use your hands to eat the salad.
