VENETO
SUMMER 2018 ITALIAN AMERICAN DIGEST
PAGE 19
Dr. Marc R. Matrana
Director, Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies Program
Dr. Marc Matrana, 39, is a ninthgeneration native of New Orleans, whose great-grandparents on his father’ s sided hailed from the small village of Chiusa Sclafani outside Palermo. He grew up on the Westbank, where his family farmed for over 100 years.
Dr. Marc Matrana
A graduate of John Curtis Christian High School, Marc earned a bachelor’ s degree in psychology and a master’ s in human genetics from Tulane University. He received his MD from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.
He served as Chief Resident at Ochsner Medical Center and Chief Fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Dr. Matrana currently serves as the Director of the Precision Cancer Therapies Research Program and Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans. He is a board certified medical oncologist. He is the author of 3 books and more than 100 journal articles, chapters, and abstracts. His work has been presented around the globe.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Tulane University Young Alumnus of the Year Award, Gambit’ s 40 Under 40 Award, and the New Physician of the Year for the entire Ochsner Health System. He serves as principal investigator for dozens of groundbreaking clinical research studies, and has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.
What’ s your favorite Italian food? Gnocchi.
What’ s your favorite place in New Orleans?
St. Charles Avenue / Uptown area. I love the architecture, the mossdraped live oak trees, the streetcars, and all that make Uptown so special.
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, my wife Heather and I toured 14 cities in Italy shortly after we married eight years ago. One of my favorite experiences there was having dinner with a local Italian family at their estate in the Chianti Hills of Tuscany, a beautiful property which had been held by the same family for generations. Everything for the meal— from the wine we enjoyed on the veranda to main courses— was handmade from products of the estate. On our way back to Florence that night, we stopped at an amazing lookout to enjoy the enchanting and romantic vistas of the stars and the breathtaking views of the city and its illuminated duomo.
What are your hopes for the city’ s future?
I hope that the New Orleans of the future continues to address issues of crime and education, while continuing to preserve and celebrate our unique past. I also hope New Orleans continues its development as a healthcare destination. Our region is known as“ Cancer Alley” because we are a hotbed for malignant diseases. My team and I work to bring breakthrough treatments to cancer patients of our region, often years before they are available anywhere else. We want to make the New Orleans of the future an epicenter of solutions for those who battle cancer.
Benjamin Mumphrey
Music Producer, Manager, and Chief Recording Engineer, Studio in the Country; Attorney at Law
Benjamin Mumphrey, 44, has already had a rich and varied career in music— as a producer and recording engineer, as a studio manager, and as a musician in his own right. He recently added law to his areas of expertise after earning
Benjamin Mumphrey
his J. D. from Loyola University College of Law in 2017.
A native New Orleanian and Jesuit High alumnus, Ben earned his B. A. in English from Tulane University. As a twenty-something, he co-founded the Uptown New Orleans studio Magazine Sound, which boasted such clients as the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Neville Brothers, the Wild Magnolias, George Porter, Jr., Galactic, and Andrew Bird. He continued honing his music-production skills in Los Angeles at Sound City Studios, where he helped engineer Ben Harper’ s gold album Live from Mars among many others. The next couple years took him around the world as a touring engineer for the beloved indie rock band the Pixies.
After moving back to New Orleans in 2005, Ben became the manager and chief engineer of Bogalusa’ s storied Studio in the Country, which counts among its clientele the Revivalists, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Beach House, Eric Lindell, Jello Biafra, Frank Black, Ani DiFranco, Cyril Neville, Dash Rip Rock, and HBO’ s Treme. In 2015, he founded the Transylvania Music Company, a record label aiming to foster musical creativity in Louisiana and beyond. During his“ free” time, Ben attended law school.
Upon being admitted to the Louisiana State Bar last year, he established the law firm Benjamin Mumphrey, LLC, which specializes in legal issues in the music business— including copyright, contracts, and termination rights— as well as providing general practice and consulting.
What’ s your favorite Italian food?
Stuffed artichokes, olive salad, sfinciuni, braciolone, fried cardoni, spumoni.
What’ s your favorite place in New Orleans?
City Park.
VINTAGE: 2016
VARIETAL COMPOSITION: Pinot Grigio
VINEYARDS:
Grape sourcing: The grapes for the 2016 Il Ducale Pinot Grigio were sourced from some of the most sought-after vineyards in the winegrowing region of Friuli.
VINIFICATION AND AGING:
Harvest: The 2016 harvest began at the end of August and continued through the first half of September.
Fermentation: The grapes were destemmed, crushes, and lightly pressed. The wine was fermented in stainless-steel vats at 61 ° F for 10 days.
Aging: After completing fermentation, the wine rested in stainless-steel vats at 61 ° F before bottling.
Alcohol content: 12.5 % by volume
SENSORY PROPERTIES: Color: Straw yellow with a hint of gold
Aromas and flavors: Fresh and fragrant with bright aromas of pineapple, white peach, and tropical fruit accompanied by delicate white flowers and sage, followed by flavors of apple and pear.
Tasting profile: The acidity is firm but balanced, working with the ripe fruit taste profile to confer freshness and a mineral touch to the wine.
Pairing: A perfect accompaniment to fresh seafood salsa, linguine, spinach gnocchi, tomato bruschetta, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Pecorino Romano.
FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2016
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, I’ ve been to Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Turin, Corleone, and Palermo. I had the best meal of my life served in the back of a music club in Turin. The ingredients were familiar, but I had never experienced any of the dishes served— each one unidentifiable yet downright scrumptious. I refer to this as the greatest meal of my life!
What are your hopes for the city’ s future?
I hope to see New Orleans continue to grow as an international city, luring a greater influx of intelligent, creative people who maintain the city’ s progressiveness.
Wesley Palmisano
President & CEO, Palmisano
Wesley Palmisano, 38, grew up in a construction family. His grandfather founded W. J. Palmisano Contractors, a residential construction company, in 1950 after returning from World War II. Working alongside his grandfather and father instilled a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit in Wesley at a very young age.
After graduating from high school, he was ready to launch full time into
IL DUCALE PINOT GRIGIO FRIULI DOC
Trento
Belluno Udine Pordenone
TRENTINO Gorizia
VENETO Vicenza Treviso
Trieste Verona Padua
Venice
Rovigo
Future cont. on page 20
FRIULI
TRENTINO FRIULI
Fruili
Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2017 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA