Bonjourno, kemosabe!

I arrived back last night from literally the best ten days of my life. If you haven’t visited Italy, make it a goal.

We did so many cool things including a private cooking class with a top master chef at her home and a private tour of Seguso glass, the oldest and most distinguished glass maker in Italy.

Two lessons that came not only from those two activities but from our tour of two wineries (Cases of wine being shipped back the U.S. Yeah, baby!) and from eating at some incredible restaurants, can be summed up in two words:

Passion and mastery.

The passion for excellence and for these people do was intense and inspiring. It went beyond even “loving” what they do to it being part of their soul. It wasn’t fake passion like you see from so many gurus but part of the fiber of their being.

The focus on mastery was also something to behold. They worked at being the best and improving daily. At the glass factory, the owner told us, “The best piece we will make is the one we make tomorrow.” Read that again and let it sink in.

Another example was a simple salad we had twice during our stay in Venice. It was absolutely the best salad I have ever had in my life. I literally never tasted salad that came close. The ingredients? Lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, etc. Nothing special but everything special.

Our waitress explained to us that each salad in made to order from organic ingredients selected by the chef that day. “If you cut the vegetables in advance, even a few minutes in advance, they begin to lose some of their flavor,” she explained to us.

As I savored a small shaving of carrot that tasted as if was just pulled from the ground, I understood it not on an intellectual level but on a experiential and emotional level. Yes, it was that good.

How would you rate yourself on a scale of passion and mastery? Is it time for you recommit and amp it up in 2017.

I know  my answer is “yes.”

What’s yours?

Kick butt, make mucho DEEnero!

Dave “Arrivederci Italy” Dee