ood has always been a passion of mine. Both my Italian parents love to cook and experiment with different styles of food. They adore Italian and Mediterranean dishes, and their creations reflect that enthusiasm.

For many years, my ambition centred on a single goal – I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Although my career took a different route, it did enable me, by and by, to open my own restaurant.

Thus it was that with the help of my mother, Maria Gennaro, Tuscany opened its doors in 2003 in Castletroy, Co. Limerick. We had vision in our hearts, energy in our efforts, fire in our souls, and a determination to create delicious food in a beautiful environment.

We also took great care to hand-pick a team of people who would make our customers feel at home the moment they set foot in Tuscany. That way, we felt, our diners would themselves become part of our Tuscany family.

The results are clear. Tuscany Killaloe came about in 2012 and within a year doubled in size. Tuscany at the Granary opened its doors in 2016 and is growing fast.

My food dressings have been in our family for generations. They add so much to a meal that our customers started to insist on taking them home for their own special occasions. Because of that, I decided to start making my own range of salad dressings, which are now sold at Tuscany and fine-food stores around the country.

The key ingredient of my dressings is Italian balsamic – a very dark, concentrated, and intensely flavoured vinegar made from grapes. The very highest quality comes from Modena, in the north of Italy, and is aged for at least 12 years. My mother and I have discovered how to combine balsamic and the freshest Irish ingredients to create the best of both worlds.

I love what we do at Tuscany because of the pleasure and satisfaction our efforts bring to you, our customer.

Sabrina Amodeo and the Tuscany Team