b'the ancient Carthaginians first discov-ered the tiny island later inhabited by Greeks,Romans,andtheArabcon-querors who nicknamed it the Daugh-ter of the Wind. More recent visitorsof Service to Adults withwho have been charmed by PantelleriasIntellectual & Developmental Disabilitiesblack volcanic beaches and ancient lava-stone damusi have included the likes of Sting and Cate Blanchett, and fashion Volcanic lake known as the Mirror ofgreat Giorgio Armani, who for many Venus is a major attraction on the tinydecades has vacationed at his ocean-side island of Panterellia, Sicily, where theres no fresh water but rainwater.estate on Pantelleria.TheislanddrewSavittieriback, hand-packed, not in brine as is usualtoo. By his third visit this past summer with ordinary capers, but in sea salt(2022), his business idea had a name: from Trapani, Sicily. The salt itself hasA&JSavittieriProdottidiPantelleria been famed since antiquity for its re- (the initials are borrowed from the two duced sodium and wealth of mineralsdaughters he and his then-wife raised like magnesium and potassium, coaxedon Parker Avenue in Maplewood, di-from the sea through a long process ofagonally across from Columbia High, evaporation in shallow reservoirs. from which he was graduated in 1974).Athletics & FitnessClinical Support The caper harvest is organized by aAnartistWork Readiness & EmploymentResidential Optionsfarmersco-operative.Noindustrialandcel- Day ProgramEngagement & Enrichment Program farminghere,Savittieripointsout.e b r a t e dCase ManagementAging in PlaceBecause the harvests are so coveted byw o o d -Italian cooks on the mainland, Therew o r k e r, just werent enough Pantelleria capersSavittieri102 Prospect Streettogoaroundsotheyhaventbeent r a i n e dSouth Orangereadily available to American cooks. early-on973-762-6909jespy.orgHe decided to change that. Newlywiththe retired from a storied career as a fur- artisansof nituredesignerandmaker(forsuchPeters Val-design industry stars as Albert Hadley,ley SchoolA co-op of Pantelleria caper farmers pick and Jean-Georges Vongerichten,andDa- ofCrafts,sort their harvest by hand vid Rockwell), I had been toying withthentookbefore the piccoli capers are hand-packed in the the idea of moving to Italy and explor- histalentsfamously nutritive salt from ing my family heritage, he explains.intotheTrapani.Actually, it was TV food star Anthony Bourdain who suddenly focused Sav-ittieris interest on the little-known is-land of Pantelleria.SomeyearsagoIwatchedBour-dains TVepisodeabouthistoricPal-ermo, then he hopped a small plane to Pantelleria, Savittieri recalls. Bourdain was following a number of world celeb-rities who have made that journey sinceIn the salt reservoirs (below) at Trapani on the west coast of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea water is pumped in by windmills and slowly evaporated, leaving behind the unique salt that has attracted customers since ancient times.Sized to taste: piccoli capers (right) add a surprise burst of savory flavor to classic Italian dishes. Larger caper berries bring major zing to salads, sauces, andwow!dry martinis. feature story /39'