Verano
‘Life has been a wild ride for me” says Verano. He came to America at 11 years of age from war-torn Italy during World War II. Upon arriving in 1946 he was placed in the 4th grade, his first experience with formal schooling. The last time he had seen his mother was when she left alone for America, when he was 3 years of age, to bring over her entire family. However the war broke out. They were separated by the war for 8 years. His father in Lucca, was forced to hide during the German invasion, often in a hail of bullets. Verano was the frequently the provider of food for his elderly grandparents. He learned from his Nonna the simple delicacy of Italian rustic cooking, which he brought to America. He was tutored in English by a linguist, arranged by his mother. She was a strong advocate for further education. He graduated from Indiana University and became a Counter-Intelligence Agent serving overseas for 4 years, and was accepted into the FBI. He chose to go to Law School instead, and graduated from Indiana University School of Law with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Vernon was elected to 8 years as Prosecuting Attorney. He was also elected President of the State’s Attorneys Association. Thereafter, he has run his own successful law practice, representing widows and orphans wronged by corporate greed. He was selected to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for receiving several million dollar Jury Verdicts, was selected to the Top 100 Trial Lawyer’s In the State, and selected as a Super Lawyer by his peers. He has excelled in Pharmaceutical and Medical-legal litigation, trying cases throughout the United States. He has sued the State to close a killer curve of I-70, saving many lives.
He is a proud member of the Chicago Chapter of the Lucchesi Nel Mondo Association, an arm of the Chamber of Commerce of Lucca. In 2010, he was awarded their Gold Medal, presented yearly to those Lucchesi who have distinguished themselves in a foreign country. The Association has chapters throughout the world, promoting the culture of Lucca. In September of each year the Chapters and their members return to Lucca during the religious festival of the Holy Cross. Here Verano brings us his Cucina Lucchese and his Journey.
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VERANO PETRI: BETWEEN THE COVERS + BOOKS & COOKS | Telluride
Verano Petri studied culinary arts at Italian cooking schools near Florence, but went on to merge his disparate influences to create his own unique style – See More at Telluride Inside & Out
Foraging for Food
Boys my age feared the sight of German soldiers. This is where I put to good use my knowledge of nature’s bounty. I went out in the fields, creeks, hills and valleys, climbed trees for fruit and mushrooms, and search the creek banks for edibles. I captured all sorts of birds, mostly small. We had nothing […]
Recipe with its stories
A scrawny 8 year old boy named Verano was carefully setting a handmade trap to catch a few birds in the countryside of Lucca, Italy when he heard the roar of the Bombers coming from the south. They came by the hundreds, blotting out the sun, and began dropping the bombs everywhere. He threw himself […]
