When I first reviewed Stasio’s Italian Deli & Market, exactly two years and one day ago, I mused that the then-new business was still a work in progress and that the people behind might not be sure exactly what they wanted the place to be. It wasn’t exactly a restaurant and the market wasn’t very amply stocked.

Both those observations are true today. What’s more, Stasio’s doesn’t do a very good job of marketing. It still doesn’t have a website, and its Facebook page lacks basic information like hours of operation and a menu.

But damn does it make good food.

In this episode of Scott’s Kitchen, executive chef Greg Richie of Soco Thornton Park shows Scott how to make roasted pumpkin soup with chicken and andouille sausage, served in a pumpkin shell.

Watch the video then check out the recipe below.

Note from Scott: Be sure to let the wine simmer until the vegetables are nearly dry before adding the stock and pumpkin flesh. Add more pumpkin and simmer to reduce if you think the broth is a little too thin. Richie says you can add a touch of cream if you like.

When Uncommon Catering, a culinary service that started in 2015 using the incubator kitchen at East End Market, decided earlier this year to relocate to a storefront on Curry Ford Road, it added the words & Eatery to its name. The idea of owners Tara Vernau and Travis Smith was to offer a small dine-in space as well as foods to go while continuing to operate a catering business out of their very own kitchen.

Just as that vision was coming into focus, in late February, 2020 happened.

Saturday, Oct. 24, marked the 1941st anniversary of the eruption of Vesuvius and a really rotten day for the citizens of Pompeii.

On Monday, Pompeii: The Immortal City, a touring exhibition about the destruction of the city and the 18th century excavation that brought it back, begins a three-month run at the Orlando Science Center.

In association with the exhibit, local food writer Joseph Hayes is presenting Pompeii’s Table: Sublime and Ancient Food that Survived Vesuvius’ Fury, a series of dinners and culinary events inspired by the food and beverage trends of 79 A.D.

Don’t take the title literally – the dinners won’t feature foods that actually survived the blast. First, really past the expiration date. Second, totally burnt.