13-04-2014
Of course there had to be a souvenir photograph of the first Concours du meilleur pesto de Paris, taken in front of the entrance to Le Purgatoire at 54 Rue de Paradis. Left to right, in the first row: Benedetto Chierici of Qualitalia, the engine behind everything Alessandra Pierini, winner Gianluca De Simone, the only one wearing a green apron, Sergio Di Paolo of Associazione dei Palatifini, Stefano Palombari of L’Italie à Paris (wearing glasses) and finally critic Périco Légasse. In the second row, again L2R, volcanic Filippo Giarolo, pastry-chef Benoit Castel, chef Maurizio Pinto and, half-hidden, host Alain Cirelli. Paolo Marchi was on this side of the camera
A whole Saturday, yesterday, on April 12th, took place without ever meeting a grumpy face. As for me and those who arrived directly from Italy, this was mostly thanks to the fact we were in Paris, while for those who live in Paris all year round, the fact it was a beautiful sunny day made the difference. “So it’s always grey and it almost always rains”, which may not true but in Paris this is the case, so with blue skies and a justly fresh-warm breeze, at least since two weeks ago, why not smile?
It was all very lively to watch. And it was also lively to experience, from the participants’ side - 30, altogether - despite the tension and the hard work with the pestle, half an hour of high-paced work. The idea for this event is an Italian-French poker, starting from Alessandra Pierini, originally from Genoa, with a previous life in Marseille as a cheese selector and restaurateur and a lorry-driving-licence that allowed her to travel back to Italy every two weeks and hoard great products. Alessandra is the kind of woman who strikes you thanks to her personality and beauty, a beauty that starts from the mind, and not just from the body. She’s the heart and soul of RAP, an Italian micro-deli in which mediocrity is forbidden, under the hill of Montmartre, at 15 Rue Rodier.
Alain Cirelli and Filippo Giarolo
Pesto has something exceptional: it is a sauce that needs not to be cooked and which not only refuses tomato, but it also avoids any kind of heat, including that of blender blades. Therefore, it can be the protagonist in a competition that does not require stoves, pots, boiling water, pasta (by the way, in my opinion, trenette should always be chosen) and so on, as in the case of other contests with ovens, stoves and pans. And when the time of the competition, half an hour, yesterday, is up, you just need a teaspoon and you’re ready to taste.
The winner, Gianluca De Simone, with Sergio Di Paolo of Associazione culturale dei Palatifini
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born in Milan in March 1955, at Il Giornale for 31 years dividing himself between sports and food, since 2004 he's the creator and curator of Identità Golose. blog www.paolomarchi.it instagram instagram.com/oloapmarchi