Identità New York 2016

From October 4-6, 2016, Identità Golose returns to the United States for the seventh annual Identità New York taking place at Eataly’s Flatiron location. Chefs Massimo Bottura, Alex Atala, Lidia Bastianich, and more will lead the 2016 events.  For the first time ever, Identità New York will host Eataly’s one-night only Dine Around, a progressive dinner that showcases dishes from six world famous chefs during a culinary tour that moves from restaurant to restaurant within Eataly. The event also pairs three of Italy’s most notable chefs with three other celebrated culinary personalities for a series of master classes. Taking place at La Scuola Grande, each of the sessions showcase dishes that combat waste by using resourceful practices, along with discussions about how to make today’s global culinary trends and techniques more sustainable, fitting into this year’s theme, “Don’t Waste the World.”

Presentation
In life, there are trends, which are fleeting, and then there are certainties, which last a lifetime. Knowing this, we must understand and differentiate between what is destined to last a morning, what will last a season, and what has the ability to last an entire lifetime and beyond, influencing everyday lives around the world.

The 2015 edition of Expo—the World Fair held in Milano—focused on the theme “Nutrition” with “Feeding the planet, energy for life” as its slogan. Every participant at the event interpreted the theme and slogan in the best ways possible. Many of the participants, most notably Chef Massimo Bottura with his Refettorio Ambrosiano project, continue to support this motto on a daily basis.

Expo has underlined how we can feed the world’s population by fighting waste. Once realized only by few, many now understand the senselessness of consuming the planet’s resources as if they are infinite. There is no longer room for excuses. Ultimately, if we are to live here, we must understand the limits of the Earth in order to address the changes that must take place.

Our commitment must not waiver. Hence the 2016 theme of the acclaimed International Chefs Forum, Identità Golose USA: “Don’t Waste the World.” Events this October will take place in Chicago (3^rd edition), and then in New York (7^th edition). This theme is a representation of how the restaurant industry and everyday lives are interconnected. Chefs, pastry chefs, artisans, and producers must come together to reverse the planet’s increasing impoverishment, and become more creative, savvy, and meticulous in the ways they aid in prolonging our Earth’s indispensable life.

Not enough people realize the implications of this food crisis and urgency for change. Every year for the past few years, August has marked the time when our demands to feed the seven billion individuals of the world have exceeded what the Earth is able to renew in a year. When this time of the year comes, we must begin tapping into the Earth’s reserves of flora, fauna, water, and air, all while continuing to face issues of malnutrition, poverty, and pollution. It’s a dangerous and slippery cycle. In a way, we are “eating” away our future, and the future of our children.

Some people believe one chef alone can do little to help this matter, but that is simply not true. Chefs have gained significant prominence since the turn of the century, and therefore have the power to influence and ultimately empower an entire population toward change for the better. So-called influencers are essential in that they can set an example amongst the masses; we see this in our everyday lives when the right move at the right moment causes something to go viral. With that said, recipes that are able to connect deeper meaning with reality prove that cooking is not just an exercise of skill, but has the power to serve a much greater purpose.

Chefs around the entire world, starting with the Italian ones, are no longer just ambassadors of taste and quality, but also ambassadors of sustainability, good practices, and new techniques.

Paolo Marchi

Identità New York schedule

Tuesday, October 4^th

1 class, 6pm-7.30pm Franco Pepe and Lidia Bastianich

Wednesday, October 5^th

1 class, 1 pm-2.30pm Massimo Bottura and Alex Atala

1 class, 6pm-7.30pm Niko Romito and Matthew Kenney

Thursday, October 6^th

Dine Around Dinner with chefs:

Matthew Kenney

Massimo Bottura

Franco Pepe

Fortunato Nicotra

Alex Atala

Niko Romito