07-02-2015
Group photo at table 16 at Expo delle Idee, dedicated to the future of the restaurant scene: left to right, above, Carlo Cracco, Lucio Cavazzoni, Marco Reitano, Enrico Borniotto of Msc catering, Severino Salvemini, Luca Rimoldi (Università Milano Bicocca), Paolo Marchi, Max Bergami, Maurizio Patron, Claudio Liu. Sitting, left to right, Franco Pepe, Lino Stoppani, Pietro Zito, Massimo Bottura and Antonia Klugmann (photo by Passera)
Lots of quality yet “with a calculator”, capable of producing profits; craftsmanship capable of escaping the “small is good” syndrome; good food that has to be healthy too. Tomorrow’s restaurant scene is based on these concepts and it was among the protagonists in the Expo delle Idee, the event organised in Milan as a summoning of all the projects that aim at creating content for the Expo2015 theme "Feeding the planet, energy for life".
"Set an extra place at the table: tomorrow’s restaurants" was the theme of a workgroup coordinated by Paolo Marchi with a team of experts capable of tracing the perspectives of this industry starting from case histories. As in the case of Claudio Liu, owner of Iyo, the first Japanese starred restaurant in Italy: «I like to say: my cuisine is global. This is the future». The latter is also nourished with the past, however, and sometimes recuperates the relationship with the earth and gives life and money to those farmers and breeders that a high quality cuisine must and can safeguard. Testimonial Franco Pepe: «Today we are creating a small ecosystem around our pizzeria, all we need we produce it there». Then Pietro Zito, chef-farmer who in these times of recession has doubled his turnover: «I’m sure of what I serve because I grow it».
This is one of the limits in the Italian restaurant scene, there are more. It is true «it represents one third of Italian food consumption, it is a tool to build customs», underlines Lino Stoppani, Fipe president. All this, however, occurs in a scene in which «high-end restaurants still have no economic relevance. We need to create richness and workplaces, instead»: this is the invitation of Max Bergami, of the Bologna Business School, because – Maurizio Patron of Electrolux adds - «we need to define a sort of district», that is to say «we need to create second and third lines because excellence by itself has volumes too low», replies Cracco. Severino Salvemini, professor at Bocconi thus sums up: «The restaurant scene must grow, it must make high quality and greater dimensions meet. Chefs should become entrepreneurs; institutions should promote them». We need to «codify recipes in order for others to replicate them».
Premier Matteo Renzi had the task of closing the Expo delle Idee. Before him, other prestigious speeches, from Carlin Petrini to Giancarlo Caselli, from minister Maurizio Martina to Umberto Veronesi. Not counting the message from President Sergio Mattarella, the speech, from Brazil, of former president Luiz Inácio Lula and Pope Francis’ long video message
Finding the ideal balance, therefore, safeguarding the uniqueness of excellence (even in the collaboration with farmers) yet widening the public of high quality users because the sector has to grow stronger. Besides this is the ultimate challenge, Marchi underlines: «Working as a team. And breaking the colonialism of judgements. It would already be important if it were us, not others, who gave marks» to made in Italy restaurants abroad. This will be the next step.
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by
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief