All the photos from the 2015 guide

Eataly Smeraldo in Milan was crowded during the presentation of Identità Golose 2015.

On the stage, often hosting concerts, this time there’s Paolo Marchi, founder and curator of the guide. With him there’s also Claudio Ceroni of Magenta Bureau, IG’s operating arm.

Another image, from above...

...and let’s start. Claudio Ceroni, in the middle, invites “host” Oscar Farinetti on stage. With them, there’s also the presenter of the evening Tarsia Trevisan.

Then comes the turn of Paolo Marchi, here with Stefano Peccatori, general director of Mondadori Electa, publishing the guide for the second year in a row.

The award-giving begins. The first to get on the stage is Fabrizio Ferrari, chef at Al Porticciolo 84 in Lecco, awarded with "Birra in cucina", the Birra Moretti prize. Alfredo Pratolongo, Communication and institutional affairs director for Heineken Italia gives the award.

Three are the people awarded, instead, by Ruinart (represented by senior brand manager, Riccardo Caliceti, right) for the Best wine and spirits list: Walter Meccia, Edoardo Boncinelli and Gabriele Fedeli, of Il Palagio, the Four Seasons restaurant in Florence.

Lots of applauses for the Best sommelier. A woman, young Elisa Bellavia of Cinzia - Da Christian e Manuel in Vercelli. Awarding her, Carlo Bianchi, Area manager NordOvest for Cavit.

The Ebnt prize for the Best maître goes to Maniel Miliccia, smiling on the right: he works at Piazza Duomo in Alba (Cn). Handing him the award, Alfredo Zini, president of the Ente bilaterale nazionale turismo.

Piero Gabrieli, marketing director of Molino Quaglia, gives the Petra-Molino Quaglia prize for the Best bread basket to Monica Magnini, of restaurant Guido da Costigliole in Santo Stefano Belbo (Cn).

It’s now the turn for the Surprise of the year, arriving from Romagna: in Montiano (Fc) there’s Le Giare, Gianluca Gorini’s restaurant, a disciple of Paolo Lopriore. He receives the Bonaventura Maschio prize, right from the hands of Anna Maschio, one of the young souls in the family business.

The Best foreign chef comes from France, from Paris, to be precise: we’re talking of David Toutain, of the homonymous restaurant, in the photo together with Cinzia Benzi and Romana Tamburini (right), president of Surgital Spa, giving him the Surgital-Divine Creazioni award.

The Best sous chef according to the 2015 guide is Simone Nebbia of S'Apposentu di Casa Puddu, Roberto Petza’s restaurant in Siddi (Vs). Paolo Daperno, general director of Bonetti Spa, gives him the Zafferano 3 Cuochi.

Sara Peirone is Lavazza’s Top gastronomy manager: she’s the perfect person to celebrate the Best pastry-chef, talented Luca De Santi, who works at Al Mercato and at Ratanà, both in Milan.

They look alike... indeed they do, they’re brothers: the “Young family” award by Casa vinicola Zonin goes to Elia and Matteo Rizzo, of Il Desco in Verona.

It’s the turn of the Best chef of the year, a face partially new, because he’s Italian (from the province of Treviso) but works in Japan since 2009, at Bulgari Ginza Tower restaurant in Tokyo: it’s Luca Fantin, we interviewed him here. He conquers the Consorzio Grana Padano award, handed by the president of the consortium Cesare Baldrighi.

The Best Woman chef, instead, arrives from the far South... indeed Sud is the name of her restaurant, in Quarto (Na). Marianna Vitale, left, is awarded by Barbara D'Amico, Marketing manager Italia for Acqua Panna-S. Pellegrino.

The last award goes to the Best journalist of the year, another woman: that of Laura Lazzaroni, of L'Uomo Vogue, whom Alessandro Marzotto, Hospitality and wine shops director for Gruppo Santa Margherita gives the homonymous award.

Group photo with all the people awarded...

...and here’s the award they conquered.

Before the award parade Paolo Marchi illustrated the 2015 guide: new graphics, lots of content worth reading, as always. Among these pages, there are the "Storie di gola", Palate stories, articles on different cities that have food as their leitmotiv, written by important people in the food and wine business, not only from Italy. Among the many famous authors (Torino by Marco Bolasco, Milan by Pier Bergonzi, Cortina D'Ampezzo by Paolo Marchi, Florence by Marco Stabile, Naples by Nino Di Costanzo, Paris by Enzo Vizzari, London by Jason Atherton, Montréal by Marie Claude Lortie, Tokyo by Yasuhiro Sasajima, Chicago by Tony Montuano, New York by Mario Batali) there’s Alessandro Pipero, who wrote about his Rome.

Before then, Claudio Ceroni spoke about the numerous activities under the Identità Golose brand during the Expo. On the stage, with him, there was also Alessandro Mancini, Ticketing and Tourism director for Expo 2015 Spa.

After the ceremony, Paolo Marchi signs a few copies of his new book, XXL. 50 piatti che hanno allargato la mia vita, published by Mondadori.

Then the tasting began for everyone, because the restaurants inside Eataly Smeraldo on this occasion hosted seven super chefs (eight, in fact), who prepared as many specialties: the awarded Gianluca Gorini, Fabrizio Ferrari, Luca De Santi, Marianna Vitale and Simone Nebbia, host Viviana Varese and brothers Christian and Manuel Costardi. The latter is in this photo, preparing Carnaroli rice with rabbit, foie gras, cream of Piedmontese cheese and wine reduction.

Alice, the gourmand restaurant inside Eataly Smeraldo, gets ready for a great four-hand dinner, as Viviana Varese welcomed Luca Fantin. The dinner went by the title "Two chefs two continents, one nation: Italy".

Here are Viviana and Luca at work...

...and chatting with a guest of honour, Renzo Arbore.