Identità di Formaggio is back at the Congress, with Parmigiano Reggiano

Little over a month to go: the 16th edition of the  Identità Milano Congress will take place from the 25th to the 27th of September 2021 at MiCo in Milan. The theme is Building a New Future: Work (and there's also an emblem dish, by Matias Perdomo and Simon Press, chefs at Contraste in Milan dedicated to it). This year too, there will be many guests: over one hundred speakers, divided into the various tracks of the congress, around 70 lessons, the best of Italian food and many international guests. For a more complete presentation we invite you to read The countdown has begun for the Identità Milano 2021 Congress. Here's the programme.

Among the sessions in which Identità Milano 2021 is divided, many of which have a long history in this congress, there's one that will be back that is relatively new, having first debuted in 2016: Identità di Formaggio. This year too it will focus on cheese making, which already offers some delicacies, but they're made even more interesting when put under the magnifying glass – and through the creative minds and skilled hands – of the great chefs who will speak on Monday 27th September in Sala Blu 1.

Identità di Formaggio will also see the debut at the congress of a "partnership of goodness" (this is how Carlo Passera called it in his article a few months ago) between Identità Golose and Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. The cheese that the entire world envies us is indeed the new partner of Identità Golose, thanks to a «very ambitious» three-year partnership that will inspire projects that will promote not only Parmigiano in restaurants, something already understandable, but the entire supply chain of Italy's finest food. Before the summer we gave a preview of the Parmelier project, but already on that occasion we had presented the content of the afternoon we will dedicate to cheese at Identità Milano. 

There will be four speakers: two come from a stellar and starred team, that of Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, an unparalleled global ambassador of Parmigiano Reggiano. 

On Monday 27th September at 2.30 pm Francesco Vincenzi, chef at Franceschetta 58 in Modena, the “kid-sister of Francescana” will start the works. Top dishes, easy-going in a way, with a special attention to the tradition of Italy and Emilia, but also full of the refined, curious and cosmopolite gastronomic culture that is typical of the “school of Bottura”. And among the products and the traditions from Emilia celebrated by Vincenzi and his brigade, there's of course Parmigiano Reggiano, on top of other local fine cheese.

After him, it will be the turn of the most Emilian Canadian out there, Jessica Rosval, who has been working in Italy for almost eight years, spending many seasons as the pillar in the kitchen of Via Stella. Today, she manages the culinary offer of art resort Casa Maria Luigia, opened by Bottura and Lara Gilmore near the centre of Modena. Parmigiano Reggiano is particularly important in her career: Rosval first visited Francescana as a client, while travelling in Italy. It was when she tasted the iconic 5 ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, that she decided she had to become a member of Bottura's brigade at all costs: the rest is history. 

The afternoon dedicated to cheese will continue with French Philippe Léveillé, from Normandy, based in Lombardy since 1987 and chef del Miramonti l'Altro in Concesio (Brescia) since 1994. This won't be his first time at the congress: in 2017, following the inspiration given by Paolo Marchi, he presented some unusual and daring pairings with cheese. This resulted for instance in a dish like Salato non salato di mare, in which seafood is paired with mozzarella, and especially its water, used as the sapid ingredient in a dish that after conquering the stage of Identità conquered his menu too. We can't wait to find out what he'll present this year. 

Finally, Isabella Potì, pastry chef and chef at restaurant Bros in Lecce will close Identità di Formaggio: her eclecticism allows her to pursue many projects with Floriano Pellegrino, her partner in business and in life, and she's also very popular on social networks, though she's a great chef above all. Her lessons at Identità Milano have always been rich of ideas, techniques, and interesting thoughts and this is what we expect this time too.  

HERE IS THE COMPLETE PROGRAMME OF IDENTITÀ MILANO 2021

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso