7 days of great Italian cuisine

Today, 21st November 2015 the first Settimana della cucina italiana nel mondo [Week of Italian Cuisine in the world] begins, and it will continue until the 27th (with a few events to last until the 30th). This is an important debut that Identità Golose promoted and supported since its first steps in March 2015, before Expo Milano had even started.

The scope of the event, strongly desired by the Agricultural Policies Minister, Maurizio Martina, the Foreign Affairs Minister Paolo Gentiloni and the undersecretary for Economic Development Ivan Scalfarotto, is finely summed up by these numbers: during this week 1,300 events in 105 countries, coordinated by the Farnesina’s foreign network; 295 diplomatic offices will be involved; 173 conferences, meetings with chefs and debates on Italian gastronomic tradition; 98 promotional events organised in collaboration with local Italian restaurants and fairs; 151 cooking demos and master classes; 334 themed events dedicated to discovering Italian flavours; 23 contests and awards for high quality Italian cuisine; 32 technical-scientific and academic seminars; 390 food-related films, documentaries and theatre plays; 32 design, art and photography shows dedicated to cooking.

The engine behind this event is Ambasciatori del Gusto, presented last October 26th at Villa Madama, «a non-profit association», is written in their statute, «the expression of Italian restaurant and pastry making excellence, which it intends to represent in every aspect and interpretation». The board of directors includes Carlo Petrini (honorary president), Paolo Marchi (vice president), Cesare Battisti (secretary general), Renato Bosco, Mariella Caputo, Moreno Cedroni, Carlo Cracco, Alessandro Gilmozzi, Pietro Leemann, Roberto Petza, Marco Sacco.

Cristina Bowerman is the president of the association. The chef from Apulia is just back in Rome from Los Angeles: since in the US it’s Thanksgiving on Thursday 24th, the Week in America was before the rest of the world. We spoke with her as she was travelling. «I cooked a four-handed dinner with Nancy Silverton at Osteria Mozza: she’s the woman who brought the concepts of high quality pizza and mother yeast to the US, she’s a pioneer».

«Together with ICE in Los Angeles and Accademia della Cucina Italiana, a very established reality over here, we organised a master class on cheese, a very successful garden party curated by Antonio Murè of Barrique in Venice Beach. And a dinner for 220 guests at restaurant Cipriani: I cooked two dishes with the resident chef. It went well». A general remark: «I noticed a very strong interest on behalf of Italian media and authorities. I hope next year there will be an even stronger attention from the local media».

Cristina is soon leaving for Chile, with Christian and Manuel Costardi of Cinzia in Vercelli: together they will participate in a series of important events including two dinners for 60 guests – one at restaurant Boragò in Santiago del Chile – and a cocktail party. «I asked to meet women who represent Chilean gastronomy: it will be great». In America even Massimo Bottura fought as a lion as usual, receiving influential praise between Washington and New York (see the photo above, and the twitter profile of the chef from Modena).

As of today, there’s plenty of other events. We’ll follow the great Sicilian pastry chef Corrado Assenza, who will participate in 5 important events in Stockholm, in collaboration with Johanna Ekmark’s Caffè Italia: round tables, debates with important local chefs, workshops at the Institute of Italian Culture, gala dinners at the embassy…

Viviana Varese of Alice will be in New Delhi, in India, and will cook among other things at the residence of the Italian Ambassador and hold a master class at the Institute of Italian Culture. Marco Sacco of Piccolo Lago will be working in Hong Kong at a gala dinner at restaurant Isola. Apulian Rosario Di Donna will be in Shanghai for a tasting of typical dishes from his land. Sandro and Maurizio Serva of Trota will be in Bucharest on 30th November for a gala dinner with the Rumanian president at the embassy.

See also
A strong desire for Italy by Paolo Marchi
Why Ambassadors of Taste by Cristina Bowerman
Ambassadors of Taste for Italy by Carlo Passera