L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 26 2018 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano A rt and food, food and art: when thinking of Italian food, the liai- son with art comes almost natural. That's why some artists, photog- raphers and chefs came together for a project that showcases how food and art can be combined to give readers an experience that goes beyond the plate and the painting. L'Arte in Cucina (art in the kitchen) is a book launched in 2017, when artist Domenico Monteforte, from Tuscany, decided to put chefs next to artists and have the collaboration start. Artists got space to express their passion, while chefs were given the opportunity to show- case their best recipes. Every artist presented a recipe through a photo, while supervised by a chef with lots of experience and know-how. The goal is to propose a dif- f e r e n t p r e s e n t a t i o n o f f o o d , when compared to what is usu- ally seen in magazines. On one hand, readers are able to discov- er artists' stories and, next to them, to have recipes created by chefs in their restaurants. Plus pictures that show the continu- ous interaction between the two. The 2018 edition will also present another 80 chefs and 80 artists among whom Chef Rudy Duran from Alameda and pho- tographer Flavia Loreto, both p r o u d l y r e p r e s e n t i n g I t a l i a n food in the Bay Area. Flavia Loreto was born and raised in Rome and became fond o f p h o t o g r a p h y d u r i n g h i g h school, as she wanted to be part and show the world around her. "For me, photography is a way to connect with people," she told L'Italo Americano. "At the end of each photo session, I made a new friend. We talk, we laugh, we tell each other's sto- ries. Not only it is important for p h o t o g r a p h e r s t o s h o w t h e world around, but it is also cru- c i a l t o k e e p m e m o r i e s t h a t would otherwise quickly loose their sharpness." Flavia moved to San Francisco in 2016 after twenty years spent in Germany. Photography is her passion, but also a way of relating to the world and people around, to express emotions and feelings. While she started taking photos as a teenager, she later built connections with set photogra- phers of Cinecittá Studios in R o m e : t h a t w a s t h e m o m e n t w h e n F l a v i a u n d e r s t o o d t h e SERENA PERFETTO be beautiful and enjoyable: tast- ing food, surrounded by photos and paintings, while listening to our favorite music." Nowadays, people take shots of food and of what they eat or cook. What's the value of hav- ing chefs visually showing their recipes in the book? Having artists expressing themselves with their work in a recipe book also means letting recipes speak for themselves. This allows the reader to imagine the flavors and the restaurant's atmosphere page after page. W e w o n d e r e d w h a t ' s t h e best advice Flavia could give to those who love food and pho- tography: "Keep'n loving life and its beauty! The art of good food and the art of photography are expressions of the beauty of life." Whereas for Chef Rudy, t h e s e c r e t o f h i s c u i s i n e i s : "besides the Prosciutto and the Parmigiano, eat locally and put tons of love in it! Cheers!" importance of telling stories through photos. C h e f R u d y w a s b o r n i n Livorno, Tuscany, and his phi- l o s o p h y i s s h a p e d b y p o s t World War II Italy, as much as his work experiences. "I learned to take pleasure in the feeling of being alive, and my apprecia- tion for taste rose above all else." Chef Rudy's personality reflects the idea of how "Food is more than just fuel that feeds our bodies – it is the universal a n d i n d i s p e n s a b l e m e a n s o f conveying our traditions and sense of community." The beginning of the collab- oration between the two goes along with their service in the I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y : t h e y a r e active during events in the Bay Area, Flavia as a photographer and Rudy serving food; they both live in Alameda, a little, cute island between San Fran- cisco and Oakland; and they both enjoy each other's compa- ny talking about all things Ital- i a n w h i l e s i p p i n g a g l a s s o f P r o s e c c o . A s C h e f R u d y explained, "L'Arte in Cucina can be considered a beautiful concept book, where a bunch of painters, photographers, and chefs show different aspect of their art. You open the book and, page by page, it is like being in different symphonies." A n d c o n t i n u e d : " O n e d a y , I received a call from my friend, Maestro Domenico Monteforte: he is a well known painter from Italy and his works are perma- n e n t l y e x h i b i t e d a t t h e S a n Francisco Opera House. He told me he wanted to pair food and art. As I was born and raised in Italy, where you are surrounded by art, I accepted to be part of this project and asked Flavia to join me." T h e c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n food and art is so strong they a r e a l m o s t c o n s i d e r e d o n e thing: "Good food belongs to art," Flavia said. "The love and work chefs put in their recipes are comparable to the love and engagement artists put in their works. Love and passion for what you do is the connection between the two." C h e f R u d y s t a r t e d i n t h e food industry about 40 years ago, working on cruise ships and private yachts. "Since I never stopped working for the last four decades, I have seen m a n y c h a n g e s i n t h e f o o d world. And continued: "When I a r r i v e d i n t h e B a y A r e a 1 8 years ago, I wanted to become a p i o n e e r a n d m y p a s s i o n f o r c l a s s i c , s i m p l e I t a l i a n f o o d c a m e u p w h e n I o p e n e d m y restaurant, C'era una Volta." He thinks that "As human beings, we enjoy art with our senses: music with hearing, paintings and pictures with sight, and culinary art with taste. In other words, after a long day of work, the moment of our meals should Flavia Loreto and Chef Rudy, the minds behind L'Arte in Cucina SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY L'Arte in Cucina book presents the incomparable liaison between food and arts, chefs and artists

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