L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I t i s c a l l e d C a s a I Wonder, and it's a meeting place where p e o p l e e x c h a n g e i d e a s a b o u t f i l m s and cultivate working rela- t i o n s h i p s w i t h i n t h e f i l m industry. What makes it spe- c i a l ? T h e m e e t i n g s t a k e place in an actual house, fea- turing a spacious kitchen w h e r e o n e o f N e w Y o r k ' s m o s t r e n o w n e d I t a l i a n chefs, Michele Casadei Massari, works his culinary magic. The project was created by Casadei Massari himself i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h h i s childhood friend Andrea Romeo, from Bologna just like Casadei Massari, and the founder of I Wonder Pictures, a film distribu- tion company. " T o a c q u i r e m o v i e s , I attend numerous markets and festivals along with my f r i e n d M i c h e l e . O v e r t h e years, we noticed the subpar quality of food at festivals and the hassle of making restaurant reservations for b u s i n e s s a p p o i n t m e n t s , " says Romeo. We met him at Casa I Wonder in Park City, Utah, during the 40th edi- tion of the Sundance Film Festival, the world's most famous independent film festival, held from January 18-28. His distribution com- pany, founded a decade ago, has globally distributed hits such as Everything, Every- where All at Once, and The W h a l e . T h i s y e a r , t h e y secured the rights to The Zone of Interest, which has received an impressive five nominations for the upcom- ing Oscars. "So we decided to create a space of our own, where we can meet essential contacts like retailers, direc- t o r s , a n d p r o d u c e r s , a n d have meaningful conversa- tions over lunch or dinner. At its core, this space cele- brates the spirit of commu- nity typical of Italian con- v i v i a l i t y , o f f e r i n g a r e a s w h e r e p e o p l e c a n c o m e t o g e t h e r t o s h a r e m e a l s , which is a vital part of our approach to content creation and our overall lifestyle." Is there anything more delightful than welcoming s o m e o n e i n t o y o u r h o m e and sharing stories around t h e d i n n e r t a b l e ? C h e f Casadei Massari, a 48-year- old native of Riccione who grew up in Bologna and has b e e n l i v i n g i n N e w Y o r k since 2009, believes in the p o w e r o f f o o d t o e x p r e s s o n e s e l f a n d b r i n g p e o p l e together. He shares, "Cook- i n g i s n o t j u s t a w a y o f e x p r e s s i n g o u r s e l v e s ; i t a l l o w s e v e r y o n e t o s h a r e their stories." The idea for C a s a I W o n d e r e m e r g e d quite organically: "For us, l o v i n g m o v i e s n a t u r a l l y extends to spending time t o g e t h e r a n d s h a r i n g n o t just cinematic experiences but also moments of social interaction and food. Casa I Wonder is where those in the film industry can enjoy a communal atmosphere and engage in discussions about their work. It embodies the concept of 'breaking bread,' s y m b o l i z i n g m e a n i n g f u l conversations over shared meals." C a s a d e i M a s s a r i , w h o owns the Lucciola restau- rant in New York's Upper West Side, serves as the cor- p o r a t e e x e c u t i v e c h e f f o r F e r r a r i a n d i s a b r a n d ambassador for Parmigiano R e g g i a n o a n d P a s t i f i c i o Felicetti. He adds, "Today, for instance, we met with the French production company C h a r a d e s a n d d e c i d e d t o prepare a Fiorentina steak with Provençal sauce, paired with a Piacenza wine." The menu at Chef Casadei Massari's table varies daily, f e a t u r i n g s t r i c t l y I t a l i a n p r o d u c t s l i k e F e r r a r i n i , Giusti 1605, Urbani Truffles, La Giardiniera Di Morgan, F i l i c o r i Z e c c h i n i , P a r m i - giano Reggiano Consortium, R i s o B u o n o , P a s t i f i c i o Felicetti, Cantine Luretta, F e r r a r i T r e n t o D o c , a n d Palazzo di Varignana. This is w h e r e t h e r o l e o f G i u l i a Perovich becomes essen- tial. As the digital marketing d i r e c t o r a n d f o u n d e r o f Arnald NYC, a consulting and PR agency dedicated to food, she represents these b r a n d s i n t h e A m e r i c a n market. She explains, "All my clients are family busi- nesses with rich histories. For example, Acetaia Giusti has been producing balsam- ic vinegar for 400 years, and Palazzo di Varignana, with a resort in the hills of Bologna and 150,000 olive trees, pro- duces an awar d- winning, exquisite oil. These brands a r e k e e n t o e n g a g e w i t h other worlds, exchanging values and perspectives." H o w d i d y o u g e t involved with the Casa I Wonder project? I've been working with Chef Michele Casadei Mas- sari for quite some time. A few years ago, when I was introduced to Andrea, he shared a beautiful vision: "Our mission as a distribu- tion company is to narrate and select stories that are visionary and intimate, sto- r i e s t h a t r e s o n a t e d e e p l y with us. The way you talk about your products is very much in line with our ethos. I f y o u ' r e i n t e r e s t e d , w e c o u l d b l e n d t h e s e t w o worlds and showcase your products at our hospitality events, especially at the film festivals we participate in." What was your first event for Casa I Won- der? A few years ago, at the V e n i c e F i l m F e s t i v a l , w e debuted an aperitif created by Giusti, capitalizing on the American trend of incorpo- rating balsamic vinegar into c o c k t a i l s . I n 2 0 2 3 , w e expanded this concept with a m a j o r p r o j e c t a t t h e Valentino restaurant behind t h e P a l a z z o d e l C i n e m a , transforming it into the hub f o r I W o n d e r P i c t u r e s . There, we brought our prod- ucts and also welcomed our partners, including direc- tors, actors, journalists, and others. Did the project even- tually make its way to the United States? Yes, it did. Michele owns a restaurant in New York, and since I'm also based in the Big Apple, our primary objective was to promote Italian products in the Unit- e d S t a t e s . W e d e c i d e d t o participate in the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, where we celebrated Werner Herzog's birthday at Casa I Wonder. It's not uncommon to see actors or Oscar win- ners helping Chef Michele in t h e k i t c h e n , c h o p p i n g onions, donning aprons, and c o o k i n g a l o n g s i d e h i m . That's the kind of magic that happens there. W h a t k i n d o f r e s p o n s e d o y o u g e t from production compa- nies in the USA? W e o f t e n s e e t h e s a m e look of wonder and amaze- ment that we observe in cus- tomers when they walk into C h e f M i c h e l e ' s L u c c i o l a restaurant in New York. For instance, they're surprised that they aren't ushered out immediately after paying the bill, which is a typical expe- rience in New York. When we ask them what they'd like to eat, they expect a menu, which we intentionally don't provide because our goal is to create an atmosphere that feels like home. Casa I Wonder: cinema and Italian food at the Sundance Film Festival SILVIA NITTOLI Andrea Romeo (left) with a guest of the Casa I Wonder pit stop at the Sundance Film Festival (Photo: Riccardo Piazza) LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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