L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY F ood extravaganza and Italian indus- t r y e x c e l l e n c e were back in San F r a n c i s c o , t h i s time in a new location and with a different host. After t h e F a n c y F o o d S h o w s moved from California to Las Vegas, the city by the bay has b e e n l e f t w i t h l i t t l e t o n o events showcasing the best of international foods, resulting in fewer opportunities for producers and customers to meet and connect. Thanks to the ItalFoods Specialty Food Show, on June 18th, over ninety Italian food pur- v e y o r s g a t h e r e d a t F o r t Mason in the Marina, bring- ing their finest selection of specialty foods and getting an opportunity for exclusive show promotions. The setting was perfect for those looking for one-on-one conversations, alongside a vibrant vibe of food discovery and product sampling. The f e e d b a c k w e h e a r d w h i l e walking around the Festival Pavilion was the same from sales managers, restaurant owners, food retailers, and c a t e r e r s : a n e v e n t o f t h i s kind was very much missed and missing, given what San Francisco represents in the food industry for both inno- vation and tradition. R i c h a r d A r m a n i n o , Director at Italfoods, was the m a n b e h i n d t h e e v e n t . Because of the collaboration with the vendors and by stay- ing true to the vision of Ital- f o o d s f o u n d e r , W a l t e r Guerra, Director Armanino knows the value of this event for Italy, its companies, and all the people who do busi- n e s s i n C a l i f o r n i a . " W e haven't had something like t h i s s i n c e 2 0 2 0 w h e n t h e W i n t e r F a n c y F o o d S h o w moved to Nevada. We decid- e d t o b r i n g b a c k a n e v e n t focused on Italy to San Fran- cisco and California. We are proud that today ninety-two vendors came out to offer their specialty food and what they produce. We've been working with many of these companies for thirty, forty years, while some are new; we appreciate these relation- ships and we want to keep p r o v i d i n g r e t a i l e r s a n d r e s t a u r a n t s w i t h q u a l i t y foods." What makes this event different from any other is a c o m b i n a t i o n o f t h i n g s , D i r e c t o r A r m a n i n o c o n - firmed: "We wanted to bring t h e b a n d b a c k t o g e t h e r , reconnect the people who s e l l t h e p r o d u c t w i t h t h e producers. We specialize in Italian food, yet we know the importance of working with i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m p a n i e s from all over the world. We would like to have the Win- ter Fancy Food Show back in San Francisco, a city that deserves it. This could be the first step to doing so. If that d o e s n ' t h a p p e n , w e w i l l probably turn this show into a bi-annual event, so that Italian producers continue to connect, in person, with retailers and restaurants." Stopping at some of the booths, we could hear con- versations, with many repre- s e n t a t i v e s e m b a r k i n g o n educational journeys with their potential customers. Everyone was doing serious business, with lots of con- tracts closed on the day of the event. Antonio Rummo is the Director of Rummo USA and Vice President of Interna- tional Sales at one of the m o s t w e l l - k n o w n I t a l i a n pasta makers in the world. He spent the last year in the U S a n d h e i s r e a d y t o g o back to Italy after some time in Miami. The company has i t s p r o d u c t i o n f a c t o r y i n Benevento, Campania, how- ever, the Sales and Market- i n g d e p a r t m e n t s a r e i n Milan. This gives a sense of how the company keeps its roots in the homeland while looking at expanding and being at the forefront of new trends. "Our production is b a s e d o n t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p r o c e s s o f p a s t a m a k i n g , however, we are looking at incorporating innovation, like gluten-free products. We use processes that allow us to check the quantity of water we use in the dough so t h a t t h e f i n a l p r o d u c t i s always high quality. We also u s e s o m e t h i n g c a l l e d dinamometro, a tool that an A m e r i c a n c u s t o m e r renamed Mister al Dente. It's a way to measure the t i m i n g a n d t h e p r e s s u r e w h e n c u t t i n g t h e p a s t a , essentially to reproduce the chewing and verify that our p r o d u c t s t a y s t h e s a m e throughout the year. When y o u m a k e p a s t a , s m a l l d e t a i l s l i k e t e m p e r a t u r e , water, and heat can change the final product. We want to ensure the highest quality of ingredients and consis- tent results. When it comes to innovation, it indeed has many faces and one of them is offering a product that is also inclusive of everyone's n e e d s , l i k e g l u t e n - f r e e pasta." The event allowed producers to showcase many products in one place: "This is a different event from the o n e s w e u s u a l l y a t t e n d . We're talking to local cus- t o m e r s w h o w a n t s p e c i a l products, and we do that in a few hours, in one place, with fewer distractions and more attention to each one of them. We are learning more about their needs and we're educating them about our products. We hope to come back to San Francisco soon, in a format that is a middle ground between an international tradeshow and face-to-face conversations. S o t h i s m a y b e c o m e t h e event." Pasquale Manca repre- sents the third generation of San Giuliano farmers and olive oil producers from Sar- dinia. His feedback follows the same idea: "Today has given us lots of opportuni- ties to learn about the needs and the expectations of Bay A r e a a n d C a l i f o r n i a c u s - t o m e r s . W e h a d g r e a t exchanges about potential new products to bring into this market. I am enjoying t h i s f o o d s h o w b e c a u s e there's real interest in what we produce. We have retail- ers and restaurant owners w h o k n o w o u r c o m p a n y well, but we are also con- necting with potential new c l i e n t s . T h e r e ' s a l o t o f curiosity around Sardinia, which is sometimes consid- ered an exotic destination, yet people are interested in learning about olive harvest and oil production, so lots to s h a r e a n d t o l e a r n ! " M r M a n c a w a s v e r y e x c i t e d about the outcome of the event and happy to make his own recommendation to the organizers: "If I could sug- gest one thing, that is: let's do it again. This is an event that I am sure many vendors and customers will look for- ward to attending each year. There's a selection of ven- dors who have been around f o r d e c a d e s , w i t h a l o n g - standing tradition and quali- ty of products hard to beat." N i c o l a L e v o n i i s t h e President of Levoni, a com- pany of high-quality cured meats founded in 1911, with distribution in more than fifty countries worldwide. He was attending the show, enthusiastic about the work done. Levoni's customers are known for always being o n t h e h u n t f o r t h e b e s t p r o d u c t s o n t h e m a r k e t : " W h e n a p e r s o n t a s t e s a slice of our meats, it's easy to get them to become our customers. Here we can talk t o e v e r y o n e , e x p l a i n i n g more about our processes and future plans. This is a unique opportunity for true connections and we are tak- ing full advantage of it." Past, present, and future a l l c a m e t o g e t h e r i n t h i s pavilion: "We are ready to e x p a n d o u r o f f e r i n g s t o retailers and small groceries; today we are finally connect- ing with them. The company h a s a l o n g t r a d i t i o n t h a t started with my great-great grandfather and all products a r e m a d e w i t h a s p e c i f i c breed and size of animals from Italy." SERENA PERFETTO ItalFoods Specialty Food Show brings true connections and new opportunities for the industry across California From left, Martino Fiasconaro with his nephews and Richard Armanino from Italfoods (Photo: Serena Perfetto)

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