L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 5 LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY , or through its social media. Here is the initial remark by our Consul General of Italy, Antonio Verde, who also attend- ed to the inauguration: "Bringing premium Italian k i t c h e n a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t s o f L.A. is certainly a very com- mendable initiative, which com- b i n e s t r a d i t i o n , t a s t e a n d dynamism (none other than our country's distinctive traits). T h e P r i n c e o f V e n i c e , b y offering a well-refined selection of authentic food products, acts as a bearer of positive values, in which the Italian character real- ly stands out, and through which the same distinctive mark may become even more recogniz- able. I wish total success to this brand-new endeavor that makes our 'Made in Italy' roar by the streets of Los Angeles." Well said, Consul! L'Italo- Americano endorses the best wishes to this initiative. And now, here is the brief e x c h a n g e I h a d w i t h P r i n c e Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy. How did you come up with the concept of the "Prince of Venice" gourmet food truck? Six months ago, I was invited t o a b i g e v e n t h e r e i n L o s Angeles. I was struck by the variety of food trucks around the city. They are perfect exam- p l e s o f s t r e e t a r t " o n f o u r wheels." I realized that there were no Italian "pasta trucks." Of course, one of the obvious reasons is that pasta takes at least ten min- utes to cook. You can't really grab a plate of spaghetti on the go. Or can you? I've decided to m a k e f r e s h p a s t a o n b o a r d , through a pasta machine. All our products are organic and the ones, that are not imported from Italy, come from farms in the greater Los Angeles area. I designed the interior and exterior of my truck, with the aim of offering the equivalent of a t h r e e s t a r r e s t a u r a n t " o n wheels." I'm very happy to keep pro- moting Italy, as I've been doing throughout my life. In this case, one of Italy's most prestigious assets, its food specialties. My concern was also to offer premium food at an affordable price range. Just to give you an example, I'm going to serve a portion of black truffle fettuc- cine, that would cost you thirty dollars in an Italian restaurant, for 16 USD. T e l l u s m o r e a b o u t t h e " B u r e a u V e r i t a s C e r t i f i - cation," which you grant to premium Italian products all over the world. The label "Made in Italy" has been losing its distinctive value. It's not synonym with "excel- lence" any longer, because the necessary requirements in order to get that certification are not strict enough. My brand, "Certificazione Eccellenza", guarantees that at l e a s t 6 0 % o f e a c h industrial/design product has to be made in Italy. Whereas, 100 % of the food must be produced in Italy, in order to obtain the certification. My main aim is to safeguard and endorse Italian companies, which work hard to keep their business in Italy. You're also very active in t h e c h a r i t y s e c t o r . P l e a s e , elaborate on that. We have two charities. One of them is a cultural foundation, " F o n d a z i o n e P r i n c i p e d i Venezia," to support the artists, also through a program of inter- national cooperation. T h e s e c o n d o n e , " O r d i n i Dinastici di Casa Savoia," helps people in need throughout our country, but also in the US. In fact, its North American branch, "American Foundation o f S a v o y O r d e r s , " p r o v i d e s grants to health centers and hos- pitals worldwide, gives financial a i d t o c h a r i t i e s t h a t s u p p o r t homeless children (one for all, Boys' Towns of Italy, Inc.), as well as offering scholarships to undergraduate and graduate stu- d e n t s m a j o r i n g i n t h e Humanities and Fine Arts, or International Studies. And here is the culinary com- ment from Chef Mirko Paderno. A r e y o u c a r r y i n g a l o n g y o u r s p e c i a l t i e s ( " M o d e r n I t a l i a n f o o d w i t h r e g i o n a l t o u c h e s " ) t o t h e P r i n c e o f Venice food truck? T h e i d e a b e h i n d t h e f o o d truck is to offer authentic and traditional Italian food. I don't want to call it "regional," cause t h e r e i s n o p r e f e r e n c e o f a n Italian region over the other. Our is an actual restaurant " o n w h e e l s , " w h i c h d r i v e s around the high-end areas of L . A . , f o l l o w i n g a c h a n g i n g schedule on a weekly basis. We offer a real Italian culi- nary tour, with specialties rang- ing from Northern Italy, like pasta with pesto sauce, as well as from Central Italy, such as S p a g h e t t i C a r b o n a r a a n d Conchiglie Amatriciana, and f r o m t h e S o u t h , a s w i t h o u r Spaghetti Melanzane (aka "alla Norma," from Sicily). Our big asset is the freshness of our products. Some of them, such as flour, olive oil, truffle are imported from Italy, while the veggies are locally farmed in L.A.'s surroundings. We haven't overlooked any- thing. Even the smallest details, like the presentation of the food and the elaborated packaging, are carefully looked after. Continued from page 4 Alongside him, Emanuele Filiberto has a first-class talent , Milan born Chef Mirko Paderno. Photo credit: Marco Piovanotto Prince Emanuele Filiberto is now promoting one of Italy's most prestigious assets, its food specialties. Photo credit: Marco Piovanotto

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