L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano F or the first edition of the LA Food Bowl festival, o r g a n i z e d b y t h e L o s A n g e l e s T i m e s , t h e I t a l i a n I n s t i t u t e o f C u l t u r e o f L o s Angeles intends to focus the attention on the excellence of our culinary products with two events dedicated entirely to one of the most appreciated Italian products all around the world: Olive Oil. W h i l e t h e b r a n d F i l i p p o Berio is turning 150 years old, "the goal of the entire event is to bring Italian excellences into the I n s t i t u t e . T h e F i l i p p o B e r i o Industry is a champion in that. We have many events planned, in order to reach our main goals, with chefs and experts from here and from all over the world. We want to present the international c u i s i n e e x i s t i n g o n t h e L o s Angeles territory, especially the Italian cuisine since it is one of the most relevant in the world, w i t h o u t a n y d o u b t " s a i d t h e director of the Italian Institute of Culture, Valeria Rumori. With 150 years of experi- ence, Filippo Berio has been offering exceptional varieties of olive oil for cooking, earning a top place among the Italian busi- nesses known all around the world. Marco De Ceglie, CEO of Filippo Berio North America, has been the protagonist of the e v e n t ' O l i v e O i l I n F o c u s ' , expressing the importance of their brand and the secret of its long last success. How would you explain this event, Olive Oil in Focus'? What's the concept behind it and its main goal? " W e a r e c e l e b r a t i n g t h e 150th anniversary of the Filippo B e r i o a n d w e a r e s t a r t i n g a series of events to tell the story of this brand as one of the Italian e x c e l l e n c e s i n t h e w o r l d . T h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r s , i t achieved many important results also for our country. I wanted to share our culture, our history, because it's a good example of Italian history." How will the program mar- ket Italian products? "The main thing that we pro- mote is the value of every single p e r s o n . Q u a l i t y a n d s u c c e s s depend on the quality of every singular employee. I'm proud Filippo Berio founded such a good industry. We are an Italian b r a n d a n d w e m a k e q u a l i t y products. We openly say that some of our oils are blends, not only Italian, and the quality of our products is due to the possi- bility of mixing different oils with different origins maintain- ing the organoleptic profiles that our clients appreciate. It's a very peculiar job and we need high qualified people to do that. The 'Country of Origin' concept it's more like a bureaucratic idea. It's people who make quality, FEDERICA VOLPE Spotlight on olive oil at the IIC for the first edition of LA Food Bowl Festival LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY not a piece of paper specifying t h e c o u n t r y o f o r i g i n o f t h e products. Not all our products come from the same place, but we are an Italian business and we make quality products from 150 years now. There's just peo- ple who works well and there's p e o p l e w h o d o n ' t w o r k t h a t well" Italian products are more e x p e n s i v e t o b u y a n d t o import. Often, Italians them- selves import mediocre prod- ucts and include them into a high quality price range. How is it possible to educate the consumer to buy real Italian products and make him/her used to the taste? "We invite customers to try our products. On our website, we have a list of oil combina- tions for different foods and we give suggestions and informa- tions on our varieties. Generally speaking, brands are born to m a r k a c e r t a i n p r o d u c t ( e x : Filippo Berio: Olive Oil). My suggestion would be to find a good brand and trust that more than pieces of paper. It's true, olive oils are a bit more expen- sive, but producing a good olive oil has high costs. However, h i g h e r c o s t d o e s n o t a l w a y s imply better quality. There are some factors that indicate the quality. People must be willing to pay for quality, not inefficien- cy." As an Italian, how would you explain and define this world-known macro concept of Made In Italy? "Undoubtedly, Italy has a very rich history and tradition regarding food, fashion, and cars. I believe this is strongly r e l a t e d t o t h e c u l t u r e t h a t i m p r e g n a t e s o u r c o u n t r y . Speaking about olive oil, some people think about calories, but if we think about Italian food, it is made of colors, flavors, con- viviality. There's a whole world surrounding it and this comes from a certain culture Italy has. From many years now, Italy makes culture. We are surround- ed by history and this leaves a t r a c e i n o u r m i n d s . T h i s i s ' M a d e i n I t a l y ' : p r o d u c i n g excellence with a background of culture, conviviality, tradition that many countries do not have, o r h a v e i n a d i f f e r e n t w a y . Again, 'Made in Italy' is made by Italians. Pieces can come from anywhere. It's the people p u t t i n g i d e a s a n d c o n c e p t s together that create the 'Made in I t a l y , ' a n d I t a l i a n s h a v e a n extremely powerful background that must be defended in order not to lose it. Again, it's all about the value of the individu- a l s . T o m a k e m o z z a r e l l a d i bufala, you must have a certain tradition, a certain culture. It's not about machines. It's not only the land, but it's especially the person working on it. Do you think all the pieces to make a Ferrari come from Italy? Not at a l l , b u t t h e I t a l i a n s t h a t p u t together the project, the idea, the concept, they are the real value. Same thing for Armani's ties, it doesn't really matter if the silks and fabrics come from different countries around the world, the tailors, designers, they are the ones who actually make quali- ty." Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles Antonio Verde & Marco de Ceglie - CEO Salov NA

• Cover