L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano H ow a perfect night looks like when you are an Italian food lover? The answer could come from people who attended the Taste Of Italy event, organized by the International Culinary Center at the Airbnb HQ in San Francisco on May 11th, with the purpose of celebrating Italy's culture, cuisine, and wines with some special guests and cooks. Not only is the venue in the vibrant SoMa, home to a compa- ny that works on building com- munities and connections between countries, but it also comes with a unique open kitchen that allowed guests to see cooks in action while enjoying the perfect food & drink experi- ence. Yeojin Yi was a student at the International Culinary Center before she became a Chef Instructor first and the Associate Director of Culinary Relations later. She can easily recall the first time she met Chef Cesare Casella, the special guest of the night. "Cesare has been my men- tor and we eventually became good friends. As I started know- ing more and more Italians, I strongly wanted an event that could bring people together around good food and wine. We did it thanks to the support of many sponsors and friends." The event is part of a broader effort to promote the Extensive Italian Culinary training at the ICC: after the first 10 months in Campbell, the program takes the students at the ALMA School near Parma for more than four months and, while learning skills and gaining expertise, they also meet master chefs and visit regional farms, factories, and vineyards. Cesare Casella, known as the Chef with the Rosemary, was chosen as the Dean of Italian Studies in 2005: he designed the curricula for the Italian Culinary Experience and brought vision and knowledge to the students interested in the Italian culinary tradition. Cesare began his jour- ney in the food industry at age 14, when he enrolled in the Culi- nary Institute Ferdinando Mar- tiniat. After graduation, he turned his family's restaurant, Vipore, from a local business into a well- known food destination in Tus- cany, also earning a Michelin star in 1993. When he moved to New York, he became Executive Chef at Coco Pazzo and soon launched a sister restaurant, Il Toscanaccio. Cesare took his expertise to the ICC's event both in the kitchen, by preparing deli- cious recipes, and on stage, through a cooking demonstration SERENA PERFETTO A Taste of Italy: teaching Italian culture, cuisine and wine to a new generation of chefs why it is also crucial to have schools and classes to help future chefs take Italian food to the next level. Schools can sure- ly help learn basics and express creativity, which is sometimes not enough to become a good chef." Italian Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona, emphasized the collaboration between the inter- national school and ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine: "We are happy to sup- port the Made in Italy and authentic food. This is happen- ing in a moment of great changes in the industry and in a place where innovation is applied also to food. Italy is playing a crucial role in the glob- al system and we will work hard to ensure this role stays strong." On the same note, Director Yeo- jin Yi concluded that the event was only the beginning of a col- laboration between the ICC and the Italian community. "We look forward to hosting Mr Ortona at our school. We will invite him in Campbell after the summer and we are keen on finding new, compelling ways to work togeth- er." of the popular Gnocchi alla Romana. "Education in the food industry means that people can better understand what good food is and how it differs from imitations," he told us. "Spread- ing the right message is crucial as people can be sometimes con- fused by the products, the ingre- dients, and the quality. There are many American chefs that today cook terrific Italian food, yet quality is what makes the true difference." While making a gorgonzola sauce for the gnocchi, Chef Casella could not help but stress how history and culture still play an important role in the food industry, and so do the ingredi- ents: "You can find good Pro- sciutto in America for sure, but you won't be able to make authentic Parmigiano cheese here, because the history behind it and the climate typical of the region are extremely important. For this reason, it is part of our mission to educate people about authenticity and good quality products." The rich menu - that includ- ed porchetta with salsa verde, spring pea arancini with toma cheese and mozzarella, some tomato jam crostini and polenta squares with mushroom tartufata and truffle oil - was prepared by Chef Marc and some other cooks from the ICC. After he took us behind the scene of the kitchen, Chef Marc underlined the rele- vance of the program for the entire San Francisco community. "The exchange will be beneficial for food lovers and the whole area. San Francisco has a multi- cultural community and the blending of cuisines is remark- able because it will keep bring- ing new and more artistic dishes to the table." The delicious food was also accompanied by a wine tasting sponsored by Lorenzo Scarpone, the keynote speaker for the night. Mr Scarpone is known for starting the Slow Food San Fran- cisco movement in the late '80s. Originally from the Abruzzi region, Mr Scarpone met Carlo Petrini before the Slow Food movement took off in New York and started gathering about 20 people from restaurants that shared the same philosophy. Mr Scarpone runs today different businesses in the industry and is a proud supporter of the event organized by the ICC: "It is paramount to be here and show people what Italian food and wine are really about. We have good food in America, especially in California, but there are Ital- ian products that cannot be duplicated." As Italian food becomes more and more popular, today consid- ered the top one cuisine in America, there is also a lot of room for cooking experiments that are not always welcomed by Italians: "I am not against fusions among cuisines," Mr Scarpone admitted. "Sometimes chefs come up with brilliant ideas, some other times it becomes a bit chaotic in terms of ingredients, presentations, and so on. At the end of the day, it is critical how the food looks like and how it tastes but also how you, as an individual, feel after you do so." What's the future of "La cucina della nonna", we asked. Mr Scarpone is sure that "La cucina della nonna is a good starting point because it is a very clean cuisine, nevertheless we all want to make food interesting and to surprise each other. That's Cesare Casella, known as the Chef with the Rosemary Cannoli siciliani, as all Italian dishes, must be made with a special attention to ingre- dients which should always be fresh and authentic SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY Gnocchi alla romana with a gorgonzola sauce? Yes please Italian Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona

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