The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World opened in Detroit with a webinar, produced by Andrea Segrè of the University of Bologna, about the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet and how it fosters and facilitates the transition toward sustainable food systems and the reduction of food waste.
The Italian Consul, Paola Allegra Baistrocchi, introduced the event and explained the main reasons why the Mediterranean Diet is perfectly represented by Italian cuisine. “Italy – she said – is a triangulation between sustainability, agriculture and cuisine. The third campus of the United Nations is located in Rome, in fact, and consists of three Agencies linked to the food sector’’. The program of events organized by the Week of Italian Cuisine also included an evening in which four renowned local chefs prepared and served Italian dishes, resulting from sustainable choices. The event was held at the new Culinary Center of Carmela Food & Wine Distribution in Fraser, and the chefs who participated were Mark Camaj of Carmela, Anthony Lombardo of SheWolf, James Rigato of Mabel Gray and John Vermiglio of Grey Ghost. The dishes presented were all made using day-old bread.
According to the Department of Agriculture of the United States, every year more than 12.5 million tons of bread and other baked goods are left uneaten. It is estimated that up to a third of all the bread produced in American goes to waste, and accounts for 19% of the food waste in that country. The choice of the chefs was meant to ‘’inspire small changes in our daily habits’’, remarked Consul Baistrocchi. The presence at the event of numerous food bloggers and instagrammers will ensure that the message is widely shared on social media.
Finally, the program for the Week will also feature a projection of the documentary: “Yes Chef” by Amy Campione. Winner of the “Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum” (which assigns subsidies annually to aspiring directors to create movies that explore the Italo-American experience for the benefit of the future generations). “Yes Chef” narrates the story of Corrine Bianchi, an Italo-American chef of the third generation. Moving between the present and the past, through her childhood memories, Corinne describes what it means to be Italian and defend that country’s cuisine and style while continuing at the same time to honor her past. The movie was awarded last October during the gala evening of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and will be available online from November 18 at 6:00 p.m. (EST) to midnight locally November 21: https://www.mymovies.it/ondemand/mymovieslive/movie/10416-yes-chef/.