Luxembourg / Oro e Argento: four hands for a 'true' italian menu
On one side, Massimo Spigaroli, chef from Emilia Romagna and precisely from Parma, World Capital of Gastronomy; a man raised with gnocco fritto, piadinas, prosciutto crudo and Lambrusco.
On the other one, Yann Castano, South of France, a similar long flat expanse, hit by the same southern European sun and ‘sprayed’ by the same passion for wine, but with a heart that beats faster for foie gras, duck, softer cheeses, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In the middle, the shiny spring green color of beans, asparagus and peas, the natural salinity of Parmigiano, the thick drops of balsamic vinegar…
In total, four hands to craft the dinner organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce on May 30th to celebrate the True Italian Taste, the international campaign coordinated by Assocamerestero and promoted by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.
The dinner event, in the beautiful atrium of the Sofitel hotel, in front of the doors of the kingdom of chef Castano, the restaurant Oro e Argento, has been ‘blessed’ by the presence of the Italian Ambassador and the President of the International School of Italian Cuisine, ALMA.
The hand of chef Spigaroli on the choice of the menu, relatively traditional compared to the excursions to which chef Castano has accustomed his customers, but academic in the execution and anchored in the excellence of the selection and seasonality of raw materials, probably wanted to hit the core of the True Italian Taste….
A concept that is all about the approach to products and their origins, geographical but also cultural: understanding the product, smelling it, tasting it, respecting it and respecting the tradition that it carries along, the way people have been eating it and then, only once internalized, offer it a way to the outer world in shapes and combinations that could be traditional or more contemporary.
A big thank you to the Italian Chamber of Commerce for initiatives like this one that explain and spread around the reasons why the Italian cuisine is one of the most loved (and unfortunately too often poorly imitated) in the world.
