Italian food is mostly famous – and highly appreciated – all over the world for its genuine flavors and the hearty regional recipes. Yet, the contemporary Italian haute cuisine is no less so.
In the Italian chefs' creations tasty and fresh products, technique and inventiveness combine to make up unforgettable dishes to be paired to great wines, where often it is not simple telling craftsmanship from art.
It is no surprise, then, that an exhibition is now celebrating Italian “Queens and Kings Chefs” and the relation between cooking, art and creativity.
From 16 March to 5 June 2016, the enchanting Palazzina di Caccia of Stupinigi (former hunting residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Nichelino, near Turin, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list) will host Regine & Re di Cuochi, a themed exhibit dedicated to excellency in Italian food and wine organized by Associazione Maestria.
A multi-sensorial and fascinating journey through Italian cuisine, the exhibit offers the chance to go through the haute cuisine experience and the creating process of the dishes: visitors can watch, smell, taste, listen and be part of it thanks to an interactive setting. The beautiful pictures made by Bob Noto, representing dishes and items such as kitchen tools and menus releated to every chef complete the scene.
The exhibit's aim is not only to celebrate Italian cuisine and its protagonists, though, but also to highlight the role – including social responsibility and awareness – of the contemporary chef, intended as a real “guardian” of taste and memory related to food, an ambassador for products and territories, a main innovation actor and also a teacher for next generations.
A scientific committee made of food and art experts – Marco Bolasco, Elisia Menduni, Bob Noto, Nicola Perullo, Fabio Rizzari and Massimiliano Tonelli – helped to define and sum up the panorama of contemporary Italian cuisine, involving many of the leading Italian chefs such as Massimiliano Alajmo, Guido e Lidia Alciati, Massimo Bottura, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Moreno Cedroni, Carlo Cracco, Enrico Crippa, Pino Cuttaia, Gennaro Esposito, Gualtiero Marchesi, Aimo Moroni, Piergiorgio Parini, Valeria Piccini, Fulvio Pierangelini, Niko Romito, Davide Scabin, Salvatore Tassa, Mauro Uliassi, Gianfranco Vissani and many others.
Over 2000 square meters host four different areas. The first one is dedicated to Italian food culture and biodiversity, to celebrate the country's incredible heritage of excellent food products and to briefly tell the history of Italian food to let everyone understand the overall project.
The exhibit's main area is dedicated to the “back stage” of haute cuisine: famous chefs' narrative voice helps to enter the creative process leading to a new dish – from the products' search to the design of the plate – also telling about the private and entrepreneurial side and about the team work necessary to the fulfillment of talent. A similar approach is also applied to wine, integral part of the project as well as of any proper Italian meal.
Niko Romito:panino agli scampi
A third area is dedicated to what can be considered the real “stage” for the chef's work: the dining room, including the waiting staff and the overall experience in a restaurant, focused on hospitality and conviviality. Finally, the last area is dedicated to “the future of Italian cooking” and to its most promising exponents.
A number of side events and cultural activities will also take place over the almost four months, involving other aspects of the creative world: music, literature, art, theatre and photography will then meet signature cuisine, on the occasion of tastings, workshops and dinners. The program looks exciting and includes some highlights such as the rendezvous with Massimo Bottura, the art critic Achille Bonito Oliva and the artist Carlo Benvenuto (22 March), Niko Romito and the director Luca Guadagnino (11 April) or Mauro Uliassi and the “gourmet musician” Roy Paci (23 May).
After June, the exhibit will then fly to Shanghai, Moscow, Dubai, San Paolo, Chicago and Seul, to celebrate Italian cuisine all over the world.
Regine & Re di Cuochi
Hours:
open everyday 11am-9pm (from 10am Fri-Su)
ticket 13 euro, website.
