Italian Cuisine Worldwide Awards

The mission of the Italian Cuisine Worldwide Awards is to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the introduction, spreading and preservation of the Italian food and wine culture in the countries they live in or in global context. The Awards, promoted by itchefs-gvci.com, are granted annually to chefs, writers, journalists and business people, for the work performed in the previous year or during their careers.

The award receivers are nominated after a lengthy survey among the over 1200 GVCI (Virtual Group of Italian Chefs) associates and selected by an international panel of professionals, which includes the President of GVCI.

ICWA FOR CONTRIBUTIONS MADE IN THEIR CAREER
PAUL BARTOLOTTA, Las Vegas, USA
MARIO BATALI, New York, USA
DOROTHY HAMILTON, New York, USA
DAVID CHEUNG, Hong Kong, CHINA
DOMENICO CROLLA, Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
BEPPE DE VITO, SINGAPORE
ROBERTO GALETTI, SINGAPORE
TONY MAY, New York, USA ICWA LIFE AWARDS
ARRIGO CIPRIANI, Venezia, ITALY
ANGELO MINOGGIO, Milano, ITALY
2010 GVCI CHEF OF THE YEAR
GIANNI FAVRO, Bangkok, THAILAND

Gaeta’s Sculpture for the ICWA 2011
The Italian Cuisine Worldwide Awards 2011 are represented by 10 limited-edition artistic sculptures made in Faenza ceramics (city and comune of Faenza) realized by the artist Goffredo Gaeta. They are offered by the Emilia Romagna, Italian Region with the highest number of typical quality foods protected by geographical status in Europe (PDO, PGI).

Italian Cuisine Worldwide Award 2011 and his creator: the artist Goffredo Gaeta

The Table of Records? Emilia Romagna! The First Region in Europe with 33 products Dop and Igp

When speaking of typical Italian oenogastronomy, inevitably, the first name that comes to mind is ‘Emilia Romagna’. And that’s no coincidence; in fact, Emilia Romagna is the record holding territory. The numbers alone demonstrate this (as well as the taste buds); this is the birth place of 33 products from Dop to Igp; from Prosciutto di Parma to Parmigiano Reggiano, from Mortadella to traditional Aceto balsamico. There is no other region in Europe of such a high density of labels of quality. And what do we drink to accompany them? Obviously, nothing else other than wines of correspondingly high quality. And so, 20 types of Doc (without naming the derivatives of each one), to which must then be added Italy’s oldest white Docg, the Albana di Romagna.

Such a wealth and quality of products has also become a source of tourism. Today, Emilia Romagna is one of the very few territories of Italy that has developed a regional system to receive tourists; from Piacenza to Rimini, there are fifteen Streets of Wines and Flavours. That is to say, that there is an organised circuit, more than two thousand kilometres long, with 1,500 marked steps. So, the tourist can stop and enter the places as he or she likes, farms, cellars, cheese-producing dairies, prosciutto-producing pig farms, agritourism and arts and crafts boutiques.

Among the most interesting packets is the weekend spent with a boat trip on the Po River and a visit with a demonstration to a cheese producing dairy. Otherwise, there is a bicycle trip to a town of art combined with a tasting of wine or a certain type of cheese.

For the all the curious and the gourmands, 22 museums of taste are now open; from the one of Prosciutto in Langhirano, Province of Parma to the one of Parmigiano Reggiano in Soragna, Province of Parma, from the one of traditional Aceto balsamico in Spilamberto, Province of Modena to the Garden of Herbs in Casola Valsenio, Province of Ravenna. And if you don’t have time to organise your holidays, there is someone to do it for you. Touristic packets, weekends, excusrions and tastings are found at the site www.strade.emilia-romagna.it.
And now the latest novelty in Emilia Romagna (with an unedited and still unique format) is the Wine Food Festival, a billboard of 40 events in the span of three months, feasts, fairs and tastings dedicated to the excellent products of Emilia Romagna; The most recent one finished in December, with the record of one and a half million visitors. All the curiosities can be found at the site www.winefoodfestival.it

Casa Artusi: the gastronomic center dedicated to Italian home cooking

Welcome to Faenza, Town of Ceramics

If it’s true that every town has its own destiny, that of Faenza is ceramics. In this small artistic town between Bologna and Florence, fantastic ceramics of great originality are produced. Half of every year, Faenza is full of thousands of tourists from every part of Italy and Europe. Just think that in 1100, medieval Faenza was already famous for its artistic ceramics.

The name ‘Faenza’ is derived from the French ‘faience’, a word that in the entire world means majolica, glazed terracotta of refined clay.

And there has been no lull in this fame during the last millennium. And today, the fabulous history of Faenza’s ceramics is represented in the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche (International Museum of Ceramics), otherwise known as the Mic, in viale Baccarini 19. In its field, it is one of the most important in the world. It consists of various sections: schools, Italian and foreign, the ancient series of ancient Greece, Tuscany and ancient Rome and from far-off countries, such as pre-Columbian, African and Oriental creations. And there’s a wonderful series signed by famous artists, such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Meandri and Burri.

These days, there are around 50 artistic botteghe del fuoco (‘fire boutiques’) that are small workshops and kilns that the public can enter to experience live each and every phase of the elaboration. There are also schools for the education of technicians of the ceramics industry of all parts of the world, international demonstrations, exhibits and conventions.

Art and Culture
The museum alone would make the trip to Faenza worthwhile. However, Faenza is also a town of outstanding artistic and architectural features. There are two beautiful squares linked in Renaissance style, fascinating palaces, the large cathedral of the 15th century, the typical arcaded streets, a historic, 18th-century theatre and museums sporting a wealth of precious works of art. Want some advice? Walk up the octagonal bell tower of Santa Maria Vecchia to enjoy the stimulating panorama of Faenza from above.

Fine Dining
Faenza is an important agricultural and foodstuff centre. The zone is particularly known for its vegetable gardening and fruit farming as well as for its distillations. The fruit of the territory of Faenza is of high quality, especially its own, famous type of peach, the Peach and Nectarine of Romagna Igp. Its grappa and other grape distillates are excellent, too.

The surrounding hills are cultivated with olive groves and vineyards. Its most famous olive oil is extravirgin olive oil from Brisighella Dop. And the wines denominated ‘Colli di Faenza Doc’ are also of best quality.

Dining is the triumph of the flavours of Romagna: pasta sfoglia spread out with a rolling pin, flatbread, typical ovine meats, lamb and mutton prepared with aromatic herbs, salami, fresh and sheep cheeses.

Paul Bartolotta, Las Vegas, USA
There is a constant, recognisable thread in the career of Paul Bortolotta: to elevate the level of Italian cuisine in the US. A goal that he has consistently achieved, from the day he became the James Beard Best Chef Midwest in 1994 (the first Italian chef ever) to his successful nine year tenure of the Spiaggia Restaurant in Chicago; from the opening of the Ristorante di Mare, at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino (for which he imports one and a half tons of seafood a year from Italy) to the second James Beard accolade in 2009, Best Chef Southwest. Besides his unquestionable culinary talent and his winning business perspective, Bartolotta has been and is a relentless educator, who contributes to defeat stereotypes. As far as Italian cuisine is concerned, his life, his career and his values are a model, an example to follow, by any chef of Italian cuisine working outside Italy.

Mario Batali, New York, USA
His involvement in the Eataly, New York City, is only the latest act of a career in which, he, as chef, restaurant owner, food commentator and TV personality, has constantly promoted quality Italian cuisine and culture. His business success is based on a solid knowledge of the history of Italian cuisine, its regional characteristics and Italy in general. Millions of Americans have been introduced to genuine tenets of Italian cuisine thanks to Mario’s communication skills. He has always had a special relationship with Bologna and his province where he made his first steps as a chef, and during IDIC 2010 he was pronounced honorary Apostolo della Tagliatella.

Dorothy Cann Hamilton, New York, USA
When in 2007 she decided to open the Italian Culinary Studies Program, Dorothy, the currant President of the International Culinary Center, had already achieved the respect and appreciation of the culinary industry with her prestigious French Culinary Institute. Because of its qualified contents and rigorous methodology, the Program is a point of reference for Italian culinary education not only for New York City and the USA but for the entire world today. Dorothy’s vision and initiative appeared in a very particular moment in the history of Italian Cuisine in the US; Italian cuisine and the related diet (the Mediterranean) were enormously popular in the United States. But the presence of the immigrants that had spread it about and made it famous was all but exhausted. The future of Italian cuisine in the USA, especially authentic, quality, professional Italian cuisine, was directly related to institutes such as the one created by Dorothy.

David Cheung, Hong Kong, CHINA
After a long residence in the United Kingdom, David Cheung was pushed by his passion for Italian cuisine to open the Gaia restaurant in Hong Kong exactly ten years ago. Passionate about style and design, David in the last ten years has dedicated himself to the development of his concept of the high-quality Italian restaurant, of the Italian restaurant bound to high quality, Italian cuisine prepared by Italian born and trained cooks of the new generation and based on excellent products imported from Italy. David Cheung is an example of the entrepreneur who has managed to pair the profitability of his business with the defence of Italian gastronomic traditions in one of the most prominent markets of Italian cuisine. In the last ten years, the group he presides has opened or acquired ten restaurants including Isola, Joia and Va Bene in Hong Kong. Recently, it also opened Isola in Shanghai and on 17th January, the same day as the International Day of Italian Cuisines, it is opening Bene in Shatin, also in China.

Arrigo Cipriani, Venezia, ITALY
For decades now, Arrigo Cipriani has been a protagonist of Italian dining with his legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice, where he has continued his father, Giuseppe’s, mission. However, this award goes to those activities of Arrigo and his company outside Italy. With the opening of establishments abroad, in places such as New York City, Miami, Istanbul, Moscow and, very recently, in Abu Dhabi, Cipriani has always delivered authentic Italian cuisine of highest quality. Many things have been said and written about Arrigo, but here we give a couple of small extracts of what he stated in an interview, true extracts of the philosophy that stands behind the success of the enterprise
managed today by Giuseppe’s son:

“We consider ourselves to be super-Italians; the DNA of taste is a fact, Italian taste is the one closest to the taste of the world as far as cooking is concerned. Therefore we’ve never given in to the temptation of the revision of Italian cuisine, and therefore we’re traditional, and so we will be for a long time to come.”

“Borrowed cultures have no sense, they remain outsider human culture. Even when one is really capable, one has always to go back to one’s roots. Abroad, this is always appreciated.”

Domenico Crolla, Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Domenico learnt much of his craft from his father, Alfredo, an immigrant from Italy and one of the pioneers of Italian cuisine in the region. Domenico, in his career, has been an untiring promoter of Italian cuisine in the United Kingdom. But his restaurant, Bella Napoli, has above and beyond anything else become a Mecca for high quality Italian pizza and he himself a highly esteemed expert in the craft. Domenico is a passionate communicator but more than anything else, he is well-experienced expert of techniques and products. Other than events that have added to his growing popularity, Domenico continues to win contests and competitions. His experience in pizza is appreciated also at an international level when he is invited to take part in competition juries.

Beppe De Vito, SINGAPORE
In an era dominated by the figures of chef celebrities, Beppe De Vito has been and still is one of the most brilliant, young interpreters of another role fundamental for the success of a contemporary Italian restaurant tuned to fine dining outside Italy; the manager-owner, a role rooted in restaurants of the past. Beppe’s career has been woven from the standard of the glorification of quality and of elegance. First in the context of Italian restaurants of large hotels such as the Bice of Singapore, where he left clear imprint of class, then on to the Garibaldi and then finally to the opening of the truly elegant Lido on Sentosa Island, Singapore. Together with the Forlino, another establishment under his control, these two restaurants have contributed to changing the history of Italian cuisine, not to mention the acquisition of the finest of Italian style in Singapore and in Asia.

Gianni Favro, Bangkok, THAILAND
Talented chef and wine expert born in Pordenone, in the Northern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Gianni built his culinary reputation on 3 principles: Mediterranean style (which means culinary traditions of Italy freely interpreted by Gianni), modernity and top quality raw ingredients. Gianni has an extensive experience as an Italian Chef in Thailand, previously he had worked in Hong Kong, Germany and, of course, in Italy at Sardegna, Costa Smeralda- Campiglio. Since 1996 Gianni’s Restaurant has been an outpost of quality Italian cuisine in Thailand and in 2010 he received the GVCI chef of the year recognition.

Roberto Galetti, SINGAPORE
Roberto Galetti is a shining example of the figure of the contemporary Italian chef abroad. Now in his forties, born in Brescia, Lombardy, schooled in Italy, with work experience in London, Salzburg, Buenos Aires and Tokyo, he opened the Garibaldi Restaurant in Singapore in 2003. Since then, his professional status has moved ever upwards, not only as chef but also as restaurant entrepreneur. In 2009, his Garibaldi restaurant won the title of Restaurant of the year at the World Gourmet Summit, where, last year, he won the title of Chef of the Year. However, all along, the heart of his business has always been in Italian cuisine and especially in the Italian cuisine that he likes. He believes that the authenticity of the ingredients and the genuineness of the dishes are of highest importance. He enjoys cooking in a traditional manner, simple food, just what he likes to eat. He enjoys experimenting but then, he is not fond of using ingredients that are not part of the Italian culture.

Tony May, New York, USA
Throughout his whole career, Tony May, restaurant manager and restaurateur, has never ceased promoting Italian cuisine and products made in Italy. He has from the beginning been committed to raising the level of high quality Italian dining especially by means of the examples of his successful enterprises from that of the San Domenico on. Through the years, Tony has developed his own, very Italian style in the management of restaurants, a style that, since, dozens of colleagues have used as a point of reference.
Tony has indeed become a savvy businessman, but yet he enters his battles, for example the one for the authenticity of Italian cuisine and the one against the unpreparedness of oenogastronomic critics, with militant passion. A distinguishing connoisseur of Italian cuisine deeply versed in its history, he has always occupied himself with the education about the true nutritional tradition of Italy, be it for the consumer or for the professional of the sector. Although Tony has occupied himself almost exclusively in the USA, his career and his commitment are great examples for any entrepreneurs and culinary professionals who have set high quality Italian cuisine as the objective of their profession activity, no matter in which part of the world they are active in.

Angelo Minoggio, Milano, ITALY Chef Angelo (83) is now enjoying his retirement in Milan (Italy) after a long career that saw him at the helm of the kitchens of the Ussuri hotels, all round the world. Mr Minoggio was the forerunner of the current qualified Italian chefs working abroad. He was a globetrotting chef in the sixties and seventies of the last century, at a time in which in the majority of the Italian restaurants outside Italy there were improvised cooks often only equipped with their enthusiasm. Chef Angelo, in those years and since, won the respect and esteem of his brigades as well as of his foreign colleagues.

IC Worldwide Awards 2011