From Milan to New York, the trip isn’t all that long. No, we’re not talking about a new direct route between Italy and the US, but rather about Identità Golose, the acclaimed international forum dedicated to chefs and to quality wine and food. This year, to tastefully inaugurate its new fall season, the forum is returning to the Big Apple with a scrumptious calendar of meet-and-greets, seminars, and tastings. All held from September 23 through September 25 at Eataly NYC Flatiron.
The star of this year’s convention is, without a doubt, Massimo Bottura, a true Italian culinary legend who, with his Osteria Francescana in Modena, has earned three Michelin stars and the title of Best Restaurant in the World on the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. In these three days of events and seminars, he will feature alongside chefs such as Melissa J. Rodriguez, executive chef of acclaimed restaurant Del Posto in New York, and Karime Lopez who, after working in some of the most renowned kitchens in the world – including Copenhagen’s Noma – was recruited as chef de cuisine at Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence.
The heart of the event, however, will be the Dine Around Dinner, a special dinner held on September 25 with a six-course menu and just as many perfectly paired wines. Guests will have the chance to savor specialties prepared by an all-women team of chefs. “This year, we decided to honor the innovation, creativity, and ability of women in the kitchen to tell a story through their dishes,” explain Paolo Marchi and Claudio Ceroni, founders of Identità Golose, addressing the thorny issue of gender equality on the international food scene. “Today, women are at the helm of high-end kitchens more than ever before, but we know there’s still a lot of work to be done in this regard.” Tickets for the dinner are available on the Eataly website for $215 per person, as well as those for the various chef-held seminars, during which you will be able to witness the luminaries of international cuisine at work, as well as speak with them and taste their creations.