MINISTER MARTINA HAS APPOINTED THE NEWLY "ITALIAN AMBASSADORS OF TASTE ASSOCIATION", COUNTING 90 CHEFS, WITH CRISTINA BOWERMAN PRESIDENT AND CARLO PETRINI, FOUNDER OF SLOW FOOD, HONORARY PRESIDENT, THE AMBASSADORS OF ITALIAN FOOD AND WINE HERITAGE

Improving the Italian food and wine heritage is the mission of the newly founded "Italian Ambassadors of Taste Association ". Today, at the Ministry of Agriculture in Rome, the Minister Maurizio Martina officially presented the association, its president Cristina Bowerman and its honorary president Carlo Petrini (founder of SlowFood). The idea was launched last June and in no time at all 90 chefs adhered to the role of “Ambassador of Italian food and wine heritage in the world” representing 15 Italian regions (December 31st is the last date you can join the association as a founding member).

Today’s presentation anticipates the inauguration on October 26th of the first edition of "The Week of Italian cuisine" including more than 1.000 events from November 21 to 27th in 130 countries. The countries are those wherever Italy has an embassy in synergy with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Education and Economic Development, and comply with the "Food Act"; that is, the pact between institutions and the world of fine Italian cuisine, represented by the most important chefs in our country, on the Government internationalization plan that provides 70 million euros just for the agri-food sector, and which has already seen the launch of the hallmark "Extraordinary Italian Taste".

Cooking “is language on the move”, said Carlo Petrini. “My wish is to make foreigners who have been in our kitchens feel "Italian". It doesn’t matter what color of skin or shape of eyes our allies have”. Chef Bowerman said that since the launch of the Food Act at Expo Milano in 2015, “which led the chefs on the ambitious mission to spread the identity of our country in Italy as well as around the world. Now we have realized that, thanks to the kitchen, we can improve our country”.

Many internationally renowned chefs took the stage during the presentation at the Ministry. Corrado Assenza acknowledged the importance of the moment, “this is a place of excellence that is bringing together the top Italian chefs”. Carlo Cracco appealed to the need “to make a team. We should not pull in people just to make numbers, but to row in the same direction”.
Davide Oldani asked for a commitment for hotel schools, because “Teaching young people is crucial, just like the sport-cooking combo I experience at the Olympic games in Rio”. The pizza chef, Franco Pepe, talked about his experience in Caiazzo, “the Caserta area is difficult. We started in an alley in a village of 4. 500 people and last summer we counted 15.000 customers a month”.

This “is your home”, Minister Martina told the chefs. “This is a fundamental part of the agri-food experience in our country, which must be developed further. We have already made exceptional steps forward in recent years, from the individual to the collective”. We are living in changing times and difficulty in product protection, so Martina asked the chefs to “do your best to represent Italy, with all the passion, inspiration and imagination you possess. Those who come after me will not have to start all over again as these positive steps are not the children of a single person”.