In Washington the week of Italian cuisine in the world - News from Embassies

With an exclusive dinner at Villa Firenze yesterday, the series of events organized by the Italian Embassy in Washington to celebrate the 10th edition of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World concluded. “Celebrating Italian Cuisine Week here in the United States means helping to make our agri-food excellence and the principles of the Mediterranean Diet even better known to the American public,” commented Italy’s ambassador, Marco Peronaci.

Recalling Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s words on the universality of the language of Italian cuisine, Peronaci stressed that “Italian cuisine is a cultural language, a way of life, a heritage handed down from generation to generation; it tells the story of our land and our people, of the deep ties between food, environment and community.” The dinner hosted by the ambassador at his residence featured the cuisine of Chefs Pasquale and Gaetano Torrente of the “Il Convento” restaurant in the province of Salerno, who collaborated with Villa Firenze chef Roberto Grazioli to create a special menu for the occasion. In attendance were important guests such as Congressmen Deborah Bergamini and Carlo Fidanza, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and prominent members of the U.S. administration such as Deputy National Security Adviser Andrew Baker and Under Secretaries for Foreign Affairs Allison Hooker and for Science Dario Gil.
Yesterday’s event was in addition to others held by the embassy in recent weeks, which emphasized the expertise and talent of prominent Italian and Italian-American culinary figures, such as chef Massimo Bottura, guest of honor at the Italian Cultural Society gala last Nov. 8, and well-known TV personality Lidia Bastianich, the special guest at an evening presentation of her latest book held Nov. 11 at Villa Firenze. With the “Festival of the 5 Colors” last Nov. 19, organized in collaboration with the Pancrazio Foundation, a program dedicated to nutrition education for more than 130 children was held in the U.S. capital, and a panel on health and nutrition issues was organized with the participation of executives from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and Italian and American university professors. Italian-American celebrity chef Amy Riolo, known for her work in popularizing Italian food and wine culture in the United States, also spoke.