La Table Italienne Authentique, June 20, 2021, Shanghai

“The Authentic Italian Table” was organized by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) on Sunday, June 20, 2021 at the Shangrila Jingan Hotel in Shanghai.

This year’s edition saw a large turnout: 17 suppliers shared their authentic Italian products, 7 industry experts shared their informative knowledge, while more than 130 guests attended the event.

The event opened with the opening speech by Alessandra Palumbo, Commercial Consul of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, who warmly welcomed all participants.

Next, Cristiano Varotti, head of the Shanghai office of ENIT – Italian National Tourism Board, underlined the essential link between food destinations and travel destinations.

Immediately afterwards, CICC (Shanghai) Vice-President Valtero Canepa shared his own experience, highlighting the meaning and importance of authenticity in Italian cuisine and wine. He also gave advice to the public on how to choose the right product.

Next, Professor Andrea Lorenzo Baldini, Director of the Center for Sino-Italian Cultural Studies NJU, gave a captivating speech on “Culinary Authenticity”, addressing the main theme of the event from a cultural and historical perspective. . As Mr. Baldini pointed out, “Experiencing authentic Italian cuisine is more than just eating something delicious. It is about connecting with the heritage, history and culture of Italy”.

At the end of the presentation, the public was invited to participate in an exhibition tour of the F&B companies, where they had the opportunity to learn more about authentic Italian products and taste them.

During the event, a series of activities were also organized to actively involve the participants.

One of the activities was the professional cooking show by experienced Italian chef Riccardo Messina from “The Lab”, who presented two typical Italian dishes made with DOP and IGP certified Italian products.

After the show, a qualified jury of experts and the participants tasted the dishes prepared by different chefs and voted for the “Best Regional Dish AIT Shanghai 2021”.

Then, a Round Table took place with a focus on “Food and wine tourism”. The round table was moderated by Cristina Corsini, coordinator of the CICC Food & Beverage working group. It involved the following speakers and experts in the field: Cristiano Varotti, director of the Shanghai office of the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT; Nicola Sifone, official Italian tourist guide; Sara Zhang, Lifestyle KOL, digital marketing expert, host and producer of the “Connoisseur” wine fair; and Edward Liu, president of Sinodrink.

Some of the guests also had the opportunity to participate in a wine tasting, tasting different Italian DOC and DOCG wines.

The event continued with an “Italian Pasta Competition”. Four dishes from four regions were prepared by the following chefs: Riccardo Messina, from “The Lab”, representing Lombardy, prepared pasta with gorgonzola and walnuts; Roberto Bernasconi, from the restaurant “Porto Matto”, representing Tuscany and Liguria, prepared “Spaghetti al Fumo” and “Gnocchi au pesto”; Carmine Darienzo, from “Mammamia!” Restaurant, representing Campania, prepared “Ravioli capresi”.

The event ended with a Quiz session with a draw.