Ingredients, trends, new strategies in the agri-food supply chain, and innovative yet practical interpretations of cuisine. The themes of the Academy organised by APCI - The Professional Association of Italian Chefs as part of TUTTOFOOD, due to take place from October 22 to 26 at Fiera Milano, alongside HostMilano, exploiting all strategic synergies. Aims: start with the very raw materials and products to seek out creative spins and fresh inspiration. Enhancing, through the skills of the chefs involved, the high-quality of Italian and international agri-food companies.

The #APCIChef, including Roberto Carcangiu, Director of APCI and Luca Malacrida, Capitan of Italy’s APCI Team, will be joined by stars of Italian and international cuisine including the greatest pizzaioli chefs in Italy, all to give the Academy’s guests the widest possible take on the myriad of potentials held by one ingredient. Some of the big names include: Massimiliano Mascia, Stefano Cerveni, Sandro Serva and Wicky Priyan.

"We’re moving towards a more simplistic cuisine, with an audience that loves well-defined flavours, even if they’re elegant – comments Carcangiu — which is why, even in hospitality, the supply chain’s worth and products’ centrality will continue to grow , and participating in TUTTOFOOD will allow us to touch this with our hands. A 'pop' cuisine, but in the most authentic sense of the term: it’s popular, democratic, and restores the 'anarchy' of our rural ancestors. Grasping what the land around us offers, right then, and playing on it, respectfully, but without preconceived plans".

Concepts that also resonate in what Luca Malacrida says: "Lockdown has turned us all into children again, rediscovering the pleasure of making our own bread at home, for example, from simple ingredients. I believe that these lost and found flavours will remain central, even in this new phase. In this sense, chefs and companies working together is fundamental for developing increasingly greater quality to offer. You might go out for dinner once less than before, and on that occasion you might order fewer courses than before, but the smaller quantity must be compensated for by excellence. I'm seeing an increase, for example, in multiple small portion tastings."

"We won't drop habits we picked up during the pandemic for a while, like hygiene precautions and social distancing. Customers should find a moment of "comfort", serenity and safety in a restaurant – explains Anna Maria Pellegrino, food writer and APCI advisor. But above all else, we must build a shared awareness, between restaurateur and customer, of what quality will look like in the new landscape. For example, helping people understand that not all recipes are suitable for delivery and take-away, as it would change their organoleptic characteristics. TUTTOFOOD allows us discuss and compare in a context that ‘reads’ trends not just as products, but as a journey, as presentation and storytelling, important aspects right now for rebuilding relationships with customers".

"A TUTTOFOOD — concludes Sonia Re, General Manager of APCI — the chefs will demonstrate how to make the most of every single ingredient, without ever forgetting the fact that to produce excellent cuisine, you need high-quality raw materials, whose flavours and textures must be enhanced. The chef is a link in a virtuous chain: the Italian agri-food sector, which, from field to fork, contributes to Made in Italy’s global worth".