On 6 June in Cologne, the second edition for the German market of The Italian Show, the itinerant format to promote Made in Italy and authentic Italian food and wine products on international markets, was held.
Organised by I Love Italian Food in collaboration with the Associazione Cuochi Italiani in Germania, the event took place in the center of Cologne, inside the historic Hotel Maritim. In collaboration with the main trade associations in the area, the day allowed Italian food producers and distributors to get in touch with over 500 German professionals including chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, buyers, distributors, journalists and influencers.
The packed programme of events entertained visitors to the event from morning to late afternoon, with tasting sessions and show cooking to allow local professionals to taste and learn about the flavours of our land, from food to wine to mixology, interpreted by some of the leading Made in Italy experts in the area.
After the inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremony on stage in the presence of Italian institutions such as the Consul General of Italy in Cologne Dr. Luis Cavalieri, the day continued with a succession of activities in the various areas of the event.
Chefs from the Italian Chefs Association in Germany animated the Tasting Station with show cooking and tastings of partner products, from pasta to cheese, from olive oil to sweets. All products that guests at The Italian Show were able to learn more about thanks to the exhibition of more than 50 producers and distributors.
On the main stage there were performances to narrate and promote some key products of our territory, such as Prosciutto di Parma or Parmigiano Reggiano, interpreted by chefs like Enrico Bergonzi, President of the Parma Quality Restaurant Association. There were also moments of discussion, with the Talk ‘The Italian Revolution in Germany’, conducted by journalists Luigi Lo Grasso and Maurizio Giangreco, which saw the participation of three protagonists of Italian products in Germany who shared their interpretation of Italian cuisine: Matteo Ciancio, Director of Operations of the Big Mamma group in Germany, Filippo Licciardo, President of the German national pizza team, and Remo Viani, CEO of the Viani Importe group.
After the success of the last French edition of The Italian Show, the Pizza Show, the area entirely dedicated to the world of pizza, with exhibitors telling the story of its production chain and a stage for performances by well-known pizza chefs, also created great attraction in Cologne. Among the protagonists who performed, proposing their workhorse pizza: Gaspare Squitieri, Pizza Zulù, number 1 in Germany in the 50 Top Pizza classification; Antonio Bia, a pizzaiolo known at European level, together with his colleague from Pizzeria Spaccanapoli in Cologne; Massimiliano Grande, Pizzeria Piazza Sorrento; Salvatore Mandellino, Mr Pizza; and Simone Fortunato, directly from Naples to tell about the flours of Mulino Caputo, partner of the Pizza Show.
Throughout the day, guests at The Italian Show were also able to taste real Italian espresso together with the coffee roaster Filicori Zecchini. The appointments on wine and mixology in the Bar Station, where bartenders and sommeliers promoted cocktails and wines to introduce the world of Italian spirits and soft drinks, were also very popular.
It was a day full of emotions, especially for the six chefs involved in the final of the competition hosted once again within The Italian Show. In the 2023 edition of The Best Upcoming Chef Of Italian Cuisine competition, the young chef from Apulia, Antonio Locoselli, was crowned the best emerging chef of Italian cuisine in Germany.
A jury of renowned chefs judged the work of the six contestants selected from an initial elimination phase of the competition. The jury was chaired by Gianluca Casini, President of the Associazione Cuochi Italiani in Germania, flanked by Enzo Oliveri, President of the Associazione Cuochi Italiani in the UK – Foreign Delegation of the Federazione Italiana Cuochi, Cristina Bowerman, well-known chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Glass in Rome, Cettina Vicenzino, well-known Italian writer in Germany, and Mariella Caruso, food and wine journalist.
“After the first year in Düsseldorf, this year we brought the second edition to Cologne, a city that is certainly very receptive to the world of food, which enthusiastically welcomed the format. This edition of The Italian Show confirms the centrality of catering as a tool to affirm Made in Italy on the German market, today the leading European market for the export of our products. Once again, the dialogue with Ho.Re.Ca. professionals has proved successful and a further step has been taken to promote the authentic Italian supply chain” declares Alessandro Schiatti, CEO of I Love Italian Food.
A great success for this new appointment of The Italian Show, which will return for the third time to London next 19 September, for the appointment with the Anglo-Saxon market.
The Italian Show – Köln is a project co-organised by: Associazione Cuochi Italiani in Germania
Under the patronage of: ICE – Italian Trade Agency and Consulate General of Italy in Cologne.
Partners: ITKAM, Stefania Lettini, Eurotoques.
Realised thanks to the support of
Sponsors: Filicori Zecchini, Galvanina, Mulino Caputo, Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma Alimentare.
Technical Partners: Pentole Agnelli, Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, Izzo Forni, Goeldlin, Goldplast, Number One Logistic, Zorzi.
Partners & Media Partners: Ho.Re.Ca. News, Italiani.it, A Tavola!, Radio Buonasera Düsseldorf.
