Promoting a product such as Asiago PDO cheese in an international market means going beyond simply presenting the product itself. It means creating opportunities for connection, building knowledge, fostering relationships and encouraging experiences capable of transforming a gastronomic excellence into a living element of contemporary food culture. With this goal in mind, the project carried out in Vienna by the Istituto 100% Italiano, together with the Consorzio Tutela Formaggio Asiago PDO, was created: a structured initiative designed to promote and spread awareness of this cheese in the Austrian market through an approach combining professional training, restaurant involvement and direct engagement with the public.
The initiative was developed as a multi-phase project, designed to accompany the product along a journey that began with knowledge and led to a concrete tasting experience. On one side, professional training activities; on the other, the activation of selected restaurants across the city: two deeply connected moments created to generate a long-lasting impact and build an authentic narrative around the product.
The first event took place on March 9 in Vienna at Trattoria Martinelli — a member of the Associazione Italiana Cuochi in Germania e.V. — within the prestigious setting of Palais Harrach, with a professional seminar dedicated to chefs, restaurateurs, pizzaioli, journalists and content creators. Moderated by journalist and food expert Ursula Heinzelmann, the meeting was conceived as a moment for in-depth discussion and exchange focused on the value of Asiago PDO, its distinctive characteristics and its potential within the DACH market.
Through a journey combining history, territory, production methods and gastronomic applications, participants had the opportunity to explore the identity of the product and discover its versatility through a guided tasting of different varieties and aging profiles. The seminar represented a concrete moment of dialogue with local professionals and opinion leaders, fostering relationships and providing useful tools to communicate and promote Asiago PDO within their respective professional contexts.
The project then moved from education to direct experience with the Asiago PDO Restaurant Week, which from May 4 to 10 involved ten selected restaurants in Vienna in a city-wide initiative. For one week, participating venues introduced a special dish created to highlight Asiago PDO, offering the public the opportunity to discover the product through different interpretations, contemporary gastronomic languages and diverse culinary sensibilities.
The initiative transformed the participating restaurants into true ambassadors of the product, creating a direct dialogue with consumers and giving life to a collective narrative capable of bringing together gastronomy, territory and food culture. The feedback received from restaurateurs was extremely positive, as was the interest shown by the public, confirming how the combination of training and on-the-ground activation can represent an effective tool for building awareness and generating engagement around a PDO product.
The experience carried out in Vienna demonstrates how the international promotion of Italian excellences can become a journey of relationships and shared value, capable of creating connections between professionals, territories and local communities.
Below is a selection of images showcasing the most significant moments of the activities carried out in Vienna and the protagonists of this journey.
Special thanks to the Consorzio Tutela Formaggio Asiago PDO and to all restaurants participating in the initiative:
Cibaria Italiana
Josefstädter Straße 69/1, 1080 Wien, Austria
http://cibariaitaliana.com
Cucina Ballerini
Hernalser Hauptstrasse 33, 1170 Wien, Austria
http://cucina-ballerini.at/
La Stella Italienische Apericafè Gastroshop
Opernring 3-5/Top 15-16, 1010 Wien, Austria
https://www.instagram.com/lastella_wien/
MATTEO Homemade pasta & Italian Tapas
Kirchengasse 35, 1070 Wien, Austria
https://matteovienna.at/
Regina Margherita Vienna
Freyung 3, 1010 Wien, Austria
https://www.barbaro.at/reginamargherita
Ristorante Il Sestante
Piaristengasse 50, 1080 Wien, Austria
https://www.sestante.at/
SETTE Artisan Craft Pizza
Schottenfeldgasse 7, 1070 Wien, Austria
https://settewien.at/it/
Terrae Vienna
Dorotheergasse 19, 1010 Wien, Austria
https://www.terrae.at/
Trattoria Martinelli
Freyung 3, 1010 Wien, Austria
https://www.barbaro.at/trattoriamartinelli
Via Toledo Enopizzeria Vienna
Laudongasse 13, 1080 Wien, Austria
https://viatoledo.at/it/home-it/
