There are many hypotheses as to why the US is applying duties on the main Italian PDO cheeses, but regardless of which is the right answer, Italian dairy producers have little to do with the aid given to Airbus by the European Community.

What can we do in the face of this injustice? Complain? Stand and watch? Nope, We Stand with Made in Italy!

Since the union we’re up against is strong, we have asked for help from all those warriors who work and struggle every day to safeguard and promote our products and our cuisine. Together with them, we have created this first appointment dedicated to authentic Made in Italy, made precisely during the IV Week of Italian Cuisine in the world.

An afternoon dedicated to restauranteurs and food service professionals that will take place on Wednesday, November 20 at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education of New York. An event organized with the Italian Chef Association of New York and with the participation of the Consortium of Asiago, Pecorino Romano, Pecorino Sardo, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Toscano, and the New York Chamber of Italian Commerce. The event is furthermore in partnership with Authentico, Sogno Toscano, Montanari & Gruzza, Pentole, Agnelli e Urbani Truffle, in addition to the media support of La Cucina Italiana, whom have recently returned to the US market, and Dissapore.

The purpose of the initiative is to defend our products by relying on our food and wine patriotism and, at the same time, to make it clear through a practical lesson on food cost, that quality remains the true convenience that lies at the base of our cuisine. It’s a figure that unites our past, present and future at the table.

The appointment will articulate many points with the contribution of experts and opinion leaders of our food sector. To open the dance, Federico Tozzi, general secretary of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of New York will give a snapshot of the US market, one month after the entry into force of the duties. Followed by Alessandro Schiatti, founding member of I Love Italian Food who will explain why #istandwithmadeinitaly. To support him Michele Casadei Massari, chef and founder of Lucciola NYC, with a practical simulation of food cost, pushing restaurant owners not to give up the original products. It will then be the turn of the contributions of the representatives of the Consortiums protecting the supporters of the initiative: Marco Invernizzi for the Consortium for the protection of Gorgonzola PDO cheese, Marco Forte for the Consortium of Pecorino Toscano DOP, Gianni Maoddi will bring the point of view of the Consortium for the protection of Pecorino Romano, and again Luca Cracco for the Consortium for the Protection of Cheese Asiago DOP and Annalisa Uccella, on behalf of the Consortium for the protection of Pecorino Sardo PDO.

The contributions will then give space to the world of entrepreneurs and distributors with our partner Sogno Toscano. Raising awareness from the point of view of communication will be Sabina Montevergine, journalist of La Cucina Italiana. Followed by the important speech by Giuseppe Coletti, founder of Authentico, partner of I Love Italian Food in the protection and promotion of original Made in Italy together with our other partners Montanari Gruzza, Urbani Truffles USA and Pentole Agnelli .

To close the talks is one of the leading representatives of the Italian Association of Chefs in NY: Fabrizio Facchini, chef and member of the board of the Association alongside Francesco Panella, who now a symbol of Made in Italy and has been recently appointed Global Communication Director of the Association. Both will bring the point of view of restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs in the sector for the reason that if consumers could stop taking authentic Italian products from supermarket shelves, restaurateurs must instead continue to share our cuisine, our land and our culture, right through our typical products, transforming this possible criticality into a distinctive value, in the choice of final field, #ISTANDWITHMADEINITALY

The event will conclude with a tasting of pure 100% Italian products versus the “fake” products from overseas in order to compare flavors, consistency, colors and smells. A comparison from which, incidentally, we are sure to come out winners.