Conferenze e Fiere

🏦 The "Giovani Lievitisti a Confronto" championship finale, featuring Italy's top under-33 baking talents, will be held on April 8 at 10 am at the International School of Bologna. Ten finalist teams from regions including Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardia, Marche, Piemonte, Puglia, and Toscana will compete in three categories: Traditional, Chocolate, and Innovative Artisanal Colomba. Winners will be announced at 4 pm by judges Antonio Angora, Alessandro Bertuzzi, Gianluca Casadei, Alessio Formichetti, Giuseppe Mancini, and Paolo Rufo. Unsampled Colombe will be donated to orphans or Caritas.

🍵 At the SCA Arena during the HORECA Expoforum in Turin, participants competed in Coffee Triathlon and Latte Art Throwdown. Andrea Gatti won the Coffee Triathlon and will travel to an official SCA Italy selection for upcoming championships. He also won Best Espresso, while Jean Ellaine Andal Silva won Best Filtro, and Fabrizio Abrescia won Best Signature Drink. Joy Parungao triumphed in Latte Art Throwdown, earning travel, board, and lodging for an official SCA Italy Latte Art selection. Matteo Ripoli, the runner-up, gained direct access to an official selection. Speakers at the event covered topics such as sustainability, the role of SCA, and coffee applications in mixology. The Villaggio Roasters featured seven micro-roasteries, showcasing specialty coffee in Italy. The next stops of the format and selections leading up to the 2026 Italian Barista Championships will be announced soon.

🍝 Unilever Food Solutions will feature at ExpoCook 2025 from March 23-26 at Fiera Roma. They'll present their professional kitchen brands (Knorr Professional, Carte D'Or Professional, Calvé, Hellmann's, Maizena, Pfanni, The Vegetarian Butcher) at stand Pad 5 Stand 31-32. Executive Chef Giuseppe Buscicchio offers showcooking sessions on March 24 and 26. Starred Chef Floriano Pellegrino will host a special event on March 25 at 15:30, discussing "FOODART Trends – The Menu of the Future." The event is free and available via streaming, in collaboration with Federazione Italiana Cuochi (FIC).

🥂 Vermouth Carlo Alberto, born in Turin in 1837 and owned by Compagnia dei Caraibi, is celebrated on Vermouth Day. A selection of 27 aromatic herbs and DOCG Piedmontese wines, including Erbaluce di Caluso and M.P.F. from Moscato grapes, defines its superior Torino status. The product range includes three Vermouth Riserva (Red, White, Extra Dry) and two mixology products. Riserva White won a gold medal at the 2020 World Vermouth Awards. Vermouth Carlo Alberto Red and White are both available in 1L bottles, suitable for high-end cocktails.

🍕 Michele Lococciolo of Pizzeria Il Tronco di Monopoli will compete at the EGO Pizza Festival in Taranto on March 21-22 with his signature dish, La Carpaccio, conceived in the 1980s by his father, Piero Lococciolo. La Carpaccio features a thin, crisp dough enriched with Pugliese extra virgin olive oil and topped with thinly sliced raw beef, radicchio, arugula, grana cheese, and lemon-scented oil. The 150-gram dough balls are directly mixed and stretched using a family technique dating back to 1984, ensuring a crispy crust reminiscent of local baked goods. At the festival, 20 Pugliese pizza makers will be divided into two teams to present their innovative pizzas to an expert jury for the team competition.

🍕 Chef Valerio Serino of Tèrra in Copenhagen will bring his culinary talents to Eataly Milano Smeraldo on 25 March at 20:00, collaborating with Identità Golose for the Giovani Talenti event. Serino's menu blends Nordic rigor with Mediterranean creativity, featuring dishes like Crudo di Pescato, Passatello di castagna, and Merluzzo. The unique dining experience costs €78, including wine, water, and coffee, with reservations at www.eataly.it. Future events include Osteria Billis on 7 May and Chef Mattia Pecis on 20 May.

🍻 The third edition of R.E.T.E. is scheduled from March 22-24, 2025 in Calangianus, Gallura, hosted by the Associazione Behind the drink and the GAL Alta Gallura. With local enogastronomic excellence promotion as its focus, the event supports small and medium-sized enterprises. Keynote speakers include Fabio Albieri (Mayor of Calangianus), Emanuele Biancu (Project Manager), and Andrea Pala (best young Italian oenologist 2021). The "R.E.T.E. Cocktail competition" is a highlight, featuring a prize of a workshop at Casa Tobago, Milan. The event will offer B2B opportunities on March 24 and feature an app for stand maps, event schedules, masterclass sign-ups, and cashless payments. Partners include Nieddu Trasporti, Silvio Carta, and Radio Sintony as the official broadcaster.

💥 Red Bull® launches Red Bull® Zero, a calorie-free, sugar-free energy drink with a distinctive tutti frutti, pineapple, and vanilla flavor profile. The marketing campaign "ZERO SCUSE" promotes an active lifestyle, offering a fitness challenge with rewards such as Red Bull® Spect glasses, Oracle Red Bull Racing E-Giftcards worth 150 euros, and a Red Bull® Hyrox experience for two. The 250 ml cans feature a matte blue design and are available in bars, supermarkets, and grills.

🍺 Expocook 2025 moves to Rome from March 23-26 after eight editions in Palermo, with the last one having 60,000 visitors. Organizer Fabio Sciortino aims to highlight Italian culinary excellence with over 250 exhibitors across 25,000 square meters in two pavilions and twelve thematic sectors. The event, featuring guests like Mauro Uliassi and Ernesto Iaccarino, focuses on food sovereignty and expects to see Italian cuisine recognized by UNESCO. The free-to-enter fair at the Nuova Fiera di Roma includes masterclasses, cooking shows, and competitions, such as the Expocook Pizza World Competition.

🍺 The 6th "Timossi Experience" is set for March 25-26, 2025, in Genova at Magazzini del Cotone, featuring 4,000+ sqm of exhibition space and 180+ companies. Open to the public on March 26 from 14:00 to 18:00 (€20 entry). Key events include Arena Talk sessions on industry trends, sustainability, market tendencies, and coaching techniques, with experts and institutional representatives. Also includes "Fuori Experience" and "Timossi Awards" for best tastings. Timossi, established in 1952, is a Horeca distribution leader in Liguria and Northwest Italy, with a €70 million turnover and part of a group including 1492 Coloniale Group and MOG Mercato Orientale Genova.