By Francesco Isgrò

The Summer Fancy Food Show, was held this year in Washington, DC, on July 10-12. The show attracted the big brands of specialty foods from Italy and across the world. Italy, as it has for the last 30 years, dominated the show with the presence of more than 236 exhibitors brought together by the Italian Trade Commission. The green-white-red colored Italian Pavilion was hard to miss visually and was a delight to visit. Indeed, a visitor could have spent an entire day just admiring and tasting all the specialty foods and beverage on display at the Italian Pavilion.

As noted by Aniello Musella, the Italian Trade Commissioner, "truly Italian goods and beverages appeal to Americans who want a healthy Mediterranean diet and to every one concerned with high-quality, authenticity, and delectable taste." At the ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurating the opening the Italian pavilion, Ann Daw, the President of the NASFT, who wished she spoke Italian, praised Italy as a country so "rich with products and with innovations," a country that brings "wonderful taste from each of the different regions." Lorenzo Galanti, the Economic Attache at the Italian Embassy in Washington, noted that food and wine exports from Italy to the United States had increased more than 18% from the 2009 levels, "noting that in the United States there has been an increased appreciation for real Italian food. Aniello Musella, also noted the enormous growth of Italian restaurants across America, noting in particular that there were 70 authentic Italian restaurants in Washington, DC alone.

We were delighted to meet during the show, many wonderful business owners, producers, chefs, and ordinary Italian salesmen who crossed the Atlantic to come to Washington, DC and show and to talk about their products. From a group of small producers and businesses from Paceco, Sicily, (click here for video interview) sponsored by a local credit bank, the BCC Senatore Pietro Grammatico, to Claudio Stefani Giusti whose family has been producing traditional balsamic vinegar in Modena since 1605 (click here for video interview), to Sicilian pastry chef, Nicola Fiasconaro, who proudly talked about how he makes panettone in Sicily and showcased the largest panettone ever seen in the nation's capital (click here for video interview), to Giancarlo Valentino from the Molise region, also exhibiting dozens flavors of panettone Valentino among other sweets, to Francesco Pirro from Calabria who was showcasing pasta products, to Salvo Laudini of Oranfrizer, who rough the freshest Sicilian blood orange juice ever tasted on this side of the Atlantic, to Mauro Solinas, President of Acqua Smeraldina from Sardegna (click here for video interview) to slow food chef, Renzo Rossi, from Puglia, who made a delicious "pasticciotto" at the cooking demonstration sponsored by the Puglia Region. There were just too many wonderful people and many wonderful stories to tell them all.

Last updated on July 24, 2011

July 23, 2011 | CiaoAmerica.net |