"MERENDA SINOIRA D’AUTORE": a culinary jam session is born

From the Castle of Roddi, “The Showcase of Piedmont Excellence”

"MERENDA SINOIRA D’AUTORE": a culinary jam session is born

A virtual discussion between truffles, wines and the ingredients of Piedmont cuisine

10 showcooking encounters and 25 great chefs broadcast live on the VisitPiemonte and the Alba White Truffle Fair channels

Roddi (Cn), November 26th, 2020. "The Showcase of Piedmont Excellence", a pilot project run within the "Truffle Hub" of the Roddi Castle, in the Alba area, is the novelty linked to the 90th edition of the Alba International White Truffle Fair. From November 26th 2020 until January 2021 the prestigious historical venue will become a virtual laboratory from where this area and all of Piedmont will converse with journalists, influencers and the truffle-loving public, sharing their experiences of food and wine, history, culture, art.

The “Merenda Sinoira”, a typically Piedmont gastronomic tradition that has its roots in the rhythms of the daily life in the fields, is reinterpreted by the great chefs of 7 areas of Piedmont in 10 online culinary shows that will be broadcast from November 30th to December 21st by the digital channels of VisitPiemonte's and the Truffle Fair. From the heart of the Langhe countryside, the Merenda Sinoria d'Autore project, coordinated by VisitPiemonte in collaboration with the Alba International White Truffle Fair Authority, will involve starred chefs and Piedmont haute cuisine chefs during its 10 digital episodes, as well as Local Tourist Agencies, Regional Enotecas and the Italian Sommelier Association of Piedmont.

"I think it’s important, in a time like the one we are living through, to use every opportunity we have to promote the Piedmont region, its food and its wines as a corollary of the Alba White Truffle, a product of unparalleled value, among the top five Italian brands of excellence. The Roddi Castle is a prestigious location: recovered and restored with the contribution of the Piedmont Region and managed by the International Alba White Truffle Fair Authority, the Castle adds a fundamental element to our promotional tools, an open showcase to the whole world thanks to digital technologies. It will be extremely interesting to see how the great Piedmont chefs will be able to create the 'Merenda sinoira d’Autore' by combining our precious truffle with the products and great wines from this region", declares the President of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio.

"The 'Showcase of Piedmont Excellence' set up at the Castle of Roddi is an important opportunity to promote tourism in Piedmont from many different aspects. First there’s the active involvement of the whole territory together with the entire regional food and wine production system: even more because of the exceptional visibility offered by digital technologies. These give us many important promotional tools as well as a lot of effective dissemination channels that offer us the opportunity to reach a huge audience who we can introduce our excellent products to. Our grateful thanks go to all those who worked on this project”, comments Vittoria Poggio, Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Commerce of the Piedmont Region.

"A great event kicks off at Roddi to promote our excellent food and wine and to draw attention to any products “Made in Piedmont”. Thanks to the skill of our chefs, we are also bringing, albeit virtually for now, our quality foods to foreign countries; not only those already well known in the world such as the Alba White Truffle, but also other typical products of our land along with the great Piedmont wines. In a year in which the agri-food chain continues to suffer the economic damage caused by the Covid emergency, we need to develop new collaborative efforts between institutional and local bodies involving various production systems in Piedmont: agri-food, wine, tourism and cultural", underlines Marco Protopapa, Councilmember for Agriculture and Food of the Piedmont Region.

In an exclusively digital formulation - made necessary by the current health situation - the "Merenda Sinoira d'Autore" will see some of the best chefs working in Piedmont interpret the Alba White Truffle with their own signature touch, combining it with a selection of traditional Piedmont agri-food products. All will be accompanied by the excellent wines typical of the 7 local areas that will be staged: Turin, Alessandrino, Cuneese, Langhe Monferrato and Roero; Novarese; Biellese, Valsesia and Vercellese; Verbanio-Cusio-Ossola and Lakes. On the digital location set up in the kitchens of the Roddi Castle, the chefs will be engaged in a sort of "jam session" and will create their own proposals conversing with regional wine shops, sommeliers and producers, also present on the set. An overview of photos and videos of each regional area will frame the preparation of the recipes and the story of the products, narrating the skill and creativity of the chefs, precisely in the days when Piedmont is confirming its 46 Michelin Stars and the confirmation of the Green Star for sustainability to Mariangela Susigan of Gardenia di Caluso and Igor Macchia of Casa Format in Orbassano.

"The Showcase of Piedmont Excellence" is a regional promotion project whose narrative cue starts from the Alba White Truffle which meets - in unusual combinations - the best of Piedmont products from various local areas. But it’s also an opportunity to experiment with an innovative way of working in the tourism sector through cross-promotion activities between various Piedmont areas and the many players in the supply chain, from the basic ingredients to the final product. An ambitious project that we have developed together with the International Alba White Truffle Fair Organization and in collaboration with the Piedmont ATLs and the Regional Enoteca. The common goal is to increase the visibility of Piedmont as a tourist destination, leveraging our rich production, food and wine and cultural heritage, consolidating the specific positioning of our region in Italy and abroad. Originally conceived as a widespread event in the region and in other Italian cities, the health emergency forced us to rethink it entirely and transform it into a virtual version, finding creative solutions to combine the pleasure of taste with the distance inherent in digital experiences. It’s an experiment that we hope will be appreciated by the public”, declares Luisa Piazza, General Director of VisitPiemonte.

"In designing the 90th edition of the International Alba White Truffle Fair, we wanted to interpret the pandemic as a change accelerator, introducing a digital turning point for the event. We are particularly pleased to make the experience and the skills acquired in digital events available to the entire Piedmont system, in addition of course to the prized Alba White Truffle. The prestigious spaces of Castello di Roddi are the right place to add value to the Piedmont chefs and agri-food and entrepreneurial excellence, as well as to the great wines of our Region. We thank the Piedmont Region and VisitPiemonte for having believed in the project and all the ATLs and other Piedmont organizations that have collaborated in its realization. We hope that the teamwork created in 2020 is only the beginning of a path to continue promoting Piedmont excellence together", comments Liliana Allena, President of the International White Truffle Fair of Alba.

Merenda Sinoira d’Autore, from the Roddi Castle

on www.visitpiemonte.com www.fieradeltartufo.org

and on the Facebook and Instagram pages of VisitPiemonte and the Alba White Truffle Fair

#merendasinoira #visitpiemonte #albatruffle

From Monday November 30th

Valli d’Ossola - Presented by the Lakes Tourist District, chef Giorgio Bartolucci de l'Atelier * of Domodossola with Rachele Matli, the producer of Bettelmat. With them, the Nebbioli Alto Piemonte Protection Consortium.

From Monday December 7th

The first appointment in Langhe, Roero and Monferrato - Presented by the Langhe Monferrato and Roero Tourist Board, chefs Michelangelo Mammoliti de La Madernassa** of Guarene; Pasquale Laera of Borgo Sant’Anna of Monforte d’Alba*, Davide Palluda of the Enoteca* of Canale; Gabriele Boffa of the Relais Sant'Uffizio* in Cioccaro di Penango; Luca Zecchin del Ristorante Guido of Relais San Maurizio* in Santo Stefano Belbo. With them, Enoteca del Barbaresco, Enoteca Terre Alfieri, Enoteca del Roero, Enoteca Canelli/Astesana.

From Thursday December 10th

The second appointment in Langhe, Roero and Monferrato with: Damiano Nigro of the Relais Villa d'Amelia * in Benevello; Andrea Larossa of the Larossa * restaurant in Alba; Marc Lanteri of the Castle of Grinzane Cavour; Walter Ferretto of Il Cascinale Nuovo * of Isola d'Asti; Flavio Costa of the 2.9 * Restaurant in Piobesi d'Alba. With them, Enoteca del Barolo, Enoteca di Grinzane and Enoteca Regionale di Nizza Monferrato.

From Friday December 11th

Alessandria and Monferrato – Introduced by ATL Alexala, chef Bruna Cane and Sara Chiriotti of I Caffi* in Acqui Terme with Enoteca Regionale Ovada and Monferrato, Enoteca Regionale Acqui "Terme e Vino", Enoteca Regionale del Monferrato.

From Monday December 14th

Novara - Presented by the ATL of Novara, Marta Grassi chef of Tantris * of Novara with the Nebbioli Alto Piemonte Protection Consortium.

From Thursday December 17th

Cuneo - presented by ATL Cuneese, chef Massimo Camia of the restaurant of the same name in La Morra, President of the Italian Federation of Chefs - Cuneo section; Bruna Bartolo from La Pace di Sambuco; Luciano Gautero of Il Bagatto of Limone Piemonte; Fabio Ingallinera of the Vernante National Team; Erik Macario of La Posta di Pradeboni. With them, the Regional Enoteca of Acqui Terme.

From Friday December 18th

Biella, Valsesia, Vercelli - Presented by ATL Biella, Valsesia Vercelli, chef Christian Costardi of the Christian & Manuel Restaurant * at the Hotel Cinzia in Vercelli, with the Regional Enoteca of Gattinara.

From Monday December 21st

Torinese - Presented by ATL Turismo Torino e Provincia, chef Mariangela Susigan from Gardenia * in Caluso.

For more information:

www.visitpiemonte.com
www.fieradeltartufo.org

Ufficio Stampa VisitPiemonte

Emanuela Sarti

Tel. + 39 3356914611

emanuela.sarti@visitpiemonte-dmo.org

Marisa Margara

tel. + 39 3474398707

marisa.margara@visitpiemonte-dmo.org

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