The 2nd edition of “The Authentic Italian Table – Food & Wine Festival“, organized by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast (IACCSE), has been an incredible success. It is considered the Chamber’s biggest event.
Over 1,000 people attended this unique high-end Food & Wine Festival, which exclusively focused on the Italian cuisine and its flavors.
The event was held on November 20th in a spectacular and uncommon location: a cruise terminal at the Port of Miami.
The occurrence has taken place in the framework of “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” campaign presented by Assocamerestero (The Association of Italian Chambers in the World), the Ministry of Economic Development of Italy, and the IACCSE, to educate American consumers about true and genuine Italian products. This year the event took place during the “Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World” coordinated in the Southeast by the Consulate General of Italy.
60 exhibitors representing the whole spectrum of the industry, from beverage importers to restaurants, from hospitality suppliers to food distributors took part to the event.
During the first past of the event, dedicated to B2B meeting, exhibitors met with 200 industry professionals. Later on, almost 800 food-lovers attended the Grand Tasting, which was taking place simultaneously inside the terminal and outside, where a pizza village was created with mobile ovens by some of the best pizza restaurants in South Florida.
Guests had the opportunity to discover the genuine taste of Italy also through their involvement in 4 different guided Gourmet Experiences, with wine and food pairings. A special Gourmet Experience was offered by the Consulate General of Italy: Michelin-starred Chef Luigi Nastri and winner of Food Network’s “Chopped” Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli presented a masterclass on Italian desserts.
During the Grand Tasting, attendees also had the chance to experience extra multimedia contents thanks to The Authentic Italian Table app – the newest feature of this edition – developed by Marco Baldocchi Group. The app included not only Augmented Reality contents, but also a list of all Exhibitors’ and Partners’ contacts (interactively accessible through QR codes), a schedule of all the Gourmet Experiences and a map of the venue.
Two different contests took place during the event:
The Best Prosecco DOC of the Night
A panel of experts formed by Food & Beverage directors of local hotels and restaurants voted for their favorite Prosecco wine. The winemaker Valdo won the contest.
The Best Authentic Italian Dish of the Night
A panel of experts, formed by South Florida’s food writers and bloggers voted for the most authentic and delicious culinary creation of the event. The award went to chef Angelo Masarin of the Italian restaurant Salumeria 104, with locations in Midtown and in Coral Gables.
The two winners were awarded with gold pendants specifically created for the occasion by Stefano Andolfi Jewelry.
During the night, the IACCSE presented the 2020 renewal certificate of the Marchio Ospitalità Italiana – Italian Quality Seal to local restaurants serving genuine Italian cuisine in Florida. 13 restaurants received the renewal certificate that identifies and endorses those restaurants that truly promote authentic Italian culinary traditions and products abroad.
A special acknowledgment goes to the 5 Gold Exhibitors of this second edition of “The Authentic Italian Table”: Bevi Birra, Go Wine, Impero Wine Distributors, Shaw-Ross and Valdo.
Find here the photo gallery of the event.