THE ART OF BAKING
In Hostmilano’s Bread Pizza Pasta area, visitors can find new hints and inspiration in the presented formats and machinery, as well as anything they need to improve their business and make it more competitive. Bread and pizza, pasta and pastries, frosted and chocolate cakes, cupcakes and brioches - this is the art of bakery, the important catering segment based on grain flour, which will be celebrated at the 40th edition of Hostmilano. The event will dedicate an entire area to this art – Bread Pizza Pasta – at Fiera Milano from Friday 20 to Tuesday 24 October 2017.
Ancient food is becoming increasingly popular when eating out According to ISTAT/AIDEPI data, from 2002 to 2015, the consumption of bakery products in Italy has passed from about 14 Kg to over 16 Kg per capita. NPD Group Inc.’s surveys indicate that Viennoiserie (brioches and croissants) remains the art of bakery’s main contribution to bars’ turnover. Bread is also very much requested. It must be handmade and of good quality, as customers are much more quality-conscious about the products they find in bars than they were in the past (16.3% in 2016 compared to 13.3 in 2011).
Always under the spotlight Pizza has always been considered Italian cuisine’s Cinderella - always identical and without high expectations. However, in the past few years, it has renewed itself, becoming gourmet or contemporary. It’s healthier, fresher, more natural, and most of all, more creative. Starred chefs and innovative pizza makers have put all their passion and love for this product into making this transformation possible. They have changed the trends of haute cuisine, focusing on vegetables, quality of products, and venturing with combinations that aim at enhancing every single ingredient. One example is the initiative promoted by Chic, Charming Italian Chef – partner of Host2017 together with Apci, Identità Golose, Associazione Cuochi Milano e Provincia (Milan and Province Cooks' Association), Appafre, and many others – which has brought three haut cuisine chefs to three historic pizzerias to work on new versions of the most famous Italian dish in the world. A contamination that you will see at Hostmilano. Bread-making and pastries are involved in this same process, as they are taking the centre stage at the restaurant more frequently. Since it takes more to make customers happy, professionals who have built their business on the art of bakery, must be prepared. First of all, they must diversify their offering to tune into the desires of the customers who are more informed about and attentive to what they eat. They are also used to have everything in one place and immediately. But requirements can be different. Customers want a fast service and instantaneous payments for a takeaway snack, but they also look for a cosy environment where to have a coffee, a cocktail, or a quick lunch or dinner. Therefore, the venue goes beyond genres and definitions. It becomes a place where products of the confectionery, bakery, and ice-cream world are all available in one place. The art of baking has become a business with potential, but it must be able to renovate itself and expand. That’s why Hostmilano is a must-attend event. Here, you can find whatever you need, from flour to semifinished products for ice-cream, coffee toppings, from ovens, to mixers, state-ofthe-art cold rooms, furnishings and table sets. Many technological solutions will give you a peek into the future.
Between events and training sessions Pizza enthusiasts must attend the European Pizza Championships, organised by the Pizza e Pasta Italiana magazine, which will involve over 60 pizza makers hailing from all over Europe. APCI – Association of Italian Professional Chefs – with Obiettivo Apprendistato (Apprenticeship Objective) will organise a full-on casting event that will see talented newly-qualified chefs working before a panel of professionals, who will then select the most convincing individuals to be trained at their company.