EXPERIENCE AN ITALIAN CULINARY ADVENTURE THAT’S DELIZIOSO
Enjoy a big taste of Italy at CENTITALIA, Centennial College’s weeklong celebration of Italian food and flavours
Professional chefs, students of cooking, those who work in the food industry and foodies who simply love Italian cuisine will have a chance to hone their culinary skills and knowledge, get inspired and enjoy the tastes of Italy this coming week. CENTITALIA: Gusto Cultura is a weeklong event featuring Italian food and its history and culture.
“CENTITALIA will showcase how Italian gastronomy and culinary inspiration has shaped the food and culinary culture of today. It will also educate Torontonians on the unique qualities and characteristics of authentic Italian products,” says Alison Iannarelli, executive chef of Centennial’s restaurant and events centre, part of the college’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts.
CENTITALIA is a first-time collaboration between Centennial College and the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario, supported by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development to promote authentic Italian food and food products in Ontario.
Running between November 15 and 18 at Centennial College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts at 941 Progress Avenue in Scarborough, the week will begin with the CENTITALIA Food Symposium, November 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, the event will “bring together chefs, food and wine experts, restaurateurs and foodies to experience food and wine tastings, educational workshops and demonstrations by chefs-inresidence, who are here direct from Italy,” says Iannarelli. “Through this symposium, we aim to showcase the beauty and diversity of authentic Italian products and regional Italian cuisine.”
The symposium will include a panel of industry leaders who will take part in a discussion that will explore the future of Italian food in a globalized market. It will be followed by a talk from acclaimed local chef Rob Gentile on authentic Italian food products, including samples for the audience to enjoy. The afternoon will feature workshops focused on foods and recipes from the native regions of four chefs-in-residence: Ugo Mura from Piedmont, Paolo Cacciani from Lazio, Valentino Cassanelli from Emilio-Romagna and Filippo Saporito from Tuscany.
The Italy Food Tour Series will round out the rest of the week, with four three-hour classes, delivered by the chefs-in-residence, that explore the culinary history and traditions of their respective regions, along with cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings. This master class series costs $75 per class — or $250 for all four. “Anyone interested in learning, tasting and enjoying a tour through Italian gastronomy is encouraged to take part in the series, featuring four regional tours by our very talented visiting chefs as they take you through traditional cuisine from their home regions,” says Iannarelli. An official Italy Food Tour Certificate from Centennial College will be rewarded to participants who attend all four classes.
Other workshops in the lineup include: an in-depth olive oil tasting to learn about the different subtleties of Italy’s olive oils, a Parmigiano-Reggiano lecture and workshop, a session dedicated to Tuscan wines and more.
“Through CENTITALIA, the culinary school at Centennial will become the meeting point of Canadian food importers and exporters, Italian and Canadian chefs, students, food lovers, and even a delegation from Tuscany led by the regional minister of agriculture,” says Corrado Paina, executive director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario (ICCO).
“CENTITALIA is our first major partnership-based, learningfocused event since we opened our spectacular new culinary facility this fall,” explains Iannarelli. “The space includes culinary and baking labs, a tasting room, a restaurant, a cafe and an event centre.” It’s the first of many events Centennial hopes to host in the near future.
Italian cuisine seemed like a natural first choice for an event at Centennial. “We can learn so much from the Italian tradition of food and culture,” says Joe Baker, dean of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts. “Even in an ultra-modern food and hospitality school, we appreciate the respect for ingredients and the obsessive search for authenticity and quality that comes from the roots of our Italian partner chefs. When local ingredients meet global influence, that’s where our students gain a skill set that will serve them in their careers wherever they work around the world.”
The week wraps up Friday November 18 with the Pentola d’Oro (Golden Pot) Gala at the Carlu, an award the ICCO gives to companies and individuals who have excelled in the Ontario food and wine industry.
Tickets to CENT ITALIA are available from Centennial College. To find out more, visit centennialcollege.ca/centitalia.