We start again in style by celebrating twenty years of a gastronomic event, unique in Italy and abroad, which sees in the spotlight what can be defined as the art of great Italian cuisine. From today to Tuesday 13, the great chef Gennaro Esposito patron of La Torre del Saracino, two Michelin stars, Michelin Chef Mentor Award for having demonstrated "an exceptional and natural aptitude in sharing his knowledge, in training, growing and promoting the new generations of chefs", opens the doors of his event that sees side by side, between Vico Equense and Seiano, big stars and young promises of the kitchen, faces known to the general public and talented faces discovered in every corner of the country who will become famous in short, all engaged in constant direct dialogue with the public to bear witness to the history, culture, values and future of the great Italian gastronomic heritage. Each dish contains a story, a deep bond with the land and its products, and Festa a Vico becomes an opportunity to discover all its facets. This is how the culinary experience becomes a journey through memories, tradition and authenticity, full of emotions and generator of indelible memories.
But the uniqueness of the extraordinary initiative wanted and pursued by Gennaro Esposito for twenty years now does not consist only in this. Born as a party between great chefs the event has maintained a constant commitment to social solidarity over time, uniting amateurs, connoisseurs, enthusiasts of taste and being together, to forge authentic and lasting ties: all the proceeds of the event which attracts thousands of enthusiasts from all over Italy in the name of great cuisine are donated to charity. Impressive numbers to say the least. In total, Festa a Vico has already collected over one million one hundred thousand euros in its history (270.000 euros in the last edition). For this Festival in Vico, seven projects of as many non-profit organizations were selected for which to make donations, managed respectively by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation; The shop of simple thoughts, a voluntary association made up of family members of people with Down syndrome; ALTS, association for the fight against breast cancer; Noi con Voi, an association for the technological updating of the pediatric endoscopy program and the study of inflammatory bowel diseases in the developmental age of the Federico II hospital in Naples; the Supporters Foundation of the Santobono hospital in Naples; the Aequa solidale association made up of most of the neighboring parishes and the Diocesan Caritas.
The dinner of the stars: the premises of Pizza al metro become a multi-starred Italian and international super restaurant
Highlight of the event will be the Cena delle stelle, the most exclusive charity event, in which only 250 people can participate, which takes place in the premises of the famous Pizza al metro in Vico Equense temple of authentic Neapolitan pizza transformed for the occasion into a multi-starred restaurant for an exceptional menu signed by the stars of national and international cuisine: Roberto and Enrico Cerea – Da Vittorio*** – Brusaporto (BG); Carlo Cracco – Carlo Cracco* – Milan (MI); Massimo Bottura – Osteria Francescana*** – Modena (MO); Enrico Bartolini – Mudec*** – Milan (MI); Andrea Berton – Berton* – Milan (MI); Tony Lo Coco – The Puppets* – Bagheria (PA); Giancarlo Morelli – Morelli – Milan (MI); Maurizio Serva – The Trout* – Rivodutri (RI); Cristiano Tomei – The Funnel – Lucca (LU); Pino Cuttaia – La Madia** – Licata (AG);Emanuele Scarello – To Friends ** – Udine (UD); Giovanni Solofra – Three Olives** – Paestum (SA); Antonio D'Angelo – Nobu Milan – Milan (MI); Gennaro Esposito – The Saracen Tower ** – Vico Equense (Na) ; Tomaz Kavcic – Gostilna Pri Lojzetu* – Zemono, Slovenia; Shigeru Nakaminato – Bunon – Tokyo; Akio Nishikawa – Sakuragumi; Casabianca Mattia – Uliassi Restaurant – Senigallia (AN); By Donna Carmine – Hotel La Palma – Capri (NA); Palmieri Armando – Galleries of Italy Naples – Naples (NA); Vannucci Gabriele – Vannucci ice cream – Florence (FI); Vecchione Carmen – Dolciarte pastry shop – Avellino (AV); Gabbiano Salvatore – Gabbiano pastry shop – Pompeii (NA); Maresca Antonino – Consultant; Camplone Fabrizio – Caprice pastry shop – Pescara (PE); Ferretti Sandro – Ferretti pastry shop – Mosciano Sant'Angelo (TE); De Riso Salvatore – Sal De Riso pastry shop – Minori (SA); Di Costanzo Mario – Di Costanzo Patisserie –; Naples (NA); Cannavacciuolo Michele – The Saracen Tower – Vico Equense (SA).
The Republic of food: the shops of the historic center and the streets become an open-air restaurant of authentic gastronomic Italy
Another great moment is the Republic of Food, all the historic center of Vico Equense, all kinds of shops, not just gastronomic ones, from goldsmiths to leather shops, from fabric shops to technical items shops, streets, gardens, palaces open to the chefs' stations with their dishes and over 50 artisans with local products, an acknowledgment of cooking as a feast for all and as a reminder of its popular origins and therefore strongly rooted in the city fabric
gourmands an event not to be missed is Dessert Storm, an event that brings together 40 pastry chefs and their specialties at the Axidie establishment, from the historical Neapolitan dessert to the innovative ones. Each evening concludes with an after party to celebrate the spirit of conviviality of the event.
In short, "Festa a Vico" is not only a gastronomic showcase but above all a school of gastronomic culture that it wants to spread throughout the world, from the South that gave rise to the Mediterranean Diet, intangible heritage of Unesco, the invitation to consider food not only as an element of pleasure but also as a growth factor linked to the history and present of the territory and its peasant, artisan and entrepreneurial values.
