Three unmissable days are planned for enthusiasts, gourmands and experts, of cheeses in Cremona where the Formaggi & Sorrisi, cheese & friends festival will take place from 24 to 26 March. A showcase that will wind through the streets of the city which for three days will offer the top of Italian dairy production and which falls in the aftermath of the success of Made in Italy which ranked in the world top ten of the TasteAtlas cheese ranking. Wandering through the streets of the historic center of the city where it will be possible to try the softness of a classic Amatrice goat cheese accompanied by a fine chestnut honey, a flake of Tuscan DOP pecorino cheese with a drop of raspberry jam, a gorgonzola IGP, a salva cremasco DOP, a provolone Valpadana, truffle or rum cheeses; or stringy as burrata, stracciatella and the ever-present buffalo mozzarella, grana padano; without forgetting excellences such as Tyrolean cheeses or the puzzone di Moena.
Of course they will be there the best representatives of the eight Taste Atlas winning cheeses (Grana Padano, stracchino di crescenza, burrata, spicy gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano, buffalo mozzarella from Campania, Sardinian and Tuscan pecorino) it will be an opportunity for learning, curiosity and exchange of culture and traditions of the various Italian regions that meet in a unique event of its kind.
Discovering rare cheeses and new innovative combinations with mustards and pickled vegetables
Also this year there will be the possibility of taste the tradition or get a preview of innovative combinations with mustards, gardener, honey, craft beersi, discover curiosities about the excellent Made in Italy products of the dairy sector. Like, for example, the salva cremasco which enhances the flavor of porcini mushrooms and is perfect on risottos, or discovering that the puzzone di Moena takes its name from a non-literal translation of the Ladin name Spretz Tzaori, which means "tasty cheese" , or that Lombard buffaloes are no less famous than their cousins from Campania and that Lombard dairy products boast an ancient tradition that respects grandparents' recipes that are handed down from generation to generation.
There will also be great names of Italian gastronomy to tell their culinary art in knowing how to enhance the two main products of the event, Grana and Provolone.
It starts with Philippe Leveilleè, French of origin and in love with Italy as much as the cuisine, which by definition has no borders other than those of taste. Always looking for new experiences and inspirations where innovation and fun are the engine that feeds his ever-growing spirit. Arrived in Italy in 1987 he served at the restaurant "Le Maschere" with his colleague Vittorio Fusari until 1991, together winning the first Michelin star. In 2012 he opened his own Italian restaurant “L'altro” in Hong Kong and after only two months from the opening he obtained a Michelin star.
It continues with Stephen Beans who likes to call himself a cook by chance and an innkeeper by choice. He left university to devote himself exclusively to the kitchen at the head of the Via Vai restaurant. For two years he was the official chef of "Casa Alice" on Alice TV and later starred in the TV format "Pasta e Fagioli", enjoying great success. He follows "Concerto in Cucina", a television program dedicated to music and recipes, alongside Katia Ricciarelli and Maestro Bietti.
Great chefs and their relationship with cheese in the kitchen
A bit innkeeper, a bit butcher, above all not a chef. That's how it looks Daniele Reponi who will bring his famous gourmet sandwiches to Cremona, where he manages to combine all the artisan goodness of the various Italian territories and the story of the products and producers, in his creations the real protagonist can only be the cheese.
The award ceremony could not be missing for this third edition the Oscar of cheeses will be delivered to chef Andrea Mainardi who will be awarded for having distinguished himself in the culinary field for inventiveness, flair and creativity. The chef will receive the award and will tell the public anecdotes and curiosities about his private and professional life and the relationship that binds him to the world of cheese.
With the Chef Marcello Ferrarini, instead it will be the turn to deepen the theme of gluten free and lactose intolerances. Born in Modena in 73, he represents the modern icon of the eclectic, original and innovative Chef. A diagnosis of celiac disease is his main stimulus to start, in the culinary field, a new extraordinary professional career, undertaken after having attended and obtained with honors the qualification of "Professional Chef" at the Italian Cooking School of Bologna.
Known to the general public for the TV program “SENZA GLUTINE CON GUSTO” broadcast on Sky Channels 132 and 412 Gambero Rosso Channel HD®, now in its 7th season, he is also the author of the autobiographical book “TUTTA UN'ALTRA PASTA– La mia life as a celiac chef, my gluten-free recipes” published by Mondadori. He will try his hand at preparing a recipe suitable for those with intolerances related to the dairy world, special effects will not be missing.
