Gennaro Esposito, one of the most prestigious Italian starred chefs, moved like a Panzer in war, organizer, every year, in Vico Equense of the largest Italian food and wine event, Festa a Vico, in which over 100 starred chefs from Italy and also from abroad and hundreds of gourmet chefs and young promises of national haute cuisine, one who is therefore used to large numbers and large organizations, to develop a document that can now be considered a guide book for the recovery of catering Italy after Covid-19.
The governor of Campania Vincenzo De Luca called him into question, who entrusted him with the task of putting forward concrete proposals for the relaunch, in the shortest possible time, of the entire regional catering sector.
We are talking about an area that welcomes over 6 million tourists every year, for 21,6 million presences in hotel and non-hotel activities, which recorded a foreign tourist expenditure of over 1,4 billion euros, compared to 177 million investments annually (first region in Italy) in which catering represents, together with monuments and antiquities, one of the most attractive items of Italian and international tourist flows.
Esposito immediately set to work and, as is his nature, set in motion a real war machine, involving chefs, sector operators, restaurateurs, pizza makers, restaurant entrepreneurs and food entrepreneurs, large and small , bar and cafeteria operators, banquet operators, taking into account the different catering methods and the different needs. A series of contacts have been identified for each geographical area, over a thousand at the moment, creating a sort of "gastronomic mapping" in which everyone is called to collaborate - each on the basis of their reference territory - to provide as much information as possible, on their own needs, on their own expectations. Large numbers, achieved in less than a week - let's leave out any comment on Esposito's mobilization capacity with respect to sectors of the national public administration - which are constantly growing as a email address: covid19@brotherinfood.com to which anyone can send proposals regarding the restart of the sector.
From this enormous work, carried out in collaboration with the technicians of Food Safety Consulting srl, a consultancy company made up of a team of professionals (Veterinarians, Doctors in Food Technology and/or Biology, Engineers, Architects, Industrial Experts, Surveyors, Specialist Doctors) capable of dealing with all problems relating to Hygiene and Food Safety, Hygiene and Safety at Work, Community and non-Community labelling, Products intended for particular alimentation, Ecology, Environment and Quality, the result has been a Protocol in 27 points, which addresses the problems of catering from various angles: organisational, culinary, health, behavioral, informative, leaving nothing out so that the great food and wine heritage of the Region can start a complete recovery, in view of the imminent summer season, without letting our guard down but offering maximum guarantees for operators and customers.
"Aware that the Government and the Region in the various Dpcm and Ordinances, had already dictated a series of prescriptions, and that the Health Authorities, the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health, had already produced specific scientific indications - declares the great Chef de The Torre del Saracino – we decided, also in discussions with our technicians, to produce a specific protocol that contained what was already envisaged by the standards, but in a streamlined and flexible way that provided operational solutions aimed at increasing, in catering, the effectiveness of the containment measures adopted to fight against COVID-19. The intent, however, is to leave the faculty to each operator to adopt the procedures that he deems most effective and applicable to the various company realities, in order to achieve that objective”.
The document is so articulated and exhaustive that its validity goes beyond the borders of the Campania Region, for which it was developed, to assume a national value in the catering sector. And in any case, many of the topics covered constitute an element of in-depth reflection to change old and consolidated habits and will enter the world of restaurant services at all levels in the future.
Going in order, the Protocol developed by Gennaro Esposito and the team of experts starts by tackling the problems of Business organization with reference to the production levels in the kitchens and work areas (distances to maintain, deferment of the times of the various operations to maintain only one operator at a time at the workstation, distribution of work spaces, compatibly with the nature of the processes). We then move on to the Internal movements (meetings prohibited, where indispensable, guarantee of interpersonal distancing with adequate cleaning/ventilation of the premises) and training problems.
We then enter into the specifics of the health aspect with the Management of a symptomatic person in the company, which must be immediately removed according to the provisions of the health authority. Article four becomes very important in this context: Health surveillance/competent doctor/rls. Health surveillance must continue in compliance with the hygiene measures contained in the indications of the Ministry of Health (so-called decalogue). In this period, preventive visits, visits on request and visits after returning from illness should be privileged. The competent doctor informs the company of situations of particular fragility and current or previous pathologies of the employees and the company takes care of their protection in respect of privacy. The doctor may also suggest the adoption of any diagnostic means if deemed useful for the purpose of containing the spread of the virus and the health of workers. And as for the reinstatement of workers after the COVID19 infection, this cannot take place unless after a medical examination to verify the suitability for the job.
In the following chapters of the protocol, the problem of Common areas (canteen, changing rooms, smoking areas, vending machines for drinks and/or snacks…) with the chapters Protocol update, Cleaning and Sanitization Rules, Air Conditioning and Ventilation Systems, Waste Management, Personal Protective Equipment, Information for employees and customers, Training, Hygienic precautions. In this regard, Gennaro Esposito underlines the avoidance of the promiscuous use of bottles/glasses and prescribes the wearing of PPE suitable for the job, clean work clothes, which must be changed at each shift, the placement of hand sanitizing dispensers in particular next to keyboards, touch screens, payment and cashier systems, access/exit to premises. With chapters 14, 15 and 16 of the Protocol we enter specifically into the How to enter the companyand Management of entry and exit of employees, of Supplier access methods. Three fundamental arguments from the point of view of safeguarding hygiene. With the first, it is envisaged that the personnel, before entering the workplace, are subjected to body temperature checks. The entry into the company of workers who have already tested positive for the COVID 19 infection must be preceded by a medical certification showing that the swab has been "negative" Since the real-time detection of body temperature constitutes a treatment of personal data and, therefore, it must take place in accordance with the privacy regulations in force, the Esposito Protocol provides for a whole series of measures to be adopted. The Chef therefore suggests favoring staggered entry/exit times for dining room and kitchen staff, in order to avoid contacts in the common areas as much as possible (entrances, changing rooms, toilets), dedicating, where possible, an entrance door and an exit door. Similarly, for the access of external suppliers, it is necessary to identify, in the Haccp plan, entry, transit and exit procedures, using predefined methods, paths and times, in order to reduce the opportunities for contact with the personnel in force in the departments involved in compliance with the interpersonal distancing.
And so we come to the most delicate part of the Protocol, the Management of the client. According to the Chef, it should be evaluated, also due to the type of activity, to fix access shifts based on precise time slots, encouraging telephone bookings and avoiding the crossing of the flow of outgoing customers with those incoming. Customers, before accessing the venue, must undergo body temperature checks, in compliance with privacy legislation. If this temperature is higher than 37,5°, they will not be allowed access. At the time of booking, customers will be informed of the obligation to use the mask, which can be removed once seated at the table. Every time the customer leaves his table he will be forced to wear a mask.
Furthermore, at the time of booking, the customer must be asked to produce a self-certification to specify that they belong to the same family unit, or that they belong to the "joint" category, in order to organize the tables.
With regard to the Room management and the service at the indoor tables in the Protocoll launched by Gennaro Esposito it is expected to sanitize the premises daily according to the opening hours and use; Tables should be arranged in such a way that there is a distance of 2m or more between the edges of the tables, so that guests who face each other or sit side by side are separated by a distance of at least 1 meter, if they do not belong to the same family unit or relatives. All guests must use the seating. Consumption standing up is not permitted (see aperitifs and amouse bouche ed). The safety distances are lost if the groups of guests belong to the same family unit, or are joined at this point, however they must be separated by panels whose measures are indicated to optimize their effect.
In addition to this, objects used for a service (basket of bread, products for condiments, single-serving sugar bowl, etc.) cannot be made available to new customers without adequate sanitation, buffets are strictly prohibited, as is serving aperitifs with dishes shared. It is also necessary to facilitate the digitization of the menu that can be consulted through the App, QR Code or other supports, to be used directly by the customer at the table via smartphone. Just as contactless forms of payment should be facilitated. Obviously, ample availability of hand disinfection systems must be foreseen, in particular, alongside keyboards, touch screens and payment systems. And for those who pay in cash, the use of gloves is mandatory.
Following the protocol developed by Gennaro Esposito he then addresses fundamental problems such as Good manufacturing procedures (from the risk of contamination of surfaces, including those of food and packaging to external and internal temperature conditions, to the cleaning and sanitization of equipment and materials; to the conservation of cooked and raw foods just to name a few items), the Kitchens and production areas (access by external personnel or supplier carriers, workstations, use of PPE for internal personnel (goggles, visors, gloves, masks) based on the specific task, daily sanitization), indoor and outdoor table service, Service managementuncle bar, theAccess to toilet facilities, Washing dishes and tablecloths, Takeaway Management and that of delivery and home delivery, that of payments for bars, cafeterias, chip shops.
In short, the universe of the restaurant world in all its aspects is studied and put in relation to possible causes of contagion, identifying the appropriate solutions to work in complete safety and to offer customers products that do not present any type of risk.
All obviously safeguarding the genuineness and quality of the raw materials and workmanship, so that the recovery is always aimed at the excellence that has made Italian cuisine great in the world.
