From agrichefs to London bartenders, the party soul of Tuttofood

Tuttofood, the international food exhibition, opens its doors tomorrow at the Fiera di Milano. Until Thursday, 4,700 exhibitors and 3,000 international buyers will roam the pavilions of Rho in search of new Made in Italy products to bring to markets around the world. To the 90 thousand visitors expected, however, Tuttofood is ready to offer not only business opportunities, but also various moments of light-heartedness.

For the first time this year, the event is hosting - in Hall 14 - an entire area dedicated to mixology, i.e. the art of cocktail making. The programme of events is packed: the bartenders from Berlin's Gibson Bar and London's Connaught will be showcasing the latest innovations, while experts in tiki culture, the Polynesian style, the trend of the moment, will be arriving directly from Las Vegas. In Hall 14 there will be food pairing masterclasses, to match the right food with each cocktail, and 'coffee mixology' shows. Those who do not have a ticket for the Rho Fair (from 30 to 70 euros per day) do not despair, there is always Mixology Week: until Thursday, it is full of happenings scattered among Milan's cocktail bars, rooftops, hotels and restaurants.

Tuttofood's 'fuorisalone', although smaller than what design week has accustomed us to, is not limited to the mixology sector alone. Its fulcrum is the ADI Museum, the Design Museum on the outskirts of Chinatown, which will also host the exhibition "Essenziale e Quotidiano - Scenari e Rituali del Cibo Contemporaneo" (Essential and Everyday - Scenarios and Rituals of Contemporary Food), curated by Carlo Branzaglia and Giulio Iacchetti, which explores themes such as the relationship between food and design, the individual and the community, also through round tables with experts in the field and chefs. But events will be all over the city. The Parmigiano Reggiano consortium, for example, has chosen the renowned delicatessen Peck: until Saturday, tastings, contests and training sessions will take place in the historic headquarters in Via Spadari; there will be risotto alla parmigiana mantecato directly in the wheel and Parmigiano Reggiano salted ice cream, and there will also be a competition between six current and historic Peck counters, to compete for the title of best Parmigiano Reggiano cutter. For its part, the Grana Padano consortium will respond from the exhibition halls: on Monday with two cheese tasting masterclasses in combination with glasses from the Lombardy Wine Consortium Association, on Tuesday with an event dedicated to sport, and on Wednesday with an aperitif in collaboration with the Milan Bartender community.

At the stand of Sogemi, the Milan Food Market, Tuesday morning will see the staging of a showcooking by farmer-chef Geppino Croce, centred on the exaltation of raw materials such as cauliflower Igp and other excellences produced in the Sele Plain. The Riso Scotti stand will instead host the creative cuisine of chef-blogger @giorgiasbakery. The Salerno preserves of Casa Marrazzo will see various big names in the kitchen take turns, from star chef Andrea Aprea to Ciro Salvo, master pizzaiolo of 50 Kalò in Naples.

The Consortium for the Protection of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and the Balsamic Vinegar Consortium are organising a full programme of guided tastings, at least four per day, together with various masterclasses paired now with Piadina Romagnola IGP, now with Pecorino Toscano DOP. DimmidiSì salads and ready meals, on the other hand, will marry cocktails and the art of mixology at the Campari Academy on Wednesday afternoon. While Petti preserves will celebrate their first 100 years of history every day with a different showcooking, but always signed by content creator Francesca Gambacorta, known on social networks as @frafoodlove.