This year sees the birth of Milan Food City, the zero experience of the food fuorisalone championed by mayor Beppe Sala. A network of events that calls for an introductory guide.
It has been described as the "food fuorisalone" — a series of events open to everyone, held in Milan while Tuttofood takes place at Fiera Milano (Rho), the international trade fair dedicated to companies in the food & beverage sector. Milan Food City, as it is called, will animate the city with over 300 events from 4 to 11 May, strongly championed by the Municipality of Milan and mayor Beppe Sala. Since then, numerous institutional, cultural and commercial organisations have come forward to join the programme with events and meetings, talks and debates.
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Milan Food City aims to develop in three directions: to build on the legacy of Expo Milano 2015 and advance the conversation on the theme of nutrition; to make Milan an attractive city not only for fashion and design, but also for food, encouraging those working in the sector (chefs, restaurants, companies) to create educational and entertainment events open to the public. The third pillar of Food City is the ambition to give impetus to all the volunteer organisations in Milan that work on food recovery and redistribution.
Milan is thus embarking on a journey that the city will be able to refine once this "zero edition" — as Sala has called it — is complete, in order to build an annual event at which international players can come together to discuss the right to food, food sustainability and the fight against waste. To make Milan the "Davos of food".
The inauguration was held on Wednesday 3 May at Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. A big party open to all citizens that, between entertainment and music, served as a reminder that a city lending itself to hosting a forum on food cannot forget the many people who struggle to make ends meet. For the occasion, citizens were able to weigh themselves — alone or in groups — on the scales set up in the space, because the more of us there are, the more we donate. The combined weight of the guests who were not afraid of the scales was matched by an equivalent quantity of donated food: 7 tonnes of products generously provided by a group of companies in the sector and managed by Banco Alimentare, Caritas Ambrosiana and Pane Quotidiano.
At Fondazione Feltrinelli, until 10 May, the programme includes educational workshops, workshops, working groups, talks and scientific debates, performances, readings, screenings and an interactive exhibition dedicated to a world tour of food cultures, featuring original images by photographers Francesco Zizola, Stanley Green and Yuri Kozyrev.
Guests will include, among others, Jeffrey Sachs, economist, essayist and United Nations adviser and professor at Columbia University, Sam Kass, nutrition consultant and White House chef during the Obama administration, actress Lella Costa, writer Simonetta Agnello Hornby and chef Filippo La Mantia. The programme also includes screenings of documentaries and films such as The Gateway Bug by Johanna B. Kelly and Camron Marshad, Theatre of life/Il Refettorio by Peter Svatek about chef Massimo Bottura, and La Ricotta by Pier Paolo Pasolini with an original commentary on the works of art in the film by art critics Giovanni Agosti and Jacopo Stoppa.
A large-scale city-wide celebration on the theme of "eating healthily": running until 11 May, throughout the city, parties, presentations, aperitifs, tastings, concerts and dedicated areas, with the participation of chefs, gourmet enthusiasts and producers committed to the values of sustainability and quality raw ingredients.
Among the events on the Week and Food programme, a number of regular fixtures return, including Taste of Milano, the festival of chefs that for the eighth consecutive year, from 4 to 7 May, celebrates the fine cuisine of the Lombard capital and its leading figures in the spaces of The Mall; and the three-day Italian Gourmet, from 6 to 10 May at Superstudiopiù in via Tortona, where Italy's most prominent Michelin-starred chefs will offer visitors the chance to rediscover the great classics of Italian culinary tradition through a contemporary lens. In addition, thanks to a partnership with JRE – Jeunes Réstaurateurs d'Europe, chefs will be present in seven hotels that will take turns hosting, each day, the exclusive Five-star luxury aperitifs.
Week and Food also features La Festa del Bio, the festival of Italian organic food on the move, organised by FederBio. The event brings together producers, companies, consumers, journalists and bloggers. Millennials, students, children and adults, all with the aim of getting to know organic food up close and experiencing it first-hand. Throughout Saturday 6 May, it will be possible to attend open talks at Palazzo Giureconsulti starting from 10:15.
The talks will focus on organic "made in Italy" produce, communication on the subject, nutrition and agriculture. In addition, in Via Mercanti visitors will be able to meet organic companies and discover their products, children will be able to take part in the Baby Bio Village, and young people will be able to participate in the social contest #vivoilbio by sharing videos, audio and photos about what organic farming is.
It will take us on a journey of discovery covering everything about coffee and spices at Palazzo Bovara, the value of food and the art of the table at the Casello Ovest at Porta Venezia, and the secrets of authentic pizza — with a tasting — at Capac. The restaurants and public establishments affiliated with Epam that are taking part in FoodFriends commit, in a spirit of solidarity, to including on their menu a dish prepared with an ingredient sourced from areas recently affected by the earthquake; in these same venues, the use of the FoodFriends Foody Bag will be promoted as a virtuous practice of a sustainable food culture mindful of reducing waste.
Seeds&Chips – The Global Food Innovation Summit, in collaboration with Tuttofood, takes place from 8 to 11 May at the FieraMilano venues in Rho. Four days of exhibitions, conferences and business meetings focused on the themes, models and innovations that are changing the way food is produced, processed, distributed, consumed and communicated. The guest of honour is former United States president Barack Obama, who, on 9 May, will deliver a speech and take part in a talk with Sam Kass.
A number of other events that are not strictly tied to food-related themes also form part of Milan Food City, enriching and rounding out the programme. Among these, one that stands out for the quality of its offering is the event on Saturday 6 May promoted by ClassicAperta, a project by the association per Mito Onlus whose aim is to open up and enhance peripheral areas through classical music. For the occasion, ClassicAperta has identified three courtyards and a terrace in the Quartiere Adriano, Municipio 2, all distinguished by interesting aesthetic and historical qualities, which on Saturday 6 May from 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm will open their doors to everyone while, within them, students from the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado will perform classical music concerts in trios and quartets. It will be a true street event open to all, bringing the entire Municipio 2 neighbourhood to life through classical music.