This pumpkin-orange cheesecake is a centerpiece dessert with multiple layers of rich flavors that roll across your tongue, surprising you with each new taste. Rich and complex, this cheesecake is to be savored and enjoyed with friends and family. The orange is the first surprise, coming in soon after the pumpkin announces itself. Then the caramel, toasted nuts and salt crystals come into play, creating an entirely new experience than most have had with cheesecake.
There are several variations that can easily be done here, depending on your skill level and time. First, making the caramel sauce in advance is important because the flavors you will have with home-made caramel sauce are much richer and fuller than the preservative laden sauce from a store. Second, using local pumpkin will give another flavor dimension that is impossible with store bought canned pumpkin. Third, the choice of salt is important. I really prefer FalkSalt, a handmade sea salt from Cyprus by a Swedish company that is dried into pyramid shaped crystals. They have an incredible visual appearance, great flavor and a satisfying crunch that just really completes the whole experience. My personal favorite is the Chipotle, as the slight hint of spiciness combined with the saltiness really complements all of the different sweet flavors. You should be able to find FalkSalt at a well-stocked grocery or specialty food store near you.
Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are top-shelf culinary times, and this cheesecake will set itself apart at either one. It will disappear almost as fast as the compliments roll in! We have adapted this recipe from one we tried and loved last Thanksgiving from Sunset magazine. Give it a try and enjoy!
Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake
CRUST
1 package (9 oz.) chocolate Graham crackers
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
FILLING
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tsp pumpkin pie spice (1 part freshly grated nutmeg, 1 part ground allspice, 2 parts dried ground ginger, 4 parts ground cinnamon and 1 part ground cloves)
TOPPING
6 Tbs caramel topping (see note)
1/8 Tsp sea salt such as RealSalt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Flaked salt crystals like FalkSalt
Note: Caramel topping can be store-bought or made youself in advance. Home-made caramel is much more tasty and doesn’t take too much time.
Flaked salt crystals make a great garnish to the edge and add a depth of flavor. I prefer FalkSalt, the Chipotle flavor adds a spicy note to the sweetness!
Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°. Whirl crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Whirl in butter just until incorporated. Pour crumbs into a 9-in. springform pan and press over bottom and about 1 in. up inside of pan. Bake 7 minutes, then let cool on a rack. Reduce oven heat to 300°.
Make filling: In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, mix in cream cheese, sugars, and flour until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed 1 at a time. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat until just blended. Wrap bottom of springform pan with foil, pressing it up the outside.
Set springform pan in a roasting pan and pour filling into crust. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until cheesecake barely jiggles in the center when gently shaken, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cheesecake cool on a rack 1 hour, then chill until cold, at least 5 hours.
Whisk caramel topping and table salt in a bowl and spoon over cheesecake. Arrange pecans around rim and sprinkle flaked salt over pecans.
Recipe Tip! For a crack-free cheesecake, mix the filling just until it’s smooth and blended–no more. (Too much air in the mixture will make it deflate, and then crack, in the oven.)
Fresh, seasonal salads are an excellent starter for great meals and showcases for creativity, and here we have the famous red radicchio from Treviso partnering nicely with pine nuts and alici, the smallest, most delicate members of the sardine family.
Radicchio di Treviso Salad
2 1/4 Lbs Radicchio di Treviso
1/2 to 3/4 unpacked cup, shredded tender root portions of radicchio plants (can substitute celery root)
3 Tbs olive oil
8 – 10 Alici, chopped fine (see note)
1-2 Tsp Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup pine nuts
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
Note: Alici are the smallest and most delicate of the sardine family. They are traditionally pickled fresh with a mild onion, then chopped fine and used in antipasto dishes. As a substitute, use half the amount of sardines in salt that have been rinsed and soaked a couple of times to remove the overly strong salt flavor.
Clean, wash and shred the radicchio root.
Wash the radicchio, shake out the moisture, and shred the leaves to uniform size.
Combine the ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly and serve.
Recipe Tip! This traditional antipasto goes extremely well with a moderate white wine.
Slow Food International’s premier worldwide event – Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto – happens every two years in Turin, Italy. Terra Madre is educational workshops, culinary tastings, speeches and panel discussions with 130 countries represented this year. Salone del Gusto is a world’s fair of food, with 4 huge halls devoted entirely to food of all kinds from around the world. We were fortunate enough to be chosen as US delegates, along with about 230 other people. We had been somewhat prepared by others that had attended before so the scale didn’t overwhelm us. The quality and diversity of what was presented, both edible and educational, was astounding. At some points in the day, there were over 15 different workshops, panel discussions, regional tasting events and special culinary projects showcasing a specific regional treasure all happening at the same time! This was in addition to the Salone which occupied more than double the space of both buildings of the Las Vegas convention center. One of our delegates responded to the question of what it was like with “Tasty and tiring.”
It will take several other articles and videos to give a more rounded overview of the event, as it is really several events all rolled up into one. We were chosen as International Congress delegates, which was a completely separate event that is held only once every four years and is attended by those chosen for their work in advancing the core tenants of Slow Food – “Good, clean and fair.” To say we were honored to be among the likes of Alice Waters, Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini and 650 others is a monumental understatement. On two separate occasions we felt we were in hallowed company. The first was the opening ceremony for the 230 Slow Food USA delegates where Carlo had some remarks that were amazing. I walked up to the front of the room just before the opening ceremony started to get a photo and stood there for a minute looking at everyone getting settled and chatting with their new neighbors. It was both humbling and inspiring to be in the same room with so many talented, dedicated, passionate and brilliant people who are all working at the same goal from so many different angles – good food that is real and honors all who are involved with it. The second time was in the gorgeous theatre that housed the opening ceremony for the International Congress. This theatre was in the renovated Fiat factory that has its own test track on the roof, a huge building in itself. The theatre was red velvet and oak, with all 650 delegates sprinkled throughout. It was the same feelings as with the USA delegates, but on a larger scale; especially when we heard several of the speeches of what other countries were working on or had accomplished.
With that teaser, we present for your enjoyment “A World of Taste – Slow Food Terra Madre/ Salone del Gusto 2012.” This is a short overview of photos and some short video we took while attending the event. This is only a small sampling, so stay tuned for more to come!
https://underwoodgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DSC_0010.jpg333500Stephen Scotthttps://underwoodgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Survey-Header.jpgStephen Scott2012-11-15 14:48:312024-04-30 17:34:02A World of Taste – Slow Food Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto 2012
The co-founder of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini took the stage after the opening ceremonies at the Slow Food USA delegate meeting during the 2012 Slow Food Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto conference in Turin, Italy this past October. He gave his remarks to about 230 delegates from all across the USA who are working daily on the core tenants of “Good, clean and fair” food for everyone. It was impressive to see the amount of passion, dedication, talent and genius gathered together in that room, all for the sake of one of our most important yet overlooked foundations of life; food.
Carlo seemed to be impressed as well, with comments like “What you’ve done in America is extraordinary, not just for the USA but for the rest of the world. A Slow Revolution toward respecting food, a deeper appreciation of food that serves as an example for the entire world.” He went on to say that we’ve helped “Achieve the most important thing that Slow Food needs to achieve – given back a holistic sense of food.” We’ve started to show that food is not and never can be a commodity, merchandise, just a price point.
Its story is important – the memory, the people and its history. By reducing food and everything about it to its commodity values of productivity and profit, we are approaching a brink. That brink is the loss of diversity, not only of the varieties of foods that have nourished us for thousands of years, but the loss of human and cultural diversity as well. Those different types of diversities have enabled us to withstand and overcome many different challenges over the millennia, adapting and growing stronger in the process. Without all of those diversities, we are all weakened and more vulnerable to changes, whether expected or unexpected, human or natural caused.
Carlo closed by saying that the people of Slow Food have the holistic vision of the path back to the healthy diversity that will make our food and our communities whole again. Slow Food delegates practice that vision daily, working to strengthen our food connection everywhere we are, every day. Watch the video and see Carlo’s thoughts for yourself!
The local food economy is entering a completely new chapter with such seemingly unlikely partners as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Leading edge, innovative hospitals such as St. Joseph’s are working to incorporate more local, sustainably grown produce into their menus and food systems. Things quickly become complicated due to the sheer amount of food that is prepared and the time needed for prepping. For instance the soup du jour for 600 people is 65 gallons. The ingredients needed in one just day’s vegetable soup would require hours of prepping and chopping, but is supplied by the current food distribution system already pre-washed, sliced, diced or cubed and ready for the cooking process. As an example, the green beans sourced from a local grower – 200 pounds of them – required 8 hours of washing, snipping, stringing and slicing to prep for that day’s evening meal. Even though the food was sustainable, the processing wasn’t as the kitchen isn’t equipped to handle that amount of prep work on a continuous, daily basis.
There is a tremendous enthusiasm and pressure from consumers of all sizes for more local food. These consumers aren’t just the mom and dad at the farmer’s market on Saturday, but are increasingly including the large scale commercial consumers such as hospitals, universities and large businesses that are looking to satisfy their customers and employees desire for better tasting, more healthy, local food. This is a good, or possibly great thing, if it can be handled to benefit everyone in the equation. One of the biggest challenges for local food economies is that the commercial consumers have been set up to take advantage of the industrial food distributors efficiency and convenience. They are the keystones as to why and how large distributors reign supreme in this market. Everything shows up prepped and ready to use – something that isn’t even thought of in the local food model. Granted, there can be some improvements in the commercial consumers kitchens, as most of them do not have any facilities set up for any prepping whatsoever. This can be remedied, but takes dollars, forethought, planning, construction and time to accomplish.
Farmer’s markets are an important piece of building the local food system, but they are still such a small part of the entire US food production – less than 1 percent for the just over 7,000 markets across the country- that significant growth and positive impacts for the legion of local growers can be realized by connecting small and mid-sized local farms with these institutional, commercial consumers in their local communities. Even very small changes in the purchasing patterns of these consumers can have major changes in the local food system, as an average sized hospital’s food budget can easily top $4 million annually. Just 1% of that is $40,000 that would stay in the local food system, making a huge positive impact. A more realistic figure of 2 – 3% purchasing change means $80,000 – $120,000 going into the local grower’s systems. What benefits and opportunities can you see $80,000 having on your local farmer’s market and local food network?
There are a couple of workable solutions to the questions of efficient local food distribution to make life easier for these larger customers. One is a regional food distribution hub, which some models have proven successful and others have failed in different regions of the country. Another is a co-operative system that partners with a smaller, regional food distribution system that is already in place, effectively adding a “local, sustainable food” section to it’s inventory of supplies and services. There are still others that bear examining and evaluating to see if they would work for a particular need or application.
There are a growing number of institutions just like St. Joseph’s who are responding to their customer’s desires and needs by putting their not inconsiderable moral, ethical and financial weight behind new local food initiatives. The market is there, it just needs some evaluating, adjustments and planning to make it happen, with hugely beneficial results for both the growers who can create the relationships and supply the needs as well as the institutional consumers that can broadcast the triumphs of inter-weaving local, healthy, sustainable food into their menus.
Here is where we will document our trip to Turin, Italy to attend Slow Food Terra Madre 2012, so watch this Topic/Category for updates. We are International Congress delegates, which is a separate conference at the end of Terra Madre for Slow Food leaders worldwide to discuss the direction of Slow Food globally. It is held every 5 years. This is the first year the International Congress is being held concurrently with Terra Madre.
We are honored to have been selected, especially as International Congress delegates. We will be meeting with local, sustainable food leaders from across the world to exchange ideas, challenges and successes and plan a way forward for a sustainable food economy based on the Slow Food precepts of “good, clean and fair”. This is some truly ground-breaking, leading edge work and we are excited to be a part of it. We will be attending the full Terra Madre event before the Congress starts.
There are a couple of distinctions for this event:
Terra Madre is the place where workshops, meetings, demonstrations and panel discussions take place. There are over 100 Taste Workshops and Meet the Maker events where people are guided through regional tastings by international experts. There is also many different Theatres of Taste where chefs prepare their signature dishes in front of the audience, demonstrating their unique approaches and discussing influences. Internationally acclaimed chefs from around the world put on special Dinner Dates where they prepare their specialties for a very small group of people. You can watch a short YouTube clip of the 2009 Terra Madre.
Salone del Gusto is an international market and showcase for food communities from around the world. Three pavilions of the Lingotto Exhibition Center will be dedicated to Italy, while the adjacent Oval Olympic Arena will host producers from all five continents. Special areas will be serving Italian regional dishes, while Terra Madre cooks will be preparing ethnic specialties and street food that will highlight the diversity of gastronomic heritages from around the world. The area will host around 1,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Arriving from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia, local food producers will once again be the stars of the event, offering cheeses, cured meats, fish, breads, sweets, grains, honeys, fruits and vegetables from 50 different countries.
2012 marks the first time that Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto have been hosted in the same place and are also the first time the events are open to the public. In previous years, only Slow Food members were invited. This is also the first time that the International Congress is occurring at the same time, as it meets once every 5 years. This year will truly be a special event! There are estimates of around 200,000 people will attend one of the events, so we will be busy.
https://underwoodgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/terra-madre-salone-del-gusto-and.jpg5761024Stephen Scotthttps://underwoodgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Survey-Header.jpgStephen Scott2012-10-12 08:00:172024-04-30 17:34:02Terra Madre, Salone del Gusto and International Congress
Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake
This pumpkin-orange cheesecake is a centerpiece dessert with multiple layers of rich flavors that roll across your tongue, surprising you with each new taste. Rich and complex, this cheesecake is to be savored and enjoyed with friends and family. The orange is the first surprise, coming in soon after the pumpkin announces itself. Then the caramel, toasted nuts and salt crystals come into play, creating an entirely new experience than most have had with cheesecake.
There are several variations that can easily be done here, depending on your skill level and time. First, making the caramel sauce in advance is important because the flavors you will have with home-made caramel sauce are much richer and fuller than the preservative laden sauce from a store. Second, using local pumpkin will give another flavor dimension that is impossible with store bought canned pumpkin. Third, the choice of salt is important. I really prefer FalkSalt, a handmade sea salt from Cyprus by a Swedish company that is dried into pyramid shaped crystals. They have an incredible visual appearance, great flavor and a satisfying crunch that just really completes the whole experience. My personal favorite is the Chipotle, as the slight hint of spiciness combined with the saltiness really complements all of the different sweet flavors. You should be able to find FalkSalt at a well-stocked grocery or specialty food store near you.
Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are top-shelf culinary times, and this cheesecake will set itself apart at either one. It will disappear almost as fast as the compliments roll in! We have adapted this recipe from one we tried and loved last Thanksgiving from Sunset magazine. Give it a try and enjoy!
Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake
CRUST
FILLING
TOPPING
Note: Caramel topping can be store-bought or made youself in advance. Home-made caramel is much more tasty and doesn’t take too much time.
Flaked salt crystals make a great garnish to the edge and add a depth of flavor. I prefer FalkSalt, the Chipotle flavor adds a spicy note to the sweetness!
Recipe Tip! For a crack-free cheesecake, mix the filling just until it’s smooth and blended–no more. (Too much air in the mixture will make it deflate, and then crack, in the oven.)
Makes about 16 small servings
Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake
Radicchio di Treviso Salad
Fresh, seasonal salads are an excellent starter for great meals and showcases for creativity, and here we have the famous red radicchio from Treviso partnering nicely with pine nuts and alici, the smallest, most delicate members of the sardine family.
Radicchio di Treviso Salad
Note: Alici are the smallest and most delicate of the sardine family. They are traditionally pickled fresh with a mild onion, then chopped fine and used in antipasto dishes. As a substitute, use half the amount of sardines in salt that have been rinsed and soaked a couple of times to remove the overly strong salt flavor.
Recipe Tip! This traditional antipasto goes extremely well with a moderate white wine.
Makes 3 to 4 servings
A World of Taste – Slow Food Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto 2012
Slow Food International’s premier worldwide event – Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto – happens every two years in Turin, Italy. Terra Madre is educational workshops, culinary tastings, speeches and panel discussions with 130 countries represented this year. Salone del Gusto is a world’s fair of food, with 4 huge halls devoted entirely to food of all kinds from around the world. We were fortunate enough to be chosen as US delegates, along with about 230 other people. We had been somewhat prepared by others that had attended before so the scale didn’t overwhelm us. The quality and diversity of what was presented, both edible and educational, was astounding. At some points in the day, there were over 15 different workshops, panel discussions, regional tasting events and special culinary projects showcasing a specific regional treasure all happening at the same time! This was in addition to the Salone which occupied more than double the space of both buildings of the Las Vegas convention center. One of our delegates responded to the question of what it was like with “Tasty and tiring.”It will take several other articles and videos to give a more rounded overview of the event, as it is really several events all rolled up into one. We were chosen as International Congress delegates, which was a completely separate event that is held only once every four years and is attended by those chosen for their work in advancing the core tenants of Slow Food – “Good, clean and fair.” To say we were honored to be among the likes of Alice Waters, Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini and 650 others is a monumental understatement. On two separate occasions we felt we were in hallowed company. The first was the opening ceremony for the 230 Slow Food USA delegates where Carlo had some remarks that were amazing. I walked up to the front of the room just before the opening ceremony started to get a photo and stood there for a minute looking at everyone getting settled and chatting with their new neighbors. It was both humbling and inspiring to be in the same room with so many talented, dedicated, passionate and brilliant people who are all working at the same goal from so many different angles – good food that is real and honors all who are involved with it. The second time was in the gorgeous theatre that housed the opening ceremony for the International Congress. This theatre was in the renovated Fiat factory that has its own test track on the roof, a huge building in itself. The theatre was red velvet and oak, with all 650 delegates sprinkled throughout. It was the same feelings as with the USA delegates, but on a larger scale; especially when we heard several of the speeches of what other countries were working on or had accomplished.
With that teaser, we present for your enjoyment “A World of Taste – Slow Food Terra Madre/ Salone del Gusto 2012.” This is a short overview of photos and some short video we took while attending the event. This is only a small sampling, so stay tuned for more to come!
Carlo Petrini’s Speech to Slow Food USA Delegates
The co-founder of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini took the stage after the opening ceremonies at the Slow Food USA delegate meeting during the 2012 Slow Food Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto conference in Turin, Italy this past October. He gave his remarks to about 230 delegates from all across the USA who are working daily on the core tenants of “Good, clean and fair” food for everyone. It was impressive to see the amount of passion, dedication, talent and genius gathered together in that room, all for the sake of one of our most important yet overlooked foundations of life; food.
Carlo seemed to be impressed as well, with comments like “What you’ve done in America is extraordinary, not just for the USA but for the rest of the world. A Slow Revolution toward respecting food, a deeper appreciation of food that serves as an example for the entire world.” He went on to say that we’ve helped “Achieve the most important thing that Slow Food needs to achieve – given back a holistic sense of food.” We’ve started to show that food is not and never can be a commodity, merchandise, just a price point.
Its story is important – the memory, the people and its history. By reducing food and everything about it to its commodity values of productivity and profit, we are approaching a brink. That brink is the loss of diversity, not only of the varieties of foods that have nourished us for thousands of years, but the loss of human and cultural diversity as well. Those different types of diversities have enabled us to withstand and overcome many different challenges over the millennia, adapting and growing stronger in the process. Without all of those diversities, we are all weakened and more vulnerable to changes, whether expected or unexpected, human or natural caused.
Carlo closed by saying that the people of Slow Food have the holistic vision of the path back to the healthy diversity that will make our food and our communities whole again. Slow Food delegates practice that vision daily, working to strengthen our food connection everywhere we are, every day. Watch the video and see Carlo’s thoughts for yourself!
Local Food Movement Feeds Commercial Customers
The Local Food Movement Gets A New Prescription
The local food economy is entering a completely new chapter with such seemingly unlikely partners as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Leading edge, innovative hospitals such as St. Joseph’s are working to incorporate more local, sustainably grown produce into their menus and food systems. Things quickly become complicated due to the sheer amount of food that is prepared and the time needed for prepping. For instance the soup du jour for 600 people is 65 gallons. The ingredients needed in one just day’s vegetable soup would require hours of prepping and chopping, but is supplied by the current food distribution system already pre-washed, sliced, diced or cubed and ready for the cooking process. As an example, the green beans sourced from a local grower – 200 pounds of them – required 8 hours of washing, snipping, stringing and slicing to prep for that day’s evening meal. Even though the food was sustainable, the processing wasn’t as the kitchen isn’t equipped to handle that amount of prep work on a continuous, daily basis.
There is a tremendous enthusiasm and pressure from consumers of all sizes for more local food. These consumers aren’t just the mom and dad at the farmer’s market on Saturday, but are increasingly including the large scale commercial consumers such as hospitals, universities and large businesses that are looking to satisfy their customers and employees desire for better tasting, more healthy, local food. This is a good, or possibly great thing, if it can be handled to benefit everyone in the equation. One of the biggest challenges for local food economies is that the commercial consumers have been set up to take advantage of the industrial food distributors efficiency and convenience. They are the keystones as to why and how large distributors reign supreme in this market. Everything shows up prepped and ready to use – something that isn’t even thought of in the local food model. Granted, there can be some improvements in the commercial consumers kitchens, as most of them do not have any facilities set up for any prepping whatsoever. This can be remedied, but takes dollars, forethought, planning, construction and time to accomplish.
Farmer’s markets are an important piece of building the local food system, but they are still such a small part of the entire US food production – less than 1 percent for the just over 7,000 markets across the country- that significant growth and positive impacts for the legion of local growers can be realized by connecting small and mid-sized local farms with these institutional, commercial consumers in their local communities. Even very small changes in the purchasing patterns of these consumers can have major changes in the local food system, as an average sized hospital’s food budget can easily top $4 million annually. Just 1% of that is $40,000 that would stay in the local food system, making a huge positive impact. A more realistic figure of 2 – 3% purchasing change means $80,000 – $120,000 going into the local grower’s systems. What benefits and opportunities can you see $80,000 having on your local farmer’s market and local food network?
There are a couple of workable solutions to the questions of efficient local food distribution to make life easier for these larger customers. One is a regional food distribution hub, which some models have proven successful and others have failed in different regions of the country. Another is a co-operative system that partners with a smaller, regional food distribution system that is already in place, effectively adding a “local, sustainable food” section to it’s inventory of supplies and services. There are still others that bear examining and evaluating to see if they would work for a particular need or application.
There are a growing number of institutions just like St. Joseph’s who are responding to their customer’s desires and needs by putting their not inconsiderable moral, ethical and financial weight behind new local food initiatives. The market is there, it just needs some evaluating, adjustments and planning to make it happen, with hugely beneficial results for both the growers who can create the relationships and supply the needs as well as the institutional consumers that can broadcast the triumphs of inter-weaving local, healthy, sustainable food into their menus.
A New Prescription For the Local Food Movement
Terra Madre, Salone del Gusto and International Congress
Slow Food Terra Madre 2012
Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2012Here is where we will document our trip to Turin, Italy to attend Slow Food Terra Madre 2012, so watch this Topic/Category for updates. We are International Congress delegates, which is a separate conference at the end of Terra Madre for Slow Food leaders worldwide to discuss the direction of Slow Food globally. It is held every 5 years. This is the first year the International Congress is being held concurrently with Terra Madre.
We are honored to have been selected, especially as International Congress delegates. We will be meeting with local, sustainable food leaders from across the world to exchange ideas, challenges and successes and plan a way forward for a sustainable food economy based on the Slow Food precepts of “good, clean and fair”. This is some truly ground-breaking, leading edge work and we are excited to be a part of it. We will be attending the full Terra Madre event before the Congress starts.
There are a couple of distinctions for this event:
Terra Madre is the place where workshops, meetings, demonstrations and panel discussions take place. There are over 100 Taste Workshops and Meet the Maker events where people are guided through regional tastings by international experts. There is also many different Theatres of Taste where chefs prepare their signature dishes in front of the audience, demonstrating their unique approaches and discussing influences. Internationally acclaimed chefs from around the world put on special Dinner Dates where they prepare their specialties for a very small group of people. You can watch a short YouTube clip of the 2009 Terra Madre.
Salone del Gusto is an international market and showcase for food communities from around the world. Three pavilions of the Lingotto Exhibition Center will be dedicated to Italy, while the adjacent Oval Olympic Arena will host producers from all five continents. Special areas will be serving Italian regional dishes, while Terra Madre cooks will be preparing ethnic specialties and street food that will highlight the diversity of gastronomic heritages from around the world. The area will host around 1,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Arriving from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia, local food producers will once again be the stars of the event, offering cheeses, cured meats, fish, breads, sweets, grains, honeys, fruits and vegetables from 50 different countries.
2012 marks the first time that Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto have been hosted in the same place and are also the first time the events are open to the public. In previous years, only Slow Food members were invited. This is also the first time that the International Congress is occurring at the same time, as it meets once every 5 years. This year will truly be a special event! There are estimates of around 200,000 people will attend one of the events, so we will be busy.