Qualitaly_107

OCT. NOV. 2018 V our sales policy, convinced and won over the initial difficulties of insertion. In these two countries we have sales staff and native-speaking drivers and this makes it very easy for us to keep in touch with each other at all times. Contacts that we tend to strengthen with a continuous presence in the main local trade fairs. It is no coincidence that we have already planned for the participation at the Gast Sajam in Split in 2019, scheduled from February 27 to March 2. Here we will set up an exhibition stand of 260 square meters, where we will host 15 of our most representative suppliers, an event that we will also repeat in Trieste in spring 2019 during the Olio Capitale trade fair. The space will be furnished by AFA Arredamenti, our partner and specialist in furnishing bars, restaurants and hotels. However, our territory is not limited only to the countries bordering Friuli Venezia Giulia: in fact, we are also present in various areas of South America where we serve a group of Italian restaurateurs with our Italian excellence on a permanent basis. What do you think is the benefit of the association to Cooperativa Italiana Catering? This is certainly a positive: in the seven years since joining CIC we have been able to benefit from a constant exchange of news and market information. And from this point of view, I would like to underline how important it is for each member to ensure their active collaboration within the “common home”. The associative value in fact resides in the availability of all to put in common the individual knowledge and skills. AT PAGE 14 THE BOTTOM LINE A good coffee is no longer an option Like every ingredient offered at the restaurant, it must be carefully selected and prepared with care. It ends the meal and the cusomer’s dining experience. But how is it chosen? By Anna Muzio When a good meal leaves a bitter taste in your mouth there’s something wrong. And what concludes most meals at the restaurant, at least in Italy, is the coffee. A product that is closely linked to our gastronomic culture (97% of our fellow countrymen drink it) but which is too often taken for granted. Instead, it is a complex and fascinating drink, with a thousand facets. As demonstrated by the temple dedicated to ‘Coffea’ just opened in Milan by the multinational Starbucks, with 27,000 coffee shops in the world, which only now has decided to land in Italy. Assessing that the time is ripe for a change of perspective. THE CALL FOR QUALITY It has been called the third wave: the entrance of the ingredient coffee in the empyrean of source and origin. And while in some distant and mythical places like Australia we are already at the ‘fourth wave’ (how to differentiate ourselves by proposing a sublime coffee), here we still have the unique thought of coffee: espresso, to be drunk as it is served without asking questions, “adjusted” with sugar in the worst cases. More and more people, however, discover that coffee is actually a thousand coffees, they evaluate the origin and the quality, and begin to distinguish between good and bad coffee. At the restaurant, the bitter (read very bad) cup has always been refugium peccatorum . Consequence of undeniable difficulties: from the absence of qualified personnel, to the few cups extracted per day compared to a bar. It is no coincidence that the machine, to make an “espresso” coffee (which translated into practical terms means immediately), was created precisely for large volumes. “Most restaurateurs don’t know what coffee is and don’t pay attention to it. I won’t explain it, because it is an integral part of the ritual of dinner and hospitality in general - says Francesco Sanapo, bartender, roaster and great expert - The solution? You need trained staff. You have to work with an on-demand grinder and grind each portion at that moment. And they need trained bartender waiters: for my restaurants I have done eight- hour intensive courses for three sessions”. What kind of coffee do you offer? “A mixture of quality, then they have to clean the machine and follow all the practices that we taught them to the letter”. Filter coffee in the restaurant? “It’s coming up, a French press would be easier to handle, for example, but it’s certainly not an espresso.” The capsules? “They guarantee a standard taste - there’s no other word for it - like frozen spinach.” IN FAVOUR OF THE CAPSULE The coffee menu is not just a treat because the right coffee to drink also depends on what you ate: “Was the menu eaten fish or meat? With meat you need a Robusta, if it was fish, which is more delicate, an Arabica is acceptable. The harmony of the meal should be completed with the choice of coffee, and the chef or even the sommelier are the most suitable people to recommend it. Of course, not all restaurants have a professional bartender, so the capsule becomes the perfect solution. There are gourmet restaurants that keep high-end coffee already ground and vacuum-preserved in single-portions to use with the espresso machine, but the costs are decidedly high. The capsule guarantees the maximum freshness of the coffee and a constant and easily reproducible brewing quality,” explains Massimiliano Marchesi, Nespresso Coffee Ambassador. IN TANDEM WITH THE KITCHEN “My choice stems from a dialogue with an extremely capable and expert roaster of this ingredient, Leonardo Lelli, with whom after several tests we have developed a mixture suitable for my type of cuisine, which has a marked acidity in the construction of taste, with an edge, which stimulates the taste buds during dinner - explains Massimiliano Poggi of the restaurant of the same name in Trebbo di Reno (Bo) - At the end of the meal I needed a round, soft and restful coffee. So much so that, against the tide, I chose a blend mainly of Robusta, considered less prized, which gives a ‘chocolatey’ and creamy taste, with a small acidic note given by the Arabica. Another