Qualitaly_112

AUG. SEP. 2019 I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2019 AT PAGE 1 Let’s learn to be ‘tolerant’ of the intolerant An acquaintance recently told me a story that struck me particularly. She and a group of friends had decided to go and eat in a newly- opened restaurant/pizzeria in Milan, the city most attentive to trends and innovation in the eating out sector. In the 9-person group, there was one who was gluten intolerant. The organiser of the evening was aware of this particular need: this is why, when choosing the restaurant, she had focused on a pizzeria/burger bar that had been open for about a month and which was really innovative both in its range (especially in terms of flours) and in its design. When the waiter arrived to order, there was the first unexpected surprise: among the various flours offered, none were designed for gluten intolerants, which is perhaps justifiable because the restaurant chose to equip itself with a single (wonderful) central oven on view. It is now well known that on the intolerance front it is not enough to use gluten-free ingredients, but it is also mandatory to use equipment dedicated to the creation of dishes only aimed at satisfying this type of customer. It is true that it might be enough to use, perhaps in the same oven, materials created precisely to avoid contamination, but let’s move on because we can’t possibly know the reason that led to the restaurant not creating an alternative in this sense... The “unfortunate” guest then opted for a salad, perhaps accompanied by breadsticks or gluten-free crackers. The waiter said that they didn’t have these kinds of products and, maybe, if she wanted, to accompany the salad, they could have made her a plain focaccia. Genius!! The moral of the story? What does it mean to have celiac or intolerant clients among your guests? Well, I believe that it would be appropriate for catering schools to emphasise these issues to their students as well (article on page 20), or that chefs and pastry chefs are able to propose alternatives for this type of consumer (articles on pages 14 and 24), because intolerances and celiac disease are ‘illnesses’ that can really put your aficionados at risk (article on page 26). Our sector has undoubtedly changed. Today you go out for lunch or dinner 2/3 times a week and, those who have disorders such as these, do not want and should not have to be restricted. It’s up to us to learn how to handle this new customer base. But it has to be done in full knowledge of the facts!. Enjoy your read. By Lorenzo Morelli AT PAGE 3 Better Armed The Ho.Re.Ca. world is experiencing a moment of great ferment, both at the distribution level as well as the offering to the end consumer. A genuine accelerated transformation is underway, by the increase in consumption eating out and the consequent decrease in consumption at home. This has generated a huge growth in interest and importance of the Ho.Re.Ca. market which, if until a few years ago it was considered marginal in the context of the food market, today it is seen as the largest to be conquered for multinational distribution companies (including the large-scale retail trade) and national and international food chains (see all fast-food and other brands) that arise all the time. As a result, very large forces have come into play with impressive investment capabilities whose aim is to invade our market as much as possible. To defend oneself from all this for the traditional and independent Ho.Re. MAGAZINE Traduzione a cura di Christopher Farley