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March/April 2023 XI MAGAZINE for authenticity on the plate. The idea is that everyone has easy access to fresh, well-made products that are the result of traditional know-how. An emblematic example is the Marennà restaurant whose vegetable garden, a work in progress, stands on the hill in front of the winery and is an immediate story of the extraordinary richness of their land. __________________________________ The festival of cultures With globalisation, ideas and culture travel fast. People therefore also try not to forget their cultural heritage and traditions. In the kitchen, this translates into two only apparently contrasting phenomena. On the one hand, the revival of ‘grandmother’s’ recipes, well represented by restaurants such as Chic Nonna, a novelty awarded by TheFork Awards and run by Vito Mollica, which even in its name celebrates the knowledge of our ancestors. On the other hand, restaurants that become places of integration, think of Azotea, a Nikkei cuisine restaurant in Turin, among the restaurants honoured by TheFork Awards. __________________________________ The need for sharing After years of social distancing, people want to resume human contact, to share, discover and experience. The restaurateur is asked to welcome, share his experience and knowledge through places, convivial dishes and storytelling. The public rewards chefs who know how to tell the story of the territory and tell their own story, enhancing the ingredients of the context in which they are located and also telling the story of the producers through sincere, genuine and sustainable cuisine to the extent that the restaurants and chefs also take on the task of educating the community to eat better and in respect of the environment. The rediscovery of nature also translates into the choice of poor and nutritious ingredients. One who well represents this dimension of territorial storytelling is the Casa Gallo restaurant in Pompei, which for generations has been drawing on local ingredients to bring to the table traditional Campania dishes with authentic flavours. __________________________________ Password: social media The restaurant industry is taking over social media. 5 out of 10 millennials have ordered food or visited a restaurant after seeing it on TikTok, while 38% of people are travelling a long way from home to try food recommended on this same social media channel. In this context, new and original trends are maturing, even on more established social networks, for example on Instagram there is a greater search for genuineness and authenticity in the aesthetics of the dish to the benefit of flavour. Web 3.0 - for example - could become a vehicle to access exclusive experiences through non-fungible tokens*, while 3D printers for food are starting to take off. An example of a restaurant exploiting NFT technology is the expression of Japanese cuisine in Abruzzo Oishi Japanese Kitchen, which through the purchase of a virtual token allows access to a series of exclusive activities such as a dedicated tasting menu, special dishes, reserved discounts, the possibility to pay in cryptocurrencies and access to a community to stay in direct contact with the staff and ownership. __________________________________ Ethical cooking Ethics and sustainability are also a priority in the kitchen today. When it comes to environmental sustainability in the true sense, in addition to catering close to the land, scientific research is developing new solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the food industry. The Californian startup Air Protein, for example, has created an alternative to meat called Air Meat, composed of microbes that transform recycled carbon dioxide into protein. The product aims to replicate the taste and texture of real meat products. Some scientists and researchers are already looking for ways to produce food once there is no arable land left. Arina Shokouhi, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, has invented an alternative to avocados called Ecovado, designed to move people away from buying resource-intensive imported food. A new focus on ethics is also placed on work within restaurants to create attractive conditions for young people entering these professions. The kitchen becomes a tool for the integration of diversity and a social laboratory for reintegration projects as in the case of restaurants such as Etico Food in Rome and Pizzaut in Milan. __________________________________ AT PAGE 36 DID YOU KNOW? Allergy sufferers, special customers to be treated with care HOW SHOULD ONE DEAL WITH ALLERGENS AND ALLERGY SUFFERERS? HERE IS SOME USEFUL ADVICE ON HOW BEST TO DEAL WITH THESE NEEDS by Elena Consonni Last February a 20-year-old woman suffering from a milk protein allergy died from the consequences of an anaphylactic shock in a Milanese restaurant after consuming a vegan tiramisu. The case is still being investigated, but - although it should be pointed out that the tiramisu hadnot beenpreparedby the restaurant Dr Paola Minale , allergist