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For a second year, Identità London has come to Vinopolis in June. For a second year too, we are still feeling the grip of the global financial crisis. Reportedly things have improved, but the restrictions in the financial markets have impacted on the dynamism of opportunity and chance. Not just in our Industry, but in specialist fields throughout the world. So why, when things are still bad for the economy, are we forging ahead with the congress again? Surely, it is easier to hold firm and not push boundaries at this time? At Identità, we do not believe this. The restrictions in opportunity and chance never impact on true creativity and inspiration. With Identità, we aim to keep moving, to observe and report what is happening on a global platform and in the process, give voice to what is visionary. We do not intend to force theory or sell pre-ordained opinion. The aim of a congress whatever its field, is to be ahead of its time and not limited by its past. To build on what has gone before and renew itself regardless of outside pressure. This year despite the challenges faced, the congress is back stronger than ever. It has once again been an exceptional gastronomic year in kitchens throughout the world. Passion, inspiration and courage have reigned supreme and pushed ingredients more commonly seen in the wings, straight to centre stage. The crown must surely go to those ingredients that have won by their sheer and utter simplicity. The luxury of this simplicity is what Identità London will celebrate this year. Paolo Marchi |
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 Identità London 2010: The Luxury of Simplicity |
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 With Identità London 2010, our aim will be to follow on the theme of the last Identità Golose in Milan: The Luxury of Simplicity.Recent years have seen a growing trend in the direction of menu development among chefs on a global level, with a rise in the creation of dishes based on ingredients that in the past were only used to enhance the main component, i.e. meat or fish. The reason for this shift has been firstly related to the international global crisis, where costs have had to be more closely considered when creating menus. However, consumers and chefs alike are also more aware of the environmental impact of food production and its effect on a local and international scale. This too has helped fuel the trend. The lack of demand for former “luxury” ingredients like expensive cuts of meat, fish or shellfish by the consumer, have inspired a change in the creation of dishes that still ultimately showcase the skill and aesthetic of the chef. We are now reportedly through the worst of the economic issues, but this trend for more simple ingredients and lighter, healthier dishes is still growing. At Identità, we believe this is not a fad, but in fact a change of direction in the world of gastronomy, that can no longer be attributed to the global economic crisis. There is still a demand for quality; there is still a demand for skill and artistry, but there is also a demand for lighter, purer and therefore healthier food. It appears our approach has changed and we are eating less meat and fish. I think we can expect this to filter down even more into our daily lives and to the food manufacturers too, who will need to pay more attention to products that promote a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Identità London will this year welcome demonstrations from Italian chefs: Andrea Berton, Massimo Bottura, Chicco & Bobo Cerea, Gennaro Esposito, Niko Romito and Davide Scabin (see photo). German Heinz Beck will be the bridge between Italy and the UK- with his restaurants in Rome and London. The British team will be represented by Ashley Palmer Watts, Sat Bains and Jason Atherton. From the USA: Daniel Patterson from California, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne and Alex Stupak from New York. From SE Asia: Alvin Leung from Hong Kong. From France: Alexandre Gauthier. Identita London will provide the platform for Italian chefs and their peers from all regions in the world, to showcase their craft and inspiration through tastings and continuous exchanges of ideas and philosophy. |
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| Event Schedule and Chef’s Theatre in Vinopolis |
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 Less than two weeks, Identità London 2010 will open its doors and provide a culinary platform for some of the world’s most fascinating chefs to showcase their craft.Boasting an international assembly - seven Italian, three British and seven international chefs - this year’s congress will be co-hosted by Tom Parker-Bowles and Paolo Marchi and based around the theme, THE LUXURY OF SIMPLICITY. Among the highlights will be Ashley Palmer-Watts – Executive Chef of The Fat Duck Group – who will be heading up the kitchen at Heston Blumenthal’s new Mandarin Oriental restaurant scheduled to open this winter. Palmer-Watts –- will present for the very first time dishes created for the new menu, dishes inspired by our historic British gastronomic heritage. In addition, Jason Atherton will also be introducing his new menu and showcasing some of the dishes from his first solo venture, Pollen Street Social – Jason Atherton which opens in London’s Mayfair in the autumn. Alvin Leung from Hong Kong’s, “x-treme” restaurant, Bo Innovation will present his Big Bang dish – a unusual sugar sphere, filled with almond foam and sandalwood smoke - and a further outrageous creation developed to promote and raise awareness for his Aids Concern charity - more to be revealed on the day and in true Leung style, guaranteed to shock! Daniel Patterson, from restaurant Coi in San Francisco’s North Beach neighbourhood, will present the Essence of Coi. His dishes embrace the smells, flavours and energy of Northern California including the various seaweeds and costal grasses he harvests for his menu. |
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| Restaurants and the City: Italy still reigns supreme in London |
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 «Since they first colonised the London culinary scene in the early Sixties, setting the standard for relaxed service yet formal dining, many Italian eateries have hardly changed. However a new movement is taking place, as Londoners now crave greater informality when eating out. Two of the most popular venues and best examples of this are to be found in Soho. The acclaimed trattoria, Bocca di Lupo, in Archer Street and the Venetian bacaro, Polpo, in Beak Street truly represent outstanding regional Italian food in relaxed and informal surroundings. This new wave of London Italian restaurants – approved by the journalist and restaurant critic, Jasper Gerard of The Daily Telegraph - will be included in the 2011 Guide to Restaurants by Identita Golose. Cinzia Piatti, the resident reviewer for Identita Golose in London, informs us that Venice is proving just as popular in Mayfair as Soho. For example, in his restaurant Dolada in Albemarle Street, Chef Riccardo De Pra takes the traditional Venetian dish, Frico, and re interprets it by serving in a glass. The award-winning restaurant of Rome-resident, Heinz Beck (photo) - The Apsley at The Lanesborough Hotel - is overseen by Executive Chef, Massimiliano Blasone and an almost entire Italian brigade. In the Japanese restaurant, Roka, in Charlotte Street, your Robata dishes will be matched with Schioppettino wines by sommelier Matteo Duri and the desserts at the French 3 Michelin starred, Ducasse at The Dorchester on Park Lane will be prepared by Angelo Ercolano – formerly at Don Alfonso in Sant'Agata (Naples). Not forgetting the other great resident Italian forces of Angela Harnett and the indestructable Giorgio Locatelli; bread by Princi, now in Wardour Street; pizza by Franco Manca in Brixton and Frescobaldi’s wines in Harrods in Knightsbridge. London’s love affair with Italy may have changed direction, but it’s just as passionate as ever. Gabriele Zanatta |
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| Identità London welcomes its new presenter... Tom P. Bowles |
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 Tom Parker Bowles is a respected food critic, with a high-profile column in the Mail on Sunday’s Live Magazine.He has a weekly radio show, Food andDrink, on LBC and is a Contributing Editor for GQ. He is one of the presenters of UKTV's Market Kitchen and has also appeared regularly on The F-Word. He is the author of three books, E is for Eating: An Alphabet of Greed, The Year of Eating Dangerously and most recently, Full English. He lives in West London with his wife and two children. Photo by Adam Lawrence |
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