Aged buffalo milk cheeses, tuna sala- mi, chocolate made with the world’s finest cocoa, jams with balsamic vinegar—not typical items at local Florentine grocery stores—will be available at the second edition of Stazione Leopolda’s Taste Fair from March 17 to 19.
The brainchild of ‘gastronaut’ and media personality Davide Paolini, this event provides a forum where foodies from all over the globe can sample new specialty foods and drink. The Taste Festival Fair, sponsored by Pitti Immagine, will host over 150 food exhibitors and bring together a smorgasbord of food-related activities.
Noteworthy items on the agenda include ‘The University of Food Shopping’. This event will take place at the Università della Spesa, where well-known faculty teach shopping as a skill. Their goal is to inform shoppers how to recognize and select the best meats, cheeses, fish and other foods available on the market.
‘Training the Next Generation of Gastronauts’, another worthwhile, event is focused on children and their eating habits. Designed to guide adults and help children discover foods in new ways, it takes a deeper look at children’s menus.
If wine is more to your liking, check out ‘Essence Assolute’, the Chianti Classico event. Participants will explore two of the finest Chianti wines and their scents, presented by renowned parfumeur Lorenzo Villoresi. Finally, art-lovers will line up to see Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti’s ‘Contemporary Art and Castello di Ama,’ designed to foster communication through contemporary art.
A chance to explore new tastes and ideas in the culinary world, Taste is organized into five areas: the taste tour, taste tools, taste shop, taste press, and the taste ring. The ‘tour’ involves actually tasting the foods and drinks. The public is invited to simply wander around, trying samples from the different exhibition stands. ‘Tools’ focuses on the design and use of food utensils. ‘Shop’ allows customers to purchase items seen and tasted during the fair. ‘Press’ gives the public a chance to explore media and magazines that focus on world-renowned wines, foods and lifestyle. The ‘taste ring’ includes three days of wine and food events organized by Paolini, ‘The Gastronaut’, with help from other well-known names in the industry.
For more information about Taste: www.stazione-leopolda.com
