The Consortium for the Protection of Genoese Basil DOP, the Consortium for Riviera Ligure DOP Olive Oil, and the Liguria Regional Wine together with the Regional Union of Ligurian Chefs.
On Tuesday 17 October 2023, in the prestigious setting of the Palazzo della Borsa, a very important piece was placed to continue to guarantee adequate and growing recognition of the value of PDOs, as the maximum guarantee of territoriality and excellence.
An agreement for the use of PDOs as a key element of regional restaurant success has been presented and signed between the Ligurian Regional Chefs Union, the Consortium for the Protection of Genoese Basil PDO, the Consortium for the Protection of Riviera Ligure PDO Olive Oil, and the Liguria Regional Wine.
This represents a decisive step towards creating added value for the entire Ligurian agri-food and hospitality system, strengthening the Liguria Gourmet brand.
Grande la soddisfazione del Vice presidente del Consorzio Paolo Calcagno :
This is just the first step in a long-term journey that, as the Consortium for the Protection of Genoese Basil DOP, we began years ago. Representing the producers of Genoese Basil DOP, our mission is to ensure adequate and growing recognition of the value of DOPs as the ultimate guarantee of territoriality and excellence. Today’s agreement is a successful outcome of the mutual commitment of producers and the Consortium, which has met the enthusiastic will of the restaurateurs of the Ligurian Regional Chefs Union to use DOPs as a tool for success, increasingly promoting the cultural role of restaurateurs in raising consumer awareness.
Here are the points of the Agreement:
1. Promotion of the Restaurateur Agreement “Assaggia la Liguria at the Restaurant” and communication of participating establishments.
2. Use of promotional materials and collaboration with the chamber of commerce system to extend the Liguria Gourmet brand.
3. Joint web and social media campaigns and collaboration to disseminate initiatives created by chefs on Ligurian DOP products.
4. Collaboration in cooking shows during the promotional events “Taste Liguria” and the Consortiums and Regional Wine.
5. Supply of DOP products during FIC national and international events with ad hoc promotional material.
6. Educational alliance for the inclusion of Ligurian DOP products in hotel management schools and support for the purchase of Ligurian DOP products for school kitchens
Alessandro Dentone, chef and Ligurian regional president of the Regional Chefs Union, promoter of the initiative, comments:
The Regional Chefs Union, a member of FIC (Italian Chefs Federation), has decided to create this memorandum of understanding with the Ligurian DOP and DOC products to increasingly bring our flagship products to the menus of our chefs, their restaurants, and even hotel schools. We’re talking about Genoese Basil DOP, our flagship product, and Riviera Ligure Olive Oil DOP, another key ingredient that defines us. It will be interesting to use FIC to introduce these products to our colleagues in other regions, as is done in other parts of Italy where chefs and products are one and the same in competitions and events. These are very important and decisive moments for highlighting the ingredient and the synergies between producers and consumers. Last, but certainly not least, is the agreement being signed to facilitate direct purchasing by FIC members.
The National President of the Italian Chefs Federation, Rocco Pozzulo, could not be missed, representing an organization that includes 124 provincial associations, 20 regional unions, and countless foreign delegations with 20,000 members, including professional chefs, chef patrons, restaurateurs, teachers, and students from hotel management schools of all levels:
“An important agreement, a necessary tool to add value to many local excellences. An initiative that we, as FIC, have already carried out nationally and that, today, also arrives in Liguria. With regard to raw materials, chefs must be ambassadors of the region. They must increasingly understand local agricultural products in order to enhance the value of what the producers’ hard work offers us. .”
