A Taste of Italy at the SIAL International food show Toronto
TORONTO – The SIAL food trade show opened Tuesday April 29th for its first of three day event. Canada this year is being celebrated as the Country of Honour.
The trade show brings together over a 1000 food merchants, producers and buyers from around the world all under one roof.
Visitor area follows an efficient signage system that allows visitors to quickly navigate to the sectors and products that interest them most.
There are Pathways for everyone’s interest: Made in Canada, Ready to Export, Organic, Plant-Based, Functional Food & Beverage, High Protein Food, Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, and Multicultural Food, to name just a few.
In the Italian Pavilion, I met with Francesco Parente, CEO & Cofounder of Parent Tasty Italian Food. Proud of his Apulian heritage and culinary culture, Francesco was happy to discuss his passion for the company’s dedication to canning and jarring of ready-made sauces, pickled and grilled vegetables and jams.
Their farms are in the Alto Tavoliere, the area between the mountains of the Gargano and the Monti Dauni. His family has invested in harvesting solar energy via photovoltaics to help nurture and sustain the growth of all their agricultural products, most famously of which are their artichokes, tomatoes, and [grilled] vegetables.
I asked Francesco what he believes is the one product unique to his company and he smiles when he points to the orange jam. He also points to the Mosto Cotto, a traditional Apulian boiled grape used in preparation of desserts or served with cheeses and ice cream.
Another Apulian food producer, and soon to be Canadian manufacturer of pasta, at the Pavilion was Andriani Pasta. Located in Gravina di Puglia, west of Bari in the area of the Parco Nazionale Dell’Alta Murgia, Andriani operates a large facility producing an allergen-free line of pasta. On display is their gluten free line – Felicia Pasta, made from oats, spirulina or red lentil pasta.
Maroun Atallah, Global R & D Director for North America was happy to offer me a sampling of the pasta, prepared by chef Massimo Buono. The Oat Penne Pasta with “pomodorini” had a very light tasting, texture of regular pasta and but no cardboard after-taste common in the corn and rice pasta currently on the market.
To end my “lunch” tour today, I stopped by Marcozzi Cafe. I had the pleasure of enjoying a chat over an espresso with Martina Marcozzi. She is a third generation owner/administrator of the family coffee roasting company based in Giulia Nova Teramo, in Abruzzo.
The espresso she prepared for me was a treat. For me, it had the soft aroma of almond confetti minus the [usually bitter] after-flavour. Not typical of espresso. Martina diplomatically suggests that most people sense a hint of chocolate in the flavour – typical of a coffee roast that has a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans. Marcozzi selects all their coffee beans from ‘sustainable’ farms. In the toasting of their beans, they focus on a warm-air, gentle-roast technique, so as not to burn the beans, thus giving the coffee this gentle flavour.
The SIAL show runs until May 1st at the Enercare Centre on the Exhibition grounds.
Here below is a photogallery from the SIAL food trade show (pics: Corriere Canadese)
