5th National Festival of Flower Cuisine in Alassio
In the charming setting of the pearl of the Western Riviera, the much-anticipated event dedicated to the use of edible flowers in the kitchen returns, a festival conceived and organized by the Palette Restaurants Association under the auspices of the Municipality of Alassio, with the support of Gesco and the Alassio Marina.
Alassio: 5th National Flower Cuisine Festival from April 12 to 15 adv-66 Edible flowers in the kitchen The aim of the festival is to promote the knowledge and use of flowers in cooking, enhancing the nutritional properties and gastronomic potential of these ingredients. The event is aimed at both professional chefs and cooking enthusiasts, offering them the opportunity to discover new culinary creations and be inspired by the latest trends in the industry.
Highlights of this edition The Festival will kick off on Friday, April 12, at the “Giancardi Galilei Aicardi” Hospitality Institute, with a contest reserved for hospitality institutes in Alassio, Biella, and Clusane d’Iseo. Subsequently, the festival will move to various locations in the city: the Alassio Marina Porto Luca Ferrari, Villa della Pergola, the Civic Library, squares, hotels, and city schools, where interesting and tasty culinary experiences with flowers will take place. In particular, there will be tastings and show cooking in Piazza Durante.
adv-142 An interesting workshop will focus on the theme of flowers and local catch, which will be curated in this edition by the “Acciugotto” fishery with chef Renato Grasso. Porto Luca Ferrari will also host the “Yacht&Flowers” initiative, an original contest that combines the pleasure of sailing with that of good food. On board the boats, professional and amateur chefs will prepare a dish judged by a specialized jury chaired by Patrizio Roversi, who has confirmed his presence in this edition as well.
Guided walks with environmental hiking guides along the paths of the Alassio hills to discover wildflowers and the beauties of nature, and the opening of the gardens of Villa della Pergola, which will showcase the most beautiful spring blooms during those days, are also confirmed.
adv-234 In Piazza Durante, there will be stands with tastings of fresh and processed edible flowers, curated by Raverabio, Tastee.it, and Perlecò, along with workshops and show cooking by renowned chefs such as Gianfranco Calidonna and Filippo Sinisgalli.
The twinning with the competition “Un fiore nel piatto” from Darfo Boario Terme is confirmed, with the presence of chef Francesco D’Amico. The library will host the conference “The tradition of edible flowers around the world and innovative uses,” organized by CREA. Following the conference, there will be a lecture on “Flowers and Health” by Dr. Marco Missaglia, a specialist in food science, and the presentation of the book “I fiori hanno sempre ragione” (Flowers are Always Right) by Roberta Schira.
Among the novelties is the innovative project “Street Flowers LAB,” supported by Fidapa Alassio, an emotional citizenship workshop curated by Renata Cantamessa, aka Fata Zucchina, involving schools in the city in creating and installing signs on Forex with key edible flowers. The presentation will also feature etiquette expert Barbara Ronchi della Rocca.
Gourmet moments include the Saturday dinner at Hotel Savoia with a menu created by chefs Loris Greggio, Angelo Frassica, and Nicolò Monticelli, and the Sunday brunch with an original menu accompanied by storytelling and sensory games, providing participants with a unique experience with orthocentric chef Claudio Di Dio and storyteller Monica Panzieri. The festival will conclude, as tradition dictates, on Monday with a Master class “Cucina con i fiori” (Cooking with Flowers), dedicated to chefs, industry professionals, cooking enthusiasts, and students, featuring star chefs Giorgio Servetto and Enrico Derflingher.
FULL PROGRAM:
Friday, April 12
Giancardi Galilei Aicardi Hospitality Institute
11:00 AM Final of the gastronomic contest with hospitality institutes from Alassio (SV), Biella (BL), and Clusane Iseo (VA) 3:00 PM Award ceremony Grollero Walk Bench dedicated to Centro Pannunzio
6:00 PM “From Mario Soldati to Franco Gallea in memory of love for Alassio, life, and flowers. With Pier Franco Quaglieni, Roberto Pirino, and Fabio Macheda. Followed by the presentation of a cocktail dedicated to Mario Soldati by the Giancardi Institute of Alassio. Alassio Marina Porto Luca Ferrari
From 3:00 PM distribution of kits with edible flowers for boats registered in the “Yacht&Flowers” contest
Saturday, April 13
Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie
9:30 AM: Excursion with “edible flower botanical recognition” by Herbaria and GAE Laura Brattel. Excursion with mandatory reservation on the visitalassio.com/it portal, Experiences section. To reach the start of the trail from the city center, a free shuttle is available by reservation, departing at 9:00 AM. Villa della Pergola
9:00 AM-11:00 AM Garden tour reserved for journalists Alassio Marina Porto Luca Ferrari
with Patrizio Roversi
10:00 AM Departure for the “Yacht&Flowers” sailing trip 11:30 AM Show cooking by chef Renato Grasso at Ittiturismo Acciugotto 12:00 PM “Sail and Flowers” contest jury 1:30 PM “Yacht&Flowers” contest awards by Marina di Alassio Civic Library
2:30 PM Workshop: “The tradition of edible flowers around the world and innovative uses” by CREA (Council for Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics), Sanremo. On the agenda: “Edible flowers around the world and traditional recipes” with Andrea Copetta (CREA), “Cultivation of edible flowers in soilless and vertical farming” with Silvana Nicola (UNITORINO), “Non-alcoholic drinks based on flowers” with Lilian Barros (University of Braganza, Portugal); “Innovative products for artisanal and industrial production” with Marco Ravera (Raverabio) 4:30 PM Flowers and health, lecture by Dr. Marco Missaglia, specialist in food science. 5:00 PM Presentation of the “Street Flowers LAB” project by Renata Cantamessa with Barbara Ronchi della Rocca, journalist, Sabina Poggio, school principal, and Cinzia Salerno, President of Fidapa Alassio Section 5:30 PM Presentation of the book “I fiori hanno sempre ragione” by Roberta Schira, curated by Patrizio Roversi Piazza Durante
From 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM stands with fresh and processed edible flowers by Raverabio, Tastee.it, and Perlecò
11:00 AM “Journey among the petals”: a tasting curated by gelateria Perlecò 3:30 PM “Street Flowers LAB,” emotional citizenship workshop, curated by Renata Cantamessa, aka Fata Zucchina 5:00 PM “Floral Symphony”: discover the unique flavors of flowers in an unforgettable tasting experience, curated by Tastee.it 6:30 PM Presentation of the new De.Co. (Denominazione Comunale) – Begonia Gelato from Alassio with Councilor Franca Giannotta, Aldo Michelis of Gelateria Perlecò, and Silvia Parodi
Hotel Savoia
8:30 PM “Flowers Dinner Experience” Flowers on the plate: a menu with edible flowers by chefs Loris Greggio, Angelo Frassica, and Nicolò Monticelli with storytelling by Patrizio Roversi and Claudio Porchia.
Cost: 60 euros per person, all-inclusive. Reservations by April 10
Phone number: 0182640277 (from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM)
For info: segreteria@ristorantidellatavolozza.it
Sunday, April 14
Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie
9:30 AM: Naturalistic photographic trek on the hills of Alassio with photographer and GAE Gabriele Cristiani. Excursion with mandatory reservation on the visitalassio.com/it portal, Experiences section. To reach the start of the trail from the city center, a free shuttle is available by reservation, departing at 9:00 AM. Piazza Durante
From 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM stands with fresh and processed edible flowers by Raverabio, Tastee.it, and Gelateria Perlecò
10:30 AM “Blooming Garden” show cooking by chef Gianfranco Calidonna 11:30 AM “A Flower on the Plate” – Twinning with the Competition from Darfo Boario Terme conceived by Loretta Tabarini, PromoAzioni 360, with show cooking by chef Francesco D’Amico – Ristorante Bella Iseo di Iseo. 4:00 PM Fior di Riso show, cooking, and tasting by chef Filippo Sinisgalli, in collaboration with Campo dell’Oste company 5:00 PM “Floral Symphony,” the unique flavors of flowers in an unforgettable tasting experience, curated by Tastee.it Hotel dei Fiori
12:30 PM Street Flowers Food: narrative and floral orthocentric cuisine An aperitif, three sensory games with Monica Panzeri, National Association of Taste Narrators, and with orthocentric chef Claudio Di Dio who will prepare two vegetable finger foods and a main dish with edible flowers. Cost: 20 euros per person. Reservations by April 10 at phone number 0182.640296 (from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM)
For information: segreteria@ristorantidellatavolozza.it
2:00 PM Presentation of the gastronomic contest “Il fascino dell’Asparago e dei Fiori eduli” (The Charm of Asparagus and Edible Flowers) promoted by Ristoranti della Tavolozza with the Asparagus Producers Association of Santena and the Terre del Pianalto
Monday, April 15
Giancardi Galilei Aicardi Hospitality Institute
From 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Master class “Cucina con i fiori” (Cooking with Flowers)
Teachers: Andrea Copetta, researcher CREA Sanremo, Silvia Parodi, Tastee.it company, Claudio Porchia, journalist, and star chefs Giorgio Servetto and Enrico Derflingher.
The course is dedicated to chefs, industry professionals, cooking enthusiasts, and students of the Hospitality Institute. At the end, a participation certificate will be issued by the Palette Restaurants Association and CREA Sanremo.
The free course is open to the public with mandatory reservation by April 12 via email at segreteria@ristorantidellatavolozza.it
