There Fipe Confcommercio also organizes a Messinaas in the rest of Italy, on May 18th, theCatering Day‘a national initiative created to enhance and strengthen the values and role of Italian catering and gastronomy. An annual event that celebrates a fundamental theme: hospitality. In fact, the day represents first of all a fundamental social opportunity to re-establish the country’s sense of community and promote tourism and local culinary traditions.
The event aims to bring together chefs and restaurateurs at all levels under the common denominator of the value of hospitality and restaurants, trattorias, taverns, pizzerias, taverns and bars will be the protagonists.
“Hospitality in the restaurant sector represents the backbone, the beating heart that determines the success or failure of a culinary experience – explains Carmelo Picciottopresident of Fipe Confcommercio of Messina -. It is not simply a service, it is an art, a philosophy that immerses the customer in an environment where he feels valued, cared for and understood. In a world where gastronomic offerings abound, hospitality becomes the badge, the seal of excellence that makes the difference. It’s hospitality that turns a meal into a memorable experience, that makes a customer not only return, but become an enthusiastic ambassador for the restaurant. Ignoring its importance is a fatal mistake: it is human warmth, attention to detail, active listening to customer needs that build loyalty and elevate a restaurant business. Let’s always remember: a dish can be forgotten, but the feeling of having been treated with care and respect remains imprinted in the customer’s heart”.
“Hospitality – the professor also explains Giuseppa Di Bellafull professor of Food Chemistry and vice coordinator of the Degree Course in Gastronomic Sciences at the University of Messina – it can also be expressed as attention to the customer’s health. Here it becomes important to take care of the quality and safety of the dishes served and the ingredients used, while respecting the territory. All this coincides with the importance of information and awareness of the restaurateur and the customer. The hospitable restaurateur must necessarily also be informed or supported in his work by competent figures who can debunk the fakes present on the web. A fundamental role can be played in this sense by young graduates in Gastronomic Sciences of the Degree Course offered by the Biomorph Department of Messina”.
“Catering represents – continues Carmelo Picciotto – a local cultural agency where we can re-educate man to live together. In the digital age in which we live, dominated by an increasingly enveloping virtual reality and by a ‘metaverse’ that promises connections without borders, the intrinsic need of the human being to return to the roots of communication and sharing through conviviality strongly emerges . The charm and convenience of social networks and online platforms is indisputable, capable of canceling distances and creating bridges between people separated by oceans. However, they cannot replace, nor equal, the inestimable value of human contact, the face-to-face exchange of emotions, the warmth of a hug or the complicity of a look.
Choosing to physically gather, to share a space, a meal, a moment, means recognizing and reaffirming the importance of the authenticity of human relationships. From this perspective, the banquet becomes a revolutionary act, a gesture of resistance against digital alienation, a bridge towards that genuine connection that only physical presence can offer. In a world where everything is just a click away, choosing to meet, to talk, to laugh and even cry together, face to face, is a powerful declaration of our profoundly social being, of our irreducible need for contact, for warmth, of humanity.
Virtual reality may offer infinite possibilities, but it will never be able to replace the incalculable value of a real encounter, of a shared experience in the uniqueness of a moment that digital cannot replicate. Finding people to meet in person, in this context, is not just a choice, but a vital need, a reminder of our deepest essence, of our indispensable social nature. I would like to remind you that Catering Day 2023 also received the Medal of the President of the Republic from the Head of State as a representative award for the high value of the initiative. A popular, inclusive, supportive and deeply ethical festival whose primary objective is to invite all Italians to celebrate the sharing of a renewed feeling of community around the table”.
“The recovery of culinary traditions – concludes Picciotto – and the promotion of tourism through these, represents a fundamental chapter in the process of preserving and enhancing the cultural and historical heritage of city communities. This process arises from the awareness that traditions are a key element of collective identity, a bridge between the past and the present that allows new generations to understand their roots and values. In an era characterized by rapid social change and globalization, the risk of losing these culinary and cultural practices is high, making an active commitment to their recovery imperative. Through initiatives such as festivals, exhibitions, educational workshops and publications, communities can rediscover and relive their traditions, from craftsmanship to cuisine, from popular festivals to dialects, strengthening the sense of belonging and contributing to the conservation of a unique and irreplaceable heritage. This process not only enriches the cultural life of cities, but also promotes sustainable tourism, encouraging knowledge and respect for different cultural identities”.
Among the over 50 venues that will participate in Messina and its province in the catering day, some of them will in fact be responsible for reviving some Messina traditions: the ‘Fellini’ restaurant in Piazza Duomo and the ‘Il Siciliano’ restaurant in via Garibaldi will cook stocco fish to Ghiotta from Messina; the ‘Piazzetta’ restaurant in via Lepanto and ‘Mashpremi Bistrot’ in piazza Cairoli will prepare the classic Messina-style meat rolls; ‘la Trattoria del marinano’ in Galati Marina will offer the classic sweet sea calamarata of the strait with Spada and cherry tomatoes; finally the ‘Piero’ restaurant in via Ghibellina will make delicious Messina-style sword rolls.
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