The fourth edition of the "Mesa Award" kicks off, a competition dedicated to emerging young chefs and restaurateurs in Sardinia, promoted by Cantina Mesa.
Event: all details of Mesa Award 2023
Sardinia boasts an exceptional cultural heritage, and the evolution and affirmation of its gastronomic tradition can serve as a driving force for a new model of development for the entire region. This can create employment and wealth while respecting the territory, its identity, and maximum sustainability.
Driven by this belief, Cantina Mesa, the iconic winery founded by Gavino Sanna in Sulcis Iglesiente, encourages young Sardinian chefs and restaurateurs determined to develop their skills and commitment in the industry. They do this through a competition that allows the winner to attend a high-level training masterclass on "Bread and Leavened Products with Ancient Grains" at the Niko Romito Academy. The aim is to increase the wealth of skills that can be returned to the region.
Judging Panels and Rules
Heading the Jury for the "Mesa Award" 2023 will be Gavino Sanna, accompanied by Paolo Marchi, creator and curator of Identità Golose; Maddalena Fossati, director of La Cucina Italiana and Traveller; Pietro Pio Pitzalis, founder and director of Reporter Gourmet; Giovanni Fancello, Sardinian journalist, gastronome, and writer; Sergio Mei, former executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan and now recognized as one of the leading figures in Italian cuisine; Alberto Piras, sommelier at Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Milan.
A distinguished jury appointed to announce the winner of this fourth edition will follow in the footsteps of Gavino Piu - currently the chef at Santa Marì Catalan Bistrot in Alghero. He convinced the jury in 2019 with his dish "Filet of veal in the Dark Dark, as it once was," paired with Carignano del Sulcis Riserva Dark Dark. Andrea Serusi, now serving at Frades La Terrazza in Porto Cervo, was the winner of the second edition with "Tottu trota," a tribute to the native species of Sardinian trout, once common and now endangered, presented in conjunction with Rosa Grande Carignano del Sulcis DOC Rosato. Lastly, Davide Atzeni, chef of Ristorante Coxinendi in Sanluri, emerged victorious in the third edition with the dish "Monte Prama," inspired by the Giants of Monte Prama and paying homage to the historical and archaeological heritage of the island, presented with "Galesa" Valli di Porto Pino IGT.
Young chefs and restaurateurs aged between 20 and 35, who have operated in Sardinia since the summer of 2018, can participate. Applications should be submitted online by September 30, using the online form at https://www.cantinamesa.com/it-IT/premio-mesa.
From the submitted applications, the Jury will select the top three profiles, who will be called to Identità Golose Hub in Milan to compete in a practical test: creating a dish representative of their idea of regional cuisine. The final, open to the public, will see the jury present to express their verdict in person. The winner, distinguished for originality, pleasantness, territorial representativeness, and harmony in pairing with one of Cantina Mesa's wines, will succeed Gavino Piu, Andrea Serusi, and Davide Atzeni in the hall of fame. The winner will be celebrated on the same evening with a dinner dedicated entirely to Sardinia at the via Romagnosi Hub.
Mesa Winery
The name Mesa - which means "table" in both Sardinian and Spanish - encapsulates in just four letters the essence of the winery. Nourishment, conviviality, maternal love, simplicity, and aromas. Of Sardinian soil. Thus, in 2004, Cantina Mesa is born as a declaration of love for Sardinia, a blend of beauty and goodness, a celebration of its generosity and culture through one of its precious treasures: wine. This realizes the dream of founder Gavino Sanna - the most famous and awarded Italian advertising executive - to create something extraordinary, unique, and simple like his land, for his land. Mesa is located in Sant'Anna Arresi, on the slopes of a valley sheltered from the Mistral winds and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. It overlooks the plain of "medaus" (small rural villages typical of Sulcis) and the inlet of the Porto Pino promontory. Mesa's vineyards extend over more than 78 hectares of property.
Contacts
Cantina Mesa Srl
Loc. Su Baroni- 09010 – Sant’Anna Arresi (SU)
Tel: +39 0781 965057
info@cantinamesa.com
Website