Everything is set for the very first event by the international magazine Cook_inc.: Lucca hosts a fusion of cultures, ideas, and artistic expressions to depict food beyond food.
The event
When it comes to cooking, we speak a universal language. And truly, we don't even speak. We sing. Because when we eat well, the soul vibrates. Perhaps this is precisely the common thread woven into the first event by Cook_inc., the renowned quarterly bookazine that since 2011 has been publishing stories related to food in a multidisciplinary and "holistic" way. On April 7, 2024, at the Carmine market in Lucca, the first Cook_inc. Festival will be inaugurated, in collaboration with Giglio’s Restaurant. This day's theme has been identified as "Universal Languages," a topic very dear to the Director, Anna Morelli.
"I am half Peruvian, I have lived abroad for many years and seen dozens of countries; the universal language is a concept that has always been close to my heart," the Director of Cook_inc. told us in a special interview. "So, I really wanted to dedicate the first event of our editorial entity to the theme of universal languages. What do I mean by that? The fusion, the unification, let's even call it simply 'sharing' among different cultures and ideas, are important elements of everything I do, aiming to think of a universal language that can go beyond the concept of each individual's homeland.
And how can one not immediately think of the universal languages of food and music? If someone observes chefs at work in the kitchen, and I've seen many over the years of my career, or watches musicians on stage, they will realize that it doesn't matter if a Japanese person is playing with a North American or an Icelander: music transcends these boundaries, just like art. Just like cuisines. It's not important where a person comes from, but what they want to convey, with a song as well as with a dish."
The day of the Cook_inc. Festival will begin with a breakfast provided by Forno Brisa, bakery & specialty coffee from Bologna, giving guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the various installations that will enrich the space. Artist Paolo Zero-T will offer a reflection on the language of the arts, creating shapes, geometries, and chromatic tones that will blend on the Noren, the famous Japanese curtains, giving rise to tangible and intangible sensations at the same time.
Subsequently, it will be possible to admire the photographic exhibition by Tommaso Protti, an award-winning Italian photojournalist based in São Paulo: during the event, a special exhibition will be held previewing his book "Fome" (to be released in 2024), a journalistic investigation into the difficult topic of hunger and food issues in Brazil. As a surprise, the "illuminating" work of Federico Caruso, also known as Pepemaniak, a versatile artist ranging from tattooing to photography, will be exhibited.
Following there will be a conference with a reflection by Andrea Pieroni, professor of ethnobotany and ethno-biology, on the connections between linguistic diversity, botanical diversity, and gastronomic diversity. The festival will continue with the intervention of Massimo Vitali, a famous photographer of wide open spaces, who will share his socio-anthropological vision of Italian identity through his iconic photographs. Get ready to immerse yourselves in mammoth installations that the photographer jokingly calls "the big undies."
After a lunch break with pizzas by Filippo Bonamici of Bonny Pizza and smoked salmon prepared by Tahakiko Kondo of Gucci Osteria, it will be time for the intervention by Gianfranco Marrone, a semiotician and essayist, on the semiotics of taste. Francesca and Elena Paternoster of Mieli Thun will introduce the language of bees, offering a fascinating look into the world of the beehive superorganism.
"As in all the gatherings we've organized for the Cook_inc. Festival, even the Paternoster sisters, daughters of our dear departed friend Andrea, will show us how universality can be found in all the diverse worlds of languages, including the language and world of bees," Anna Morelli explained. "What happens inside a beehive, as the two sisters recount, is comparable to what happens in a kitchen: the bees communicate through noises, sounds, smells, and movements. They all must be aligned, organized, and in a dancing balance. Just like the chefs."
The day will continue with a roundtable discussion on oenological themes, moderated by Fabio Pracchia, exploring the relationship between music and wine. The evening will proceed with an exclusive aperitif and an engaging musical reading by Maurizio Carucci, accompanied by Viaggi Universali, an exciting musical narrative. To bring the evening to a close, Fischio Sound System will provide a collection of Italian funky vinyl music, and dinner will be curated by a special collective of chefs from around the world, offering a unique and unforgettable gastronomic performance: The Gelinaz! Nah Bgm Now. Lorenzo Stefanini, Stefano Terigi, and Benedetto Rullo from Giglio’s restaurant in Lucca will coordinate together with exceptional chefs for the first time accompanied by the music of Paul Kerdommarec, David Gudenzi, and William Petrini.
"This event, long envisioned by Anna, will be memorable," declared Chef Stefano Terigi of Il Giglio’s Restaurant, also exclusively. "We are already thinking about the theme, the universal language: it is memorable to combine food, which regardless of language always brings everyone together, with the concept of music and all the elements revolving around it. We will follow our format The Gelinaz, adding a new element: music while we eat.
We started from the concept of soundtracks listened to in restaurants. Usually, they must always be background and never a significant element; they must be subdued because while eating, diners want to enjoy their food or converse. We have decided to reverse the concept: music is no longer a side dish but the main course. During our dinner at the Cook_inc. Festival, the music will set the pace for the dinner, the diners will eat standing up, the kitchen will be in view with twelve or more chefs preparing dishes at intervals, in a crescendo of music. I expect a gastronomic music orgy!"
"Music and food provide us with the (delicious) opportunity to give what we have been giving for several years: content, inspiration, ideas," added Greta Contardo, coordinator of Vandenberg Edizioni in support of Anna. "We are a magazine, culture, information, therefore valuable and transversal content is important for us, which can be in print as well as at the Cook_inc. Festival, bringing together, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, respected figures in a day like well-known professors in their field. Their language can be free and universal, with a hybrid spirit, crossing multiple disciplines and moments."
"Could we have done more for this event? Or perhaps have we organized too little?" concluded Anna Morelli. "I think of some elements that I would have liked to delve into, always related to universal languages, such as dance and cinema. But we will see how this first experiment goes, made possible by the fortunate alignment of the stars which allowed us to organize it with top-notch professionals in the field, in a unique setting: the Carmine’s Market, housed in a church that will become both a suitable venue for other events and a food and wine hub like a real market." And perhaps this is only the beginning of a story with a... universal language.
Info
The entry fee for the event is $160 (with the early bird discount) or $180 (full price), all-inclusive from breakfast to after-dinner. Tickets are available for purchase here
