Introducing us to the extraordinary Cesarine universe, in conjunction with the 20th birthday, of the historic association to which the platform and the Cesarine.com community refer, is Cesarina Cristina in an exclusive interview. About 1,500 home cooks and chefs operate throughout the peninsula, with the aim of enhancing the Italian gastronomic background and making it known worldwide through fun cooking classes, within their warm home walls, and traditional recipes, inherited and handed down over the years, all to be discovered and enhanced.
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The soul of our country has always found refuge in food, amid smiles, glasses of wine and plates filled with dry macaroni. It is precisely around the Sunday dinner table that stories and tales from books that were never written, passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, come alive.
As they fry, knead or grill, they repeat gestures that seem to be carved in the memory of their hands, precise and rhythmic actions learned involuntarily long ago, through a watchful and attentive gaze. Yesterday children, today Cesarine and Cesarini, they honor those who have gone before them, perpetuating the rich tricolor gastronomic heritage. The name is an “affectionate tribute for those who cheered the flavors of our childhood,”, declared founder Egeria di Nallo in 2007.
Symbolic characters of hospitality, keepers of authentic secrets: those who cross the threshold of their dwellings, in large cities or small villages, are not considered mere patrons, but longtime friends; thus the lives of disparate people who arrive from all over, guided by the desire to discover a real Italy, far from the clichés and stereotypes associated with a standardized world, intertwine.
Cesarine was founded in 2004 under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Bologna. In 2014 it was taken over by Davide Maggi - creator of some of Italy's first digital startups and executive director of the Digital Marketing & Communication Executive Program at the Bologna Business School - who expanded the online network making it accessible to anyone who wants to book remotely. In 2018 the initiative became an innovative SME and in 2023 a Benefit Society, while in 2019 it received recognition as a Slow Food widespread community. For 20 years, men and women have been cultivating a single mission: to protect and spread the essence of home cooking, 100% genuine and patient.
The platform, a multiplier of job opportunities, includes about 1,500 amateur micro-entrepreneurs, distributed in more than 450 locations, who last year opened their doors to 50,000 guests (Australians, Canadians and Germans for the most part), including 30,000 Americans. The most popular locations for foreigners were primarily Venice, Lake Como, Florence, Cinque Terre, Sorrento and Positano, Bologna, Milan, Rome and Naples. Interest in Sicily is growing exponentially, with the most popular destinations being Palermo, Taormina, Messina and Catania. Many have opted for an immersive experience, pairing the meal with a dedicated cooking class or a visit to local producers.
On this occasion, witnessing the importance of this project is Ms. Cristina Rossi, her valuable contribution is driven by an irrepressible passion: "I grew up with my grandmother (originally from Zocca in the Apennines of Modena) and her teachings on Bolognese and Emilian culinary traditions, which I pass on in turn, is so rewarding! Personally, during meetings with outsiders I stick to following seasonal recipes, especially when preparing pasta sheets, the undisputed star of my homeland. To the first courses I usually accompany tigelle or crescentine, our well-known appetizers, and finally a dessert. Making food for me takes on a profound meaning: it is a sign of love and respect, both toward those who have gone out of their way to show me step by step the individual steps to arrive at an excellent result, and toward those who taste".
"Among my signatures are the tortellino ‘verde’ or ‘smeraldino’, which is also different in filling from the version filed with the Chamber of Commerce in 1974. Obviously I cannot reveal the details, I jealously preserve the composition, however I can tell you that mine is slightly larger; to give it the typical shape I use the family pasta cutter. Once they are cooked, I like to dip them in a cream of Parmigiano Reggiano, an element that certainly cannot be missing in my pantry, a treasure with a noble taste, produced since the Middle Ages with only three ingredients, and with maniacal attention starting from the cows' fodder. I don't begrudge the supporters of broth!"
Sharing one's identity with clients represents an exceptional act, seemingly taken for granted; it is not an everyday thing to become part of someone's intimate dimension. Yet dozens of unsolicited applications from people who want to join the community are coming in week by week.
"I get chills when I talk about the relationship that is established with the participants in the activities: first of all, it is a cultural exchange, when I see them leave happy and satisfied I get excited, and then we often talk to each other months apart, they confide in me that the event was the highlight of the vacation, or we send each other messages around the holidays, for good wishes. In short, we grow fond of each other!".
