On June 23rd, the I Love Italian Food [2] Association brought their project, the 100per100 Italian Academy, to the Scavolini Soho Gallery [3] in Manhattan.

This initiative, whose first edition was launched last February in Dubai, is an itinerant masterclass aimed at educating food industry professionals on the secrets of Italian cuisine: its products, techniques, and traditions. 

This particular event was dedicated to Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and organized in collaboration with the Consortium for the Protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena [4]. 

Attendees had the chance to learn about the product and its history through a guided sensorial tasting: five stations were set up by the showroom entrance, each equipped with a candle, a sheet of paper, a jar of wood shavings, four bottles containing the ingredients of balsamic vinegar and the final product, and a set of headphones to guide them through each step.

Throughout the evening, several Balsamic vinegar-friendly products were served, including cheese provided by the renowned Nonno Nanni [5]brand, salumi, and strawberries. There were also some less obvious pairings such as balsamic vinegar gelato by l’Arte del Gelato [6] and even Balsamic vinegar cherry sodas.  

A new guide was given out, the 100per100 Italian Guide New York, which compiles the authentic Italian restaurants in the city, realized in partnership with Authentico [7], a simple to use app (you just scan the barcode) for verifying the authenticity of Italian products.

Behind a sleek Scavolini cooking station, several chefs from the New York Italian Chef Association [8] took turns demonstrating how to prepare dishes using real Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. 

Chef Silvia Barban from LaRina [9] in Brooklyn started by hand-making and then preparing balsamic vinegar flavored ravioli. Then, chef Massimiliano Eandi from Raviolo [10] and MAV Soho [11] made fusilli with squacquerone cheese and Balsamic vinegar. 

Later on, Executive Chef of Maiella [12]restaurant and Vice President of the New York Italian Chef Association, Raffaele Solinas, lead a cooking demonstration focused on the use of stracchino, a delicious soft cheese for which Nonno Nanni is most known. 

Chef Rosanna Di Michele [13] channeled her family’s pizza-making roots to prepare a variety of pizzas using the Valpizza [14] line, with all sorts of creative toppings studied to complement the flavor of Balsamic vinegar. 

Other top chefs and pizza makers including Cesare Casella, Fabrizio Facchini, Gennaro Pecchia, Odette Fada, Roberto Caporuscio and many others were present at the event, and delicious, mouth-watering food kept flowing throughout the evening.