White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 6Chapter 6The Taste Industry6.1 Taste, food and cuisine :Italian excellence ingastronomyOne of the most interesting examplesof the successful distribution of “tastegoods” is Eataly. The first large Eatalyshopping centre was opened in Turinin the former factory of Carpano, the18th-cenury inventor of Vermouth.Around 300,000 people visited in thefirst few weeks. The successfulcommercial formula of Eataly involvesdirect sales of farm and food productsbut also restaurant facilities inside theshopping centre. Inspired by the SlowFood philosophy, the products havequality and provenance certificationand are moderately priced, except onspecial gala evenings wheninternationally famous chefs performfor the lucky few. Eataly also plans toopen centres in other Italian cities andin New York.According to the Accademia Italianadella Cucina, Italian restaurants are themost commonly found restaurantsworldwide, followed by Chineserestaurants. The country with mostItalian restaurants is Australia. As forthe cities, Melbourne has 1,000ristoranti, while Sydney, Montreal, NewYork have around 500, Paris – 400,Frankfurt – 200, London – 150 and,lastly, Miami and San Francisco – over100. Although Italian cuisine has notyet made the UNESCO WorldHeritage list, it undoubtedly has animmense cultural value.After years of experience in judging topworld wines, the longest-standingclassic wine review, the Wine Spectator,titled issue number 30 of November2003: “Perfection in Piedmont. The2000 Barolos and Barbarescos earn ourfirst 100 points Vintage Rating.” NoItalian or French wine had everpreviously received full marks in themagazine’s rating. On a very fiercecompetitive scene, the Italian wineindustry has made giant steps, tobecome a leader in terms of quality andaura.This straightforward informationhighlights the economic importance ofthe sector but also its value in terms ofidentity and as a flagship for otherItalian products in the world. The winesector features among top nationalpriority sectors to be protected,promoted and developed, partlybecause of its overall impact on thediffusion of Italian culture in the world.WHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 132