For over ten years, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Nice has been channeling all its energy and expertise to promote and develop economic and cultural relations between France and Italy. This commitment is manifested, among other things, by three major events on the French Riviera. The first, “Bread, Love, and Chocolate,” took place in February in Antibes.
Before the third event, “Vivere, the art of living and sustainable development fair,” that will be held in December in Grasse, it’s time for “Italy at the Table,” which is happening until tonight at the Albert 1er Gardens in Nice.
Undoubtedly, this event has found its perfect setting to host the finest products from all Italian regions offered by 180 exhibitors, spread over 5000 square meters, and you can even taste before buying. All this is set up in the Albert 1er Gardens, just steps away from Place Masséna.
You will no longer have to complain about the suffocating heat that invaded the huge tent placed on the Promenade des Anglais and turned it into a furnace.
You will no longer have parking issues if you take the precaution of leaving your car at the tramway terminus parking, right at the exit of the highway at Nice-Nord. A round-trip tram ticket for 2€, free parking, and you arrive just a few hundred meters from the entrance of the Salon, which is totally free from 10 am to 9 pm.
The most important event in France regarding Italian products
A fair that has become the most significant event regarding Italian products – not just gastronomic ones – in France thanks to the support of institutions like the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Consulate of Italy in Nice on one side, and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, and the city of Nice on the other, but also private partners.
If 22,000 Italian meals were once again served to the children of the 105 school canteens in Nice, some of the city’s great chefs have agreed to play along and interpret Italian cuisine but with a “French twist” like Philippe Joannès, Best Craftsman of France and current regional director of Lenôtre Côte d’Azur.
While the famous house already had a boutique in Cannes, its new “home port” in Nice only opened a few months ago. With his new responsibilities, the chef rarely has the chance to return to his “piano.”
But he did not hesitate to take up the challenge of setting his cuisine to Italian time. While in Italy, you might typically find baked and hot cannelloni; for this demonstration in Nice, he chose to let us taste cold Cannelloni al tartufo and a Tiramisu semifreddo alle fragole.
“The icing on the cake,” if I may say so, was that the tricolor chef (because of the three bands of the French flag that adorn the collar of his chef’s jacket) did not hesitate to break down the recipe in front of privileged guests, including numerous personalities. He very willingly provided any additional explanation to his demonstration with the same smile. And if you didn’t have something to note it down, the recipe was made available to you as well.
If I tell you that to finish, a frozen cherry Amarena tiramisu tickled our taste buds without forgetting the famous stuffed macarons, you will surely regret not being on the guest list or not having responded to Lilas Spak.
Lenôtre in Italian colors
You don’t know Lilas? Impossible! Blonde, a radio and television columnist for many years, she still holds this role for the printed press every week in the Petit Niçois, not to mention her multiple animations, one book already out, and another one in preparation.
For some time, she has added to her sector of press attaché, the public relations for Lenôtre Côte d’Azur. For this evening, she had the support of a car dealer, Mura, and a motorcycle dealer, Lachkar. Both had managed to find red vehicles, whether it was a Vespa, a Ducatti motorcycle (which particularly interested Philippe Joannès), and a Ferrari coupé.
For a few hours, this famous French boutique had taken on Italian colors at all levels.
If the vehicles will have disappeared by the time of your visit, you will still have until the end of this salon (that is, this Tuesday, June 2, Italian National Day) the opportunity to taste the special “Italy at the Table” menu (Cannelloni + Tiramisu + macarons) presented by Lenôtre in Nice, managed by Christophe Blachon.
But as “Italy at the Table” is not just a gastronomic rendezvous, you can also discover the tourist and cultural attractions of all these regions (1) through the different stands and animations that remain until the closure of the Salon and even the next day (2) but not in the same place.
