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On February 25, the last evening of Milan Fashion Week, the city was pulsating with excitement as top chefs, food industry experts, aspiring talents and influential figures of both the gastronomy and fashion world descended onto the staircase of Milan's Palazzo Reale, in attendance of S.Pellegrino's 120 Year Anniversary Dinner event.
Held in collaboration with the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, S.Pellegrino’s 120 Year Anniversary Dinner was a star-studded affair as celebrity chefs such Carlo Cracco, Moreno Cedroni and Davide Oldani took their seats set out in the magnificent Sala delle Cariatidi. The exceptional setting was perfect for the occasion of celebrating S.Pellegrino’s monumental 120 year story, and served as a moment to highlight S.Pellegrino’s strong connection with the fine dining world, especially its belief in supporting young talent in gastronomy.
Four Courses, Four Chapters of a Truly Italian Story
In the kitchen, young chefs Elisabeth Puquio Landeo (S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 South America finalist), Yasuhiro Fujio (winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018) and Paolo Griffa (S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 Italy finalist) were busy preparing the four-course meal of the evening. Each course of the special dinner was designed to capture a different chapter in the history of the iconic Italian water brand, with dishes accompanied by lights, music and theatrical effects, providing guests an immersive experience into S.Pellegrino’s world.
The appetizers were brought out and the show began, with chapter 1 of the evening: nature. The long tables in the lofty hall were illuminated with cloud-like artworks in glass domes, a representation of the beginnings of water that starts from nature's cycle in the air, clouds and the earth. Meanwhile, young chef Landeo’s candied white cod dish with smoked potato foam captured the essence of the nature theme and started the guests on their gastronomical tour for the night.
S.Pellegrino takes its name from the town of San Pellegrino Terme, in northern Italy, home to the famous thermal baths and the San Pellegrino Casino. The second course of the Dinner was designed to give guests a peek into those early years of the brand in the Belle Époque period, where the liberty-style casino was the meeting centre for the cream of the society of the times. Chef Griffa’s pumpkin risotto with robiola cheese, topped with a waffle and amaretto crumble, paid tribute to the brand’s Italian roots, whilst paper constructions of the historical casino appeared on the tables to theatrical effect.
As the evening continued, the main course followed and the tables were transformed into moving platforms carrying sculptural representations of various cities around the world. Chef Fujio’s Asian-inspired dish of brisket with soy sauce, yellow carrot with yuzu and pac choi was perfect to represent this third chapter of S.Pellegrino’s story, one that the brand described as the evolution of S.Pellegrino moving on from Italy to the world, and with it, becoming an ambassador of Italian culture.
Moving onto chapter four and the final course, guests were treated to a diamond-shaped Gianduiotto made of chocolate and hazelnut, alongside the special revelation of the brand’s 120 Year Limited Diamond Edition Bottle. Shown for the first time to the public at an official event, the diamond-riveted limited edition bottle was designed for special S.Pellegrino events all over the world in celebration of its grand anniversary.
S.Pellegrino maintains a strong connection with the international gastronomy community and is a proud supporter of young culinary talents which it provides through global initiatives such as S.Pellegrino Young Chef. Young chefs from all over the world are invited to apply in the competition and are given many opportunities to grow and further their career alongside world-class mentorship from some of the biggest names in the industry. The 4th edition of the competition is currently in the applications phase.
For information about S.Pellegrino's 120 Year Anniversary and the Limited Edition Bottles, read about them here.
