Taste of Italy

Category: Taste of Italy 2023

  • Thank you for a great Taste of Italy Dallas 2023!

    Thank you for a great Taste of Italy Dallas 2023!

    Thank you to all our exhibitors and participants for making Taste of Italy Dallas such a wonderful experience for all involved!

    The second annual Taste of Italy Dallas (Nov. 9-10, 2023) included:

    – 40 exhibitors from Italy and the U.S.
    – 150 buyers in attendance from across the state of Texas.
    – A sold-out master class on the wines of Rome.

    The next day, our exhibitors took part in a public-facing event hosted by Eataly, “All You Can Eataly,” where food and wine lovers had the opportunity to experience:

    – 25+ tasting stations.
    – 50+ Italian wines.
    – 25+ Italian and local craft beers.
    – Light bites from local restaurants.
    – Italian cocktails.
    – In-person chef demos.
    – Line dancing and live music.

    The organizers would also like to thank sponsor Haynes Boone who hosted our exhibitors and the mayor of Reggio Emilia, Luca Vecchi, for a welcome reception and expert panel. The law firm’s New York-based partner Giorgio Bovenzi and Dallas associate Joanna Pearce delivered excellent talks on new U.S. rules for the importation of food and wine. Warm thanks also to associate Colin Cox and partner Larry Pascal for putting such a great event together for the visiting Italians.

    To see more images of the events and exhibitors by Dallas-based photographer Claire Giroux, please click here.

  • Thank you to Taste of Italy El Paso attendees and exhibitors!

    Thank you to Taste of Italy El Paso attendees and exhibitors!

    Thank you to everyone who participated in the first-ever Taste of Italy El Paso!

    20+ Italian wineries, 200+ products, and 80+ trade members in attendance!

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas couldn’t have been more pleased with the first-ever Taste of Italy El Paso on Thursday, October 12 at the Park Tavern in downtown.

    IACC director Alessia Paolicchi was thrilled to welcome a number of El Paso business leaders and dignitaries, including the General Consul of Mexico Mauricio Ibarra Ponce De Leon, and legacy restaurateurs and Texas Restaurant Association El Paso Chapter past and current president Leo and Vanessa Duran, his daughter, owners of L&J Café, one of the city’s culinary icons and institutions.

    Also in attendance were Chris Lane and Tresa Rockwell, founders of the El Paso Wine Fest.

    Given the fantastic results obtained with this first-ever El Paso incarnation of the now traveling Taste of Italy, the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, the organizers are looking forward to expanding the event and partnering with leading businesses and trade groups in the city.

    Stay tuned for next year’s dates and partners! And thank you to the wonderful city of El Paso for the warm reception! Special thanks also to host venue Park Tavern for the superb support and food!

  • Taste of Italy Vancouver in the news!

    Taste of Italy Vancouver in the news!

    The IACC couldn’t be more thrilled to see Taste of Italy grow as it expands its reach to other North American cities.

    That Vancouver television personality Jim Gordon (above, right) co-host of the popular lifestyle show “Our City Tonight,” and Tony Bocale, owner of the ANRA winery group, importer of fine Italian wines.

    See the YouTube below to watch Our City Tonight’s coverage of the first-ever Taste of Italy Vancouver, which took place in March of this year.

    Congratulations to the IACC Canada West on a great event!

  • Taste of Italy Houston 2023 THE VIDEO is here!

    Taste of Italy Houston 2023 THE VIDEO is here!

    Taste of Italy 2023: Nearly 400 attendees, more than 70 brands, more than 250 wines and food products presented, 2 sold-out seminars… THANK YOU to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 our best event to date! And special thanks to the honorable Mariangela Zappia, Italy’s ambassador to the U.S., and Italy’s Houston Consul General Mauro Lorenzini for joining us on such a memorable occasion!

  • Standing room only for Texas BBQ and Italian wine, a new Houston tradition.

    Standing room only for Texas BBQ and Italian wine, a new Houston tradition.

    Above, from left: Celebrity pit master Ara Malekian, owner of Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ; Dale Robertson, wine writer for the Houston Chronicle; Tom Dobson, Italian buyer for Spec’s; and presenter Jeremy Parzen.

    One of the greatest things about Taste of Italy, the largest trade fair and festival in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, is the gathering’s “Texas BBQ and Italian Wine” seminar.

    Each year we ask a top Houston pit master to join some of the city’s leading experts on Italian wine to talk about the art of pairing Italian wines with classic and creatively smoked meats.

    Celebrity pit master and owner of the popular Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ smoke house, Ara Malekian returned this year. He was joined by Dale Robertson, the long-time wine writer for the Houston Chronicle and an italophile wine lover, and Tom Dobson, who selects Italian wine for one of the largest wine retailers in the country, Spec’s. Food and wine historian Jeremy Parzen moderated the panel. Tom selected the wines.

    The most surprising wine in the lineup was the St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio from South Tyrol (Alto Adige) in German-speaking Italy. Tasting the Barbaresco-marinade brisket (yes, marinated in Barbaresco!) and pork ribs paired with the white wine drew a number of ooos and aaas from the crowd.

    The Vite Colte Barbaresco was another show-stopper while the Cerrino Barbera d’Asti seemed to be one of everyone’s favorite wines in the flight for pairing with Texas smoked meats. See Dale’s write-up here.

    Now in its fourth year, the Texas BBQ and Italian Wine seminar has really become an institution to itself. There’s no doubt that it’s a great way to discover the incredible range of Italian wines, their food-friendliness, and their approachability.

    Special thanks to Chef Ara whose food always takes this tasting over the top!

  • Sold-out Calabria seminar wows attendees with a wide spectrum of flavors.

    Sold-out Calabria seminar wows attendees with a wide spectrum of flavors.

    Above, from left: Caciocavallo Silano producer Antonio Arnone, Il Calabrese executive chef Luciano Salvadore, Mercato delle Eccellenze Calabresi Giovanni Guido, and presenter Jeremy Parzen.

    Taste of Italy 2023 opened with a seminar dedicated to the foods of Calabria. It was led by Mercato delle Eccellenze Calabresi (MEC) founder and director Giovanni Guido. And attendees had the opportunity to taste aged and fresh Caciocavallo (Calabria’s famous stretched-curd cheese) paired with a wide variety of flavors including bergamot-, Clementine orange-, and sardine-chili pastes.

    Chef Luciano Salvadore (Il Calabrese, Dallas) and Caciocavallo Silano producer Antonio Arnone (Vallefiore) prepared the small bites as Guido spoke about Calabria’s culinary treasures and his ambitious plans to bring Calabrian-focused retail outlets to the U.S.

    Arnone and Guido also spoke about the unique macroclimate of Calabria’s “valley in the sky,” as Parzen put it, the Sila plateau, a region renowned for the high quality of its cheeses and other food products.

    The savory finger foods were paired with Nerone di Calabria by winery Criserà, a wine made from Nerello Calabrese grapes.

    The sold-out crowd also had the opportunity to taste a range of Calabrian pastries paired with Calabrian-grown coffee.

  • Congratulations to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition 2023!

    Congratulations to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition 2023!

    Above, from left: Presenter Jeremy Parzen, sommelier Dario Najera, sommelier Jason Barnett, wine educator Walden Pemantle, Italian Consul General for Houston Mauro Lorenzini, and Kroger regional wine manager Jaime De Leon, founder of the Houston Sommelier Competition.

    Now in its third year, the Houston Sommelier Competition was created by Kroger regional wine buyer and sommelier Jaime De Leon to help promote wine education in the Houston wine professional community. Since its inception, it has expanded eligibility to include candidates from anywhere in the world who wish to compete.

    This year’s first prize went to Walden Pemantle with Jason Barnett and Dario Najera winning second and third place, respectively.

    Pemantle, who works as a sales manager for a Houston-based distributor and educator at the Texas Wine School, will be taking part in an all-expenses-paid trip to Abruzzo wine country later this year.

    Barnett (sommelier, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse) and Najera (sommelier, MAD Houston) received scholarship awards of $600 and $400, respectively.

    Congratulations to the winners and everyone who competed! And special thanks to Jaime De Leon, the founder and organizer, and Master Sommelier Nathan Prater, who oversaw the testing and service exam.

  • Thank you to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 such a memorable event!

    Thank you to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 such a memorable event!

    Taste of Italy 2023: Nearly 400 attendees, more than 70 brands, more than 250 wines and food products presented, 2 sold-out seminars… THANK YOU to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 our best event to date! And special thanks to the honorable Mariangela Zappia, Italy’s ambassador to the U.S., and Italy’s Houston Consul General Mauro Lorenzini for joining us on such a memorable occasion!

    That’s madame ambassador Zappia, below, with IACC director Alessia Paolicchi (center) and IACC deputy director Maurizio Gamberucci (left).

    Congratulations also to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition!

    Click here to see the Taste of Italy 2023 Facebook album.

  • Ambassador Zappia, Consul General Lorenzini to attend Taste of Italy networking reception.

    Ambassador Zappia, Consul General Lorenzini to attend Taste of Italy networking reception.

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas is pleased to announce that the Honorable Mariangela Zappia, Italian Ambassador to the United States of America, and Mauro Lorenzini, Italian Consul General in Houston, Texas, will be attending the Sunday evening networking reception on the occasion of the 2023 Taste of Italy trade fair and festival.

    Madame Ambassador Zappia, above, and the Consul General will make brief remarks before the panel discussion held in the afternoon at the Omni hotel.

    “We couldn’t be more honored to receive such a high-level delegation at our event,” said IACC director Alessia Paolicchi. “With more than 60 Italian companies whose representatives have traveled to Houston especially for the event, we were already expecting it to be one of the best gatherings to date. Their address to our exhibitors will make it all the memorable.”

    Now in its ninth year, the Taste of Italy trade fair and festival is the largest event in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine.

    Image via the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC YouTube.