Mangia!

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Sophie Gayot with from left: Davide Giova, pastry chef at Valentino; Giampiero Ceppaglia, chef at Caffè Roma; Roberto Maggioni, chef at Locanda del Lago; Salvatore Marino, owner/chef at Il Grano; Nicola Faganello, Consul General; Celestino Drago, owner/chef at Drago; Angelo Zarbo, chef at Il Moro; Brandon Weaver, chef at Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills; Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission; Elio de Santo, owner/chef at Il Moro. From left, below: West Hooker-Poletti, owner Locanda del Lago; Emilio Marchione, manager at Caffè Roma; Piero Selvaggio, owner, Valentino; Giuseppe Mollica, special events director at Valentino

by Sophie Gayot I hope your Festa della Repubblica was as fun as mine was. What, you didn’t celebrate Festa della Repubblica yesterday? It’s the Italian national holiday held on the second day of June that commemorates the 1946 referendum when the people decided on their new form of government after the Second World War and the fall of Fascism. The best way to spend the Festa della Repubblica in Los Angeles is to dine on true Italian cuisine, which I enjoyed en compagnie of the Consul General of Italy, Mr. Nicola Faganello. The wonderful meal, paired with Italian wines, was prepared by six talented Italian chefs who all work at Los Angeles area restaurants: Il Grano, Drago, Valentino, Il Moro, Locanda del Lago and Caffè Roma. The lunch launched a two-week promotion of Authentic Italian Food in Los Angeles, created by the Italian Trade Commission and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West. These six restaurants were selected to take part because they have Italian chefs using authentic Italian products and Italian sommeliers overseeing Italian-centric wine lists. Between June 5 and June 20, they will be offering special prix-fixe menus for both lunch and dinner. The most interesting dish from the impressive meal (see the photos below) was the risotto from Locanda del Lago, which was very creative, light and colorful. And, it matched the colors of my dress, to boot! You can click on each photo to enlarge. All photos by Sophie Gayot.