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August /September 202 2 XII MAGAZINE numbers that confirm how much Italian cuisine and its entrepreneurs are esteemed and sought after. CONTEMPORARY TRADITION One example of widespread overseas success is told by Paolo Gallizioli, marketing manager of Obicà, the world’s first mozzarella bar. “The idea was born in 2004 by founder Silvio Ursini , with the aim of finding a way to showcase quality and traditional Italian products. It is essential to publicise the excellence of Made in Italy products and their craftsmanship, on the other hand, it is fundamental to offer them in a contemporary and design context, elements that distinguish Obicà restaurants”. Italian flavours and cosmopolitan design, aspects that seal a successful and clearly identifiable franchise beyond the places or cities where the locations are located. “Thanks precisely to this style, the distinctive traits of Obicà are the same from Milan to Palermo, from New York to London. We do, however, have small variations in the gastronomic proposals, requirements dictated by the specificity of each market, due both to the availability of products and the needs of different customers. Over the last few years we have worked hard to standardise and align the menus and, to date, the diversities comprise 20% of the overall offering,” adds Gallizioli. A growing format, appreciated by consumers and with a series of plans for the future that envisage not only the renovation of some locations but also new openings: “In Italy there will be two new venues in Turin and Cagliari, plus our Turkish partners will open a second venue in Istanbul and our Portuguese partners a new one in Lisbon, after the one in Porto,” the marketing manager points out, concluding, “For 2023 we are planning the renovation of Obicà Duomo in Milan, Obicà Firenze in Via de’ Tornabuoni and Obicà Poland Street in London. We are also evaluating the possibility of entering new markets such as France and the United Arab Emirates”. A CRAVING FOR PIZZA AND MORE In the same wake of success - again with one of the dishes that symbolises the tricolour all over the world - is Pizzium, born in 2017 from an idea of Stefano Saturnino , Giovanni Arbellini and Ilaria Puddu , a Neapolitan pizzeria concept with no less than eight outlets in Milan out of a total of 32. Quality, PDO and PGI products and a raised and dimpled pizza crust are certainly the approved tastes and flavours, but these are also accompanied by a warm and welcoming environment, of feeling at home from home. The figures for the first half of 2022 show growth of +20% with a turnover of 12.5 million euro in the period indicated, with the addition of 100 new jobs. Also popular are Rossopomodoro, in full expansion, the Doppio Malto chain already present with about 30 locations in Italy, Switzerland, France, Slovenia and Croatia, the strong and consolidated Capatoast, dedicated to toast lovers, or the well-known Alice, which opened as a franchise in 2012 and landed in the US, in Philadelphia to be precise, back in 2017. Also tasteful and striking are the new networks of openings linked, more specifically, to regional dishes, such as Valá, which since 2020 offers the best of the typical piadina from Romagna; also in the region is the Osteria del Tortellino, established in 2018 and boasting a wide range of fresh pasta, traditional dishes and, of course, Emilian tortellini. Another worth mentioning is Quinto Vizio, a shop selling primarily Tuscan products: in addition to the choice of fresh and packaged products, it offers tastings, lunches and aperitifs. For meat lovers, on the other hand, there is La Filetteria Italiana, an innovative concept born in 2015 that offers a special variety of meats: from beef to veal, from horse to deer, from kangaroo to ostrich, from camel to bison. AROUND THE WORLD... WITH FOOD Apart from the much-loved pizza, there are many restaurant chains that have arrived in Italy from foreign countries and found a large clientele. Others, instead, have remained in their countries of origin but are well known and are registering significant growth figures. A special mention goes to Wagamama, a Japanese restaurant chain founded in 1992 in London and arriving in Italy in 2006. The cuisine is healthy and slow, with fresh food to be enjoyed at leisure. For lovers of sandwiches and salads there is instead Subway, now present in many cities in northern Italy and beyond. And how can we not mention Kentucky Fried Chicken? Known as KFC, a brand that is one of the 10 most popular fast-food chains, founded back in 1952 and now