QUALITALY 140

June/July 2024 I MAGAZINE AT PAGE 1 Down but not out for the count The Italian restaurant sector is facing what promises to be a bleak summer season. The last few months have not been easy. May and June brought incessant rain, causing a fall in attendance and bookings. However, now that the sun is shining again and temperatures have risen, there is a cautious optimism. An optimism that also involves the operators in the professional catering sector who have obtained the new National Collective Labour Agreement for employees in the Public Establishment sector, which represents a fundamental step towards ensuring better working conditions and greater professionalisation of the industry. An increasingly vibrant sector: this is demonstrated by the new trend of delicatessens that are increasingly turning into proper restaurants, offering customers a complete and sophisticated culinary experience, but also a focus on new products entering the market. As in the case of ‘free from’, a sector that includes all those products free of gluten, lactose and other allergens. This type of offer is expanding rapidly, responding to the needs of an increasingly health- conscious and food-intolerant clientele. We will also talk about hospitality, a sector that represents an important opportunity for food distributors due to the need of hotels to offer high quality catering services to their guests. There will also be a focus on peaches, one of the most important fruits of the summer. We will discover together different varieties, their nutritional properties and the best ways to use them in the kitchen. Finally, our cover story, dedicated to an extraordinary woman, Martina Caruso , chef at the Michelin-starred Signum restaurant in Malfa (ME), who is winning over the general public with her talent and passion for cooking. Her story is an example of determination and creativity, and we are sure it will inspire many of our readers. This summer represents a challenge but also an extraordinary opportunity for the catering industry. With the right mix of tradition and innovation, our restaurateurs will know how to welcome the holidaying population in the best possible way, turning every meal into an unforgettable experience. Enjoy your read! By Lorenzo Morelli AT PAGE 3 The bottom line In these current times, especially after the pandemic, we are witnessing an evolution in the world of catering. Important changes that focus on certain aspects taken, until now, ‘a little’ for granted, but which represent the basis for a future vision: personnel, the management of restaurant numbers and the intrinsic value of the product. Let’s start off in order. Nowadays, a successful restaurant needs to have skilled staff but, at the same time, the staff must be satisfied, involved in the various work and decision-making processes, so as to follow a complete process which runs down and has a positive effect on the end customer. The younger generations make the difference because they are more prepared for the changes taking place, even the most unexpected ones, and this is a valid element both in Italy and abroad, a market that we have the pleasure of serving and observing with interest in order to also JUN/JUL 2024 MAGAZINE Traduzione a cura di Christopher Farley