For those who do not yet know, 'Good Forks for AIL' is a fundraiser promoted by the Milan section of AIL, Associazione Italiana contro le Leucemie, linfomi e mieloma Onlus, and which kicked off in November 2013 and ends in February this year. Supporting the initiative is very simple, all you have to do is go to one of the thirty participating restaurants, where, at the end of the meal, you will be asked if you would like to leave a voluntary contribution - starting from 2 euros - to support scientific research.
Interested and admiring, we at Rg thought we would take advantage of our and their presence at Identità Golose to ask a few questions.
The project, described by many as 'ambitious' but in my opinion 'concrete,' was founded on a healthy idea of helping with an issue that touches the sensitivities of many. The turning point is the setting of the project: thirty of the best restaurants in Milan's capital city and absolutely subjective help to be able to leave. Now that the experience is coming to a close, one can draw conclusions about the results obtained.
The actual results will be communicated only at the end, i.e., at the end of February, when the project will come to a complete end, but in general the experience has been positive and the most important result has been achieved: spreading the initiative's objective. Certainly we can say that thanks to Good Forks we have been able to count on the support of some important companies such as Eberhard & Co., Mitsubishi Electric and Birra Moretti, as well as some important companies in the pharmaceutical world. For our scientific research project this is crucial, because it means that we are finally beginning to understand the relevance of what we are doing. The study we want to start, in collaboration with the University of Milan, on genome sequencing, is very important for improving therapeutic decisions for oncohematology patients. It is an absolutely innovative project and therefore really ambitious.
It is a pleasure to realize how much has been done in this regard, the topic is really touching, so I have to make an effort to focus on the questions in order not to stray from my set list.
Cooking, especially creative and high-end cooking, is a fast-growing and ever-changing area, and everything about it today seems to attract wide interest, most of the time positive. How much has this affected the decision to use restaurants as a conduit for charity?
For eight years in a row, AIL has promoted a fundraising initiative related to the art world with an auction of artworks held at Christie's. After many years, we decided to change, always focusing on Italian excellence, and moved from art to cuisine.
In fact, the experience goes far beyond the thirty locations: in fact, AIL had the opportunity to participate in Identità Golose and bring here, too, the work of Gianluca Biscalchin, an excellent illustrator, who created for the project a creation called precisely 'Le buone forchette,' which was also sold in the committed restaurants. How did the collaboration with this artist come about?
Biscalchin was introduced to us precisely by Identità Golose, which acted as a superpartes between Magenta Bureau, the agency in charge of organizing the event, and Cantiere di Comunicazione, which handled the press office. He was very helpful, as was everyone who took part in this initiative, and we sincerely appreciated that.
It's true that the time is difficult, but we should get the message across that all it takes is small aid like this to support a big battle. Is this issue also part of the project?
It certainly is. It is the sense of what we intended to pursue: raising awareness of as many people as possible about such a sensitive issue, which has found its game-power in the kitchen. Being present for four months in thirty restaurants allowed us to reach many people and make our Association's goals known.
To conclude, have you already thought of new events similar to 'The Good Forks' to further the research?
Throughout 2014 we will be engaged in collecting contributions for the scientific research project on genome sequencing, and anyone at any time can lend their support. We would certainly like 'Good Forks for AIL' to become an annual event, and we are thinking about it.
Impossible, I might add, to back out when it comes to laudable charitable initiatives like AIL's.
