Castell'Arquato June 11, 2012
About 400 participants at RG Commerciale's Summer Drink&Eat Festival have decreed not only its great success, but also a further leap in quality, which brings the event (born 5 years ago from Giorgio Negri's idea to gather friends, suppliers and customers in a day of competition and celebration), from a local event to an initiative of national scope.
Already the two main partners of the event: VELIER- for the drink part- and BALLARINI- for the eat part - , are two names that leave no doubt about the size of the event and its importance.
The formula of the competition among bartenders that VELIER chose in agreement by RG and that was very well managed by Daniele Biondi of VELIER, offers an innovative and convincing way of proposing competitions, where each bartender was able to try his hand for one hour (six bartenders at work at the same time on six stations) with rum-based cocktails in the styles: Caribbean, French, English.
Each bartender watched and tasted the others' preparations, and so in the end the 20 bartenders who took turns preparing cocktails were also customers and judges of their other colleagues. Another 12 outside jurors contributed to a ranking of winners.
The speeches by the Ballarini company, with chef and gastronome Paolo Parisi, also aroused great interest. Cookware from Ballarini's professional line proved excellent at every type of cooking, including induction cooking, and Paolo Parisi's proposals (famous for his innovative egg-based recipes) proved to be a source of inspiration for the many barchefs in attendance.
Numerous companies collaborated with the initiative: Ceado, Dag, Duni, Vetreria di Borgonovo, Ghiaccio Express, Luigi Bormioli, and Caffè Musetti.
There was no shortage of excellent presences such as those of Dario Comini and Dom Costa, although in reality many of the bartenders and chefs present are household names.
After the buffet by Drinkable, which handled all the logistics of the day with great professionalism, and after the awards ceremony, the final party kicked off, with the very talented band Le Merende Elettriche melting the day's frenetic activity into a pleasant and entertaining evening.
The success of the initiative was completed by the pleasant conduct of Corrado Gualazzini and the beautiful scenery offered by the location: Podere Palazzo Illica di San Lorenzo in Castell'Arquato (PC)
Everyone was very satisfied: organizers, sponsors and participants.
AWARDS!
ABSOLUTE WINNER
KEVIN RAGAVEN, who becomes the BEST of the Summer Drink&Eat Festival and goes to enjoy his prize, a week in the Dominican Republic offered by Velier
CATEGORY WINNERS
LUCA MAGONE in the Latino category.
MARCO RUSSO in the British category.
OMAR VISENTIN in the French category
who received multiple prizes offered by RG Commerciale
A special thanks goes to the company Caffè Musetti for the special "PREMIO 1,000 CHICCHI" cup that was awarded to the famous barman Ettore Diana (The Coffeeman).
KEVIN RAGAVEN
Originally from Mauritius, he has been in Italy since he was 12 years old. He started at Juleps in Milan, where he has been back for 3 years after a break. His master is the "Savana Custa"
LUCA MAGONE
Torinese DOC class of '80, he started in 2007 at the XXL bar he owns, where he currently works. He prefers cocktails of his own creation. An example? A blend of rum and tobacco, with flor de caña 12 and cohiba robustos.
MARCO RUSSO
Milanese, he started in a 1930s bar and then opened his Mag Café. He came second in a major flair competition. His specialties are whiskey-based creations.
OMAR VESENTINI
Originally from Lecco, he started in a bar in his hometown. He is now bar-manager at Papo's in Como, a typically Caribbean establishment, from the atmosphere to the cocktails.
