Bruno Gambacorta visits the Loison Museum

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Eat Parade has recently turned 20: what was the wine and food scene like in 1998?

From an informative point of view, there was very little talk about food and wine back then. The only TV show about that topic was Linea Verde and the regular TV news didn’t include any report on food or wine. Eat Parade had the privilege to be the first to introduce food and wine in a national news broadcast. I remember attending the first edition of the international event ‘Salone del Gusto’ as a member of the only news crew to attend.

How has the food and wine scene changed over the last 20 years?

Today, there are perhaps too many food and wine shows, but at least every audience has its own program to look forward to. There’s information, culture, talent shows and more. At Eat Parade, we can be proud of ourselves for having made the twenty-year mark.

Are there any Eat Parade’s news reports that hold a special place in your heart?

With 1,000 episodes broadcast and around 5,000 news reports, it is a bit difficult to single one out. However, I do remember a very special and amusing situation that took place in the Waldensian Valleys of Piedmont, where we were supposed to film a shepherd during the production of alpine cheese. It was summertime and the flies wouldn’t leave us alone. We had to finally spray all that wonderful food with insecticide, sacrificing the cheese for the sake of the show!

Are you ever mistaken for a colleague of yours, who happens to have a similar name? We're talking about Bruno Gambarotta.

Bruno Gambarotta is a friend, a very nice man and a great writer. Whenever he sees me, he always thanks me for all the books and wine that he gets in my name!

Let’s talk about desserts: what do you think about the idea of Panettone year-round?

It is not an easy idea to relay and few strides have been made so far. We need to keep at it though, because there’s no reason for us not to eat Panettone any time of the year. It should be available all year round, not only at Christmastime, and in savory options too. In fact, I have personally learned that, abroad, Panettone is consumed throughout the year.

How do you see the future of Italian pastry making?

Just like restaurants are offering lighter fare, I think that so should the pastry industry. We encourage those pastry chefs who offer recipes that are not so closely tied to tradition and in a slightly lighter version to continue doing so. Furthermore, all the problems linked to food allergies and intolerances must be taken into consideration. This represents not only a great cultural challenge for confectioners, but also for the entire restaurant business. When Eat Parade first aired 20 years ago, everything was definitely simpler!

How come the signature tune of Eat Parade is a song by the Rolling Stones?

Eat Parade’s signature tune has not changed in 20 years. The choice was completely random and, as they say... if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

By Giulia Marruccelli