Alta Badia - The Best Up & Coming Chefs And Sustainable Cuisine To Take Centre Stage At This Year’s ‘a Taste For Skiing’
Young, charismatic chefs with their own philosophy in the kitchen. This is the profile of the chefs who’ll be playing the leading role at the twelfth edition of the A taste for skiing initiative on the slopes of Alta Badia, open to all ski enthusiasts from Saturday 5 December 2020.
Culinary events such as the Gourmet Skisafari, SunRisa, Sommeliers on the slopes, Roda dles Saus and the Wine Skisafari, will be accompanying skiers in the heart of the South Tyrolean Dolomites throughout the winter season.
2020 has led to changes everywhere, all over the world; this year therefore represents an opportunity for revival and innovation in the food and wine industry. For A taste for skiing, what could be better to symbolise this period of rebirth than a group of up-and-coming chefs, or chefs who are appearing at this event for the first time, from all over Italy, from north to south, east to west?
The concept of this initiative remains the same: each of the eight Michelin-starred chefs will be assigned to a mountain hut on the slopes of Alta Badia, creating a recipe that will be offered to skiers throughout the winter season. The chefs for the twelfth edition of this famous culinary initiative were very carefully selected, with the choice falling on young and charismatic professionals who are full of fresh ideas, able to best interpret the concept of revival also in terms of cuisine. These are chefs who are oriented towards the future and who wish to bring all their creativity and philosophy to Alta Badia, using Italy's top products to prepare their dishes. As well as focusing on innovation, the 2020/21 edition of A taste for skiing wants to give a clear and concrete sign of a sustainable approach to food and drink. The chefs taking part will be asked to create their dishes by reducing waste and with a particular focus on protecting our planet.
Local chef, Nicola Laera (La Stüa de Michil Restaurant, 1 Michelin star) will be welcoming the guest chefs, offering tradition and innovation in his dishes to reflect his dual identity: his father is from Puglia and his mother is Ladin. His goal for the future is to promote Italian products around the world, telling the story of the country's flavours. The up-and-coming chef from the closest area to Alta Badia is Riccardo Gaspari (SanBrite Restaurant in Cortina d’Ampezzo), who sees a future full of genuine and coherent cuisine, without any form of manipulation. If we head west, we reach Cernobbio in the province of Como, where Davide Caranchini lives and works, chef at the Materia restaurant (1 Michelin star). From the class of 1990, this chef is very attached to traditions and local products, yet he also loves experimenting and constant research. Davide Caranchini believes that, over the next 15 years, the world of food and drink will give increasing importance to natural products, genuine ingredients and small-scale producers. Contraste (1 Michelin star, Milan) is the name of Matias Perdomo’s restaurant. This chef was born in Uruguay and believes that the food of the future will be the essence of the past, and is convinced that we must first understand our past and leave behind superfluous things before we can really build “new traditions”. Paolo Griffa is the Michelin-starred chef from the Petit Royal restaurant in Courmayeur. Aged just 29, he is one of Italy’s most promising young chefs. Our culinary journey towards the south stops off at Pennabilli in the province of Rimini. Riccardo Agostini's Il Piastrino restaurant, with 1 Michelin star, was created inside a historic farm house, which was renovated in 2020, introducing the Food Garden, a room immersed in greenery, where the flavours of the dishes blend in with their surroundings. Together with his sommelier-wife, this Michelin-starred chef from Pesaro (who worked closely with Gianfranco Vissani for many years) wishes to delight his guests with dishes that reflect the culture and resources offered by the local area, always keeping surprises in store for all the gourmets out there, with plenty of pleasant details and never any changes to those classic, authentic flavours. The Marco Martini restaurant in the heart of Rome, on the other hand, is all about continuous study and research. The Michelin-starred chef Marco Martini (Marco Martini Restaurant, Rome) believes that the food of the future will return to traditional cuisine, going back to warm welcomes and conviviality; that’s why his dishes offer pure flavours, taken from the traditions of Rome and Lazio, but with an international twist. Our collection of chefs ends in the south of Italy, with Caterina Ceraudo (Dattilo restaurant, situated in Strongoli in the province of Crotone, 1 Michelin star). Caterina Ceraudo uses very few ingredients in her dishes, attempting to glorify simple flavours. Her cuisine shows the utmost respect for food and its natural origin, from the birth and growth of each ingredient to them being transformed as part of her dishes.
Skiers can try the dishes at the Ütia Lee, Ütia L’Tamá, Club Moritzino, Ütia Las Vegas, Ütia I Tablá, Ütia de Bioch, Ütia Pralongiá and Ütia Jimmy mountain huts, from 12 December until 11 April.
THE CHEF’S TABLE: A taste for skiing supports social distancing
In Alta Badia, ensuring visitors stay safe is the top priority for the upcoming winter season, involving the help of all service providers. In this regard, A taste for skiing has also adapted, making its own contribution. Each mountain hut taking part in the initiative will prepare a table dedicated to the event on their outdoor terrace, reserved for anyone wishing to try a dish created especially for A taste for skiing by one of the Michelin-starred chefs. This will help with social distancing at the same time as offering an exclusive and completely safe experience for those who love gourmet cuisine and skiing down the slopes of Alta Badia. At the mountain huts taking part in the initiative, it will be possible to order the full menu, made up of the dish from this year’s event as well as at least one dish from past editions, representing the history of A taste for skiing.
To book your A taste for skiing table, simply call your mountain hut of choice that is taking part in the initiative and choose from among the dishes that best suit your personal culinary tastes.
UNMISSABLE CULINARY EVENTS
GOURMET SKISAFARI: THE EIGHT EDITION IS PLANNED FOR SATURDAY 12TH DECEMBER
The ‘A taste for skiing’ season officially gets underway on Alta Badia’s ski slopes on Saturday 12th December. The eight edition of the much-anticipated Gourmet Skisafari event will take Michelin-starred cuisine to 2,000 m above sea level, into the heart of the Dolomites. At three mountain huts, Michelin-starred chefs Nicola Laera (Restaurant La Stüa de Michil, Alta Badia, 1 Michelin star), Riccardo Gaspari (Restaurant SanBrite, Cortina d’Ampezzo) and Marco Martini (Marco Martini Restaurant, Rome, 1 Michelin star) will be treating skiers to their delicious dishes, using top-quality products to sing the praises of Italian cuisine. In fact, the chefs will be using the best Italian products as inspiration for their dishes. Skiers will have the chance to move from one mountain hut to another, trying each chef’s creations. Real works of art will be on offer, not only for the taste buds but also for the eyes. There will also be the opportunity to get to know the chefs in person and to learn the story behind their dish. Enjoy your first ski of the season, characterised by great flavours. The event will take place on the terraces of the mountain huts to enable social distancing and respect the rules in terms of Covid-19.
SUNRISA: SKIING AT DAWN ON FRESH SNOW, BEFORE ENJOYING A HEARTY BREAKFAST AT 2,000M
Skiing on fresh snow, before anyone else, is a truly unique experience. The experience becomes even more magical if you do it in the heart of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Alta Badia's slopes, where the best athletes will be going head to head at the Alpine Skiing World Cup during the same period, all topped off with an excellent breakfast at 2,000 m a.s.l.
On Monday 21st December, the ski slopes on the plateau of Alta Badia will be opening at dawn, giving ski enthusiasts the chance to see the sun rise at 2,000 m a.s.l. and ski down the slopes that have been perfectly prepared the night before by the many snowcats that work in the area. What’s more, there is the chance to enjoy a hearty breakfast, based on genuine and healthy products, at the Club Moritzino, Ütia I Tablá, Ütia de Bioch, Ütia Piz Arlara and Ütia Las Vegas mountain huts. Each hut will be paired with a specific breakfast item, such as milk, cereal, eggs or fruits. The various dishes on offer have been created with the support of the nutritionist Dott. Iader Fabbri and they contain the essential ingredients for a perfect breakfast, guaranteeing the right number of calories and nutrition for each leg of the breakfast route from one lodge to another.
SOMMELIERS ON THE SLOPES
The chance to taste some of South Tyrol's finest wines in two different mountain huts whilst admiring the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: only in Alta Badia.
Following the success of the last editions, Sommeliers on the slopes will be returning to Alta Badia for the 2020/21 winter season. The aim of this initiative is to enhance the winning combination of skiing and excellent local products. There are seven dates planned, scheduled between December and March (15th December, 12th and 26th January, 2nd and 23rd February, 9th and 16th March), each involving wonderful skiing on Alta Badia's slopes, combined with the chance to taste South Tyrol's finest wines. Participants will be accompanied by a ski instructor as well as a professional sommelier. The price of the wine tasting session, including the ski guide, is €35.00 per person. Each event is organised together with the South Tyrol Wine Consortium and South Tyrol’s Sommelier Association.
WINE SKISAFARI: A WINE TASTING 2,000 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL
On Sunday 21st March 2021, Alta Badia will be bringing South Tyrol’s finest wines to the mountains for an exclusive tasting session, set to take place from 10am until 4pm in the Piz Arlara, Bioch, I Tablá and Pralongiá mountain huts. The aim of the initiative is to round off the winter season in style, dedicated to excellent food and wine. The tickets that include the tasting of all the wines can be purchased at the participant mountain huts at a price of €30.00. The event is organised by Alta Badia Brand, together with IDM (Innovation Development Marketing), and with the support of the South Tyrol Wine Consortium.
OTHER FOOD AND WINE EVENTS
The excellent food and wine events organised in Alta Badia this winter continue with the Christmas specialities that can be tasted throughout the period of Advent, at the Christmas Village in San Cassiano and the Corvara Christmas market and during the Advent Light initiative in La Val. Roda dles Saus is the name of the event dedicated to the traditional Ladin food on the slopes of the La Crusc ski resort and it’s held during the week from March 14-21. What's more, throughout the entire winter season, there’ll also be the chance to take part in the “Breakfast with powder snow” initiative, held at the Las Vegas Lodge. An excellent opportunity to be the first on the slopes in the morning, as well as enjoying a hearty breakfast with all of South Tyrol's best products. The season will draw to a close with the sixth edition of the “Skicarousel Vintage Party”, scheduled for 10th and 11th April 2021, when the mountain huts will be offering fashionable dishes from the 70s and 80s.
All the initiatives will be planned and run considering the Covid-19 legislation so as to guarantee the maximum safety of the participants.
