Rosalba Graglia, journalist and writer, a well-known face of Piedmontese and national food writing, during the closures due to the pandemic, he gave space above all to the history of products and gastronomic traditions trying to enhance the initiatives of individual entrepreneurs and restaurateurs with a link with the territory. His search for information has focused above all on subjects not subject to seasonality with his gaze focused on the cuisine of the territory.
How did you deal with this pandemic and the consequent great difficulty in the restaurant sector with the newspapers you collaborate with? Have you somehow changed your usual narrative? Have any special initiatives been carried out to describe this period so out of the ordinary?
«I write for tourism and food and wine magazines, which fortunately have continued to publish regularly. The narration was oriented more towards historical themes (stories of products, for example, or of gastronomic traditions) and subjects not subject to seasonality or events: this in particular for tourist proposals (always accompanied by info on where to sleep or eat), focus on "timeless" themes to keep aside for better times. Much attention is also paid to charitable initiatives, based on sustainability and ecology ».
From your point of view, how did the food and catering companies communicate in this period?
«All the initiatives with a social purpose, of sharing, have found particular importance (last in order of time the Lunch a thousand of the Food Bank, but also the suspended shopping of Eataly, to name a few). Furthermore, as part of the Delivery, I have always tried to tell the non-trivial and creative initiatives, the result of a real project. To give an example: sushi brunch with cultural and musical commentary, video recipes, dishes to experiment on the web ».
And how did your readers react? Have you noticed a greater sensitivity to certain issues related to the world of food? In your opinion, has there been an increase in attention to this sector?
«There has certainly been greater attention and greater willingness to test oneself perhaps in a cooking webinar. Many tourist offices have also focused on traditional food and recipes to communicate their destination in a more pleasant and more practicable way in this period. I happened to speak in a webinar of Atout France on the homes of writers speaking expressly of the tastes at the table of Proust, Cocteau or Dumas, to give an example. And it was much appreciated ».
After the pandemic, and when we can finally talk about a restart, how do you think communication in the food sector will change? Which channels should be privileged and which ones have had their day?
«I believe that in many ways there will be a return to tradition: we have all felt the link with the territory and with the roots. Secondly, sustainability will be at the center: chefs' gardens, short supply chains, will have more and more space. On the other hand, I think exoticism is somewhat outdated at all costs: the territory is more reassuring ».
Do you have any future projects that you want to anticipate related to your newspaper or your professional life?
«I hope that Bell'Italia, with which I collaborate, will re-propose the special issues Bell'Italia del Gusto, precisely from the point of view of what has been said before: I believe more and more in the link between tourism and food. And it is in this perspective that I hope my professional career will continue ».
