"I'm a journalist, I want to go back to seeing things with my own eyes, in companies". Luca Iaccarino, journalist and writer, author of a successful restaurant review column in the Turin edition of Corriere della Sera, he tells how, at the closing of the restaurants, leaving aside food criticism for obvious reasons, he concentrated on the characteristics of the company and behind the scenes. And how he wants to go back to visit food places in person.
How did you deal with this pandemic and the consequent great difficulty in catering? Have you edited your story?
«I changed my story and the subject of my investigation, as the restaurants are often closed and possibly surreal to look for hair in the midst of the storm in the rare openings. This allowed me to make a reflection and a change that in my opinion will be permanent. As already mentioned by Ferran Adria, at this moment, the theme must not be where gastronomy goes, but where restaurant activities go, in order to be sustainable in the world to come. This is how I told the business part of restaurants, for example, the adventure of Pourmanger: in the old world I talked about their funniest and pop, gastro-social part I would say, now I have focused on the sale of the business to Cirfood, colossus of collective nutrition, after closing 2019 with 3 million euros and 47 employees. A great success story, made before the pandemic. Another example is the article on dishwashers of Italy for D of the Republic, because I was interested in describing a structural part of restaurants, which is generally invisible. In the past I would not have looked behind the scenes, but I think that this look will remain in the future too ».
From your point of view, how did the food and catering companies communicate in this period? Are there any initiatives that have particularly impressed you and that you wanted to highlight?».
«They communicated with the facts: lots of deliveries, the box for Easter, the dove, which restaurants generally didn't do, all these things were“ communication ”and, as such, I think they will indicate them in their balance sheets. I really liked that the delivery allowed a very warm, almost carnal communication, sending the owners to the customers' homes. Vincent Donatiello, sommeiller of Piazza Duomo, in Alba, he personally brought meals to clients' homes, a very nice thing, done by others in Turin as well. I have not seen communication made any other way. Of course, there are also restaurants that have disappeared, a choice too: but if someone manages to manage this lethargy and then start again with enthusiasm as soon as possible, they will have all my respect ».
And how did your readers react? In your opinion, has there been an increase in attention to this sector?
“I honestly don't see more attention from readers. The pandemic may have cut the glamor, sequins and fighters out of the food world, but I don't think there is more attention from the public. At the limit it has waned. It must be considered that the restaurant industry has stood still for almost a year. Perhaps more attention is paid to the substance over the form, but who knows if this will last when the premises reopen, I cannot say. Maybe all this bounces because as soon as we leave the house we will want to have fun again. Food has now reduced hedonism: but will it last? "
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?
«We start from the summer, considering that the pandemic is going towards the end with the vaccinations. Communication will push open places, the desire to have experiences on vacation: it is not a new thing, it has already been done in recent years, but food will be linked to the experiences of freedom found after the restrictions. On the means, it is a good question, because we need to understand what will be ephemeral and what will last. Think of all the zoom experiences, the boxes sent home. Will it continue like this or will we go back? I hope we will return to the territory. We have spent a lifetime telling that Italian style is the link between food and the territory: Nebbiolo becomes Barolo only in Barolo, not in California. So I believe that untying the story of food from its places is a mistake, so I hope it will come back to this ».
