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Contact: Catherine Franklin
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catherine.franklin@edelman.com
A CELEBRATION OF FOOD IN FILM, ART AND LITERATURE
Barilla Partners with Leading Cultural Institutions to Spotlight the Role of Food in Culture
NEW YORK, NY, October 2002 — If you've ever imagined eating one of the tantalizing dishes from the film “Big Night,” joining Ernest Hemingway for “A Moveable Feast,” or stepping inside Caravaggio's “Supper at Emmaus” to take a seat at the table, you can now make your food fantasies a tasty reality. Barilla, the Italian food company, has teamed up with Gourmet magazine; some of America’s leading chefs; Tim Zagat of Zagat Survey; and cultural powerhouses the Guggenheim Museum, The New York Public Library, and the Tribeca Film Institute to create “A Celebration of Food and Culture,” a first-ever exploration of the ways that food, cooking, and dining inspire and are expressed in film, art and literature.
“A Celebration of Food and Culture” includes the release of a “best of” list that cites some of the most significant food-inspired works of film, art and literature; “The Barilla Feast,” an event at which well-known chefs from across the country will create culinary masterpieces inspired by these works; and a special edition of Barilla’s Web site that will provide these original recipes to home cooks who want to re-create these culinary-cultural masterworks or invent their own.
“Food cannot be overlooked as a powerful force in culture around the world,” said Paul Davis, President of Barilla America. “Though Barilla has always recognized and appreciated the impact that food has had on film, art and literature with European audiences, we are now sharing that same excitement with the American audience, celebrating the ways that food enriches our daily lives.”
The list of top food-inspired films was created in partnership with Zagat Survey, whose recently published Movie Guide lists the top food films of all time including “Big Night,” “Babette’s Feast,” and “Like Water for Chocolate.” The Guggenheim Museum’s “Palette of Food in Art” list features a wide range of masterpieces, from Caravaggio’s “Supper at Emmaus” to Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” to Andy Warhol’s iconic “Campbell’s Soup Can.” The New York Public Library named literary favorites such as M.F.K. Fisher’s “The Art of Eating,” Calvin Trillin’s “Alice, Let’s Eat,” and Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections” to the “Best of Food in Literature” list.
These honorees will be feted at “The Barilla Feast,” a dinner co-sponsored by Barilla and Gourmet in New York City on October 22, 2002. For the first time, eight well-known chefs from the U.S. and Italy will create culinary masterpieces inspired by works on the lists and will share insights into their creations. Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl and publisher Giulio Capua; Tim and Nina Zagat of the Zagat Guides; Lisa Dennison, Chief Curator of the Guggenheim; and William Walker, Senior Vice President of The New York Public Library, will be among many notables from the food, film, art, and literary worlds who will be on hand to savor the dishes and explore the role and impact of food on arts and culture.
The original recipes presented at The Barilla Feast will be available online at www.Barilla.com, along with the complete “best of” list and creative ideas on ways to celebrate food in culture at home — such as preparing a meal from a favorite film followed by a private screening with family and friends; preparing a dinner inspired by a favorite work of art; or starting a dinner and book club where dishes from the book are prepared in conjunction with club discussions.
Barilla has long expressed its passion and respect for culture and the arts. Pietro Barilla, grandson of Barilla’s founder (also named Pietro Barilla), began collecting modern art in 1957, turning the headquarter offices in Parma into an art gallery. Today, the collection includes paintings and sculptures of great artists such as Picasso, Magritte, Chagall and Rodin. Additionally, Barilla has commissioned artists such as Ridley Scott, Nikita Michalkov, Wim Wenders and Federico Fellini to develop commercials and other communication for the company, and Barilla’s support of the arts in Europe has included sponsorships of various exhibitions, concerts and culinary events.
“Barilla’s tradition stems from its love of gastronomy — the art of eating — and from this passion comes our commitment to culture and the arts,” said Luca Barilla, Vice Chairman of Barilla. “Projects like The Barilla Feast that celebrate food in film, art, and literature are yet another way we are able to bring the arts to the people and share our values — love of life, devotion to quality, and respect for tradition.”
Since 1877, the Barilla company has been producing pasta and other grain-based foods for consumers around the world. The company’s basic animating principle has been to make these healthy products affordable to all, no matter where they might be. Barilla has remained true to its entrepreneurial roots over the past four generations, by combining ancient Italian traditions with cutting-edge technological advances. The result is a globally successful company, built on a foundation of principles that allow for continuous growth to reach ever-expanding goals.
The Barilla Group – whose brands include Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Voiello, Wasa, Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), and Yemina and Vesta (Mexico) – is the first Italian food group, headed by the Barilla family for 125 years. The Group has 25 factories (18 in Italy and 7 abroad). It is a worldwide leader in pasta and currently realizes 31% of sales in volume in more than 100 countries.
