The 2003 Italian Cooking & Living Recipe Contest

in collaboration with the magazine Italian Cooking & Living, announces the 2003 Italian Cooking & Living Recipe Contest. The contest is open to professional chefs working in the United States and Canada.

As with last years very successful contest, the winners will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talents and promote their restaurants, says Paolo Villoresi, President of the Italian Culinary Institute. In this exciting new competition, each chef must submit three recipes in at least two of the following categories: primi piatti (first courses), secondi piatti (second courses), and dolce (desserts). Every recipe must use at least one of the following as its main ingredient: Grana Padano cheese, mascarpone cheese, or saffron.

Selection for the semifinalists will be based on:
7 simplicity  Easy to prepare and cook.
7 number of ingredients  The fewer ingredients, the better.
7 affordability  Nothing too expensive, like truffles or caviar.

According to Villoresi, This contest will continue the Italian Culinary Institutes tradition of making authentic Italian cooking accessible to everyone, emphasizing fresh ingredients and ease of preparation.

The semifinalists in each of the three categories will be invited to the Italian Culinary Center in New York to make and present selected recipes to a panel of judges, which will include food authorities, the press, and a general audience.

Winning chefs will be featured in The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana and Italian Cooking & Living magazine, as well as on the website, www.italiancookingandliving.com.