Parmigiano Reggiano Day takes place on October 27!

Every year, on October 27 we invite restaurants and families across the country to make a dish of their choice featuring Parmigiano Reggiano cheese as way to honor Massimo Bottura’s historic gesture of support after the 2012 earthquake.

This year we’re also encouraging people to donate to Food for Soul, the non-proft organization started by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore with the goal to build healthier and more equitable food systems and help people experiencing situations of social and economic vulnerability – a cause that is especially relevant given the devastating economic, social and health impact that communities have experienced recently due to the pandemic.

Join us.
Four easy steps to make a difference!

STEP 1:

COOK WITH PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CHEESE

On October 27, make a dish using Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Feel free to invent a new recipe; make Risotto Cacio e Pepe; try cooking one of the many recipes on our site; or find any recipe that uses Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and prepare it for yourself, your friends and family.

STEP 2:

POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE TAG #PARMIGIANOREGGIANODAY

Take a photo of the dish you made and share it on social media by October 28, and tag it #parmigianoreggianoday. We will re-share your creations on our social channels and invite people to learn more about Food for Soul and make a donation to the cause.

STEP 3:

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR FOOD FOR SOUL

Your contribution will help Food for Soul scale its impact and strengthen their outreach to those most socially vulnerable because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every Day the Refettorio teams are working on the frontline to recover nutritious food surplus, preparing and delivering food to those experiencing poverty, hunger, homelessness and isolation. We invite you to donate ensuring and help ensure they can continue supporting the many people in need.

SPECIAL GIFT:

People who donate during this promotion will receive a special gift from Massimo Bottura. Details through the donation link below.

STEP 4:

SUBMIT YOUR RECIPE AND BE FEATURED IN OUR RECIPE BOOK

Additionally, we also invite you to send your recipes by using the Recipe Submission Form on our site. We will feature the recipe on a special section dedicated to Parmigiano Reggiano Day; we will promote your recipe on our social media accounts; early in 2022 we will produce a commemorative Parmigiano Reggiano Day Recipe Book featuring your recipe and your bio.

The book will be able to be downloaded from our site.

ALSO

THE CONSORTIUM WILL DONATE
FIVE WHEELS OF PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CHEESE

The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium has pledged to donate a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to Food for Soul for every $5,000 dollars raised during Parmigiano Reggiano Day, as way to extend our support to this worthy organization and to the families they help. The Consortium will set aside up to 5 wheels as a way to encourage people to support this very important cause.

A devastating moment inspired a beautiful response.

Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, widely considered one of the world’s top restaurants is located in Modena, Bottura’s hometown, near the quake’s epicenter. “For lunch, the restaurant was fully booked. There was a very strong shake. The street was going like a wave. It was a crazy moment,” recalls Bottura.
During the tremors, the shelves in the ancient buildings where Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is stored and aged collapsed – and approximately 360,000 wheels of cheese were damaged. This was a a devastating blow to the families in the region, many of whom earn their living by making the cheese. That’s when Bottura knew he had to act quickly, and used his talents and his wit, ultimately creating Risotto Cacio e Pepe. The recipe became a historic culinary moment that united the whole world in a beautiful gesture of solidarity and love.

The birth of Risotto Cacio e Pepe

Motivated by his desire to help the people of his native region, Bottura developed a modern interpretation of the classic Italian Cacio e Pepe pasta, creating a risotto dish that uses plenty of his favorite local ingredient, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Next he leveraged social media to promote the recipe, inviting people across the world to make Risotto Cacio e Pepe in support of the people affected by the earthquake. In an article published in Saveur, Bottura described his dish “I borrowed an iconic Roman spaghetti dish…and transformed it into an Emilian symbol of hope and recovery by using Parmigiano Reggiano instead of pecorino, and rice instead of pasta—it was the beginning of our revolution with risotto.” More importantly, the dish was a resounding success and restaurants from Modena to Tokyo featured it on their menu. “All 360,000 wheels were sold,” Chef Bottura recalls “They were sold out. No one lost a job. No cheese maker closed the doors. That was a recipe as a social gesture.”

Risotto Cacio e Pepe is a sumptuous yet simple dish. Here’s a link to the recipe.