Monday,
March 03, 2008
Italians Give French Food the Boot at EU
Brussels Offices
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
EU (European Union) Council Main offices in
It also feeds prime ministers and high-ranking foreign dignitaries during their
official visits to
EU in wanting to promote a healthier diet among its civil
servants decided to change from a French food supplier to an Italian food
supplier that offers a low-fat, Mediterranean diet. Grilled vegetables are now
available far more frequently than French fries,
Mediterranean Diet Conquers EU Bureaucracy
Expatica.com
February
29, 2008
Al-dente pasta, smoked ham or mozzarella are cherished
treasures in the Bel Paese.
And now, they are also conquering the hearts of
Since January, a small catering firm from the northeastern corner of
On a typical day, Unijolly will serve about 3,000 hot
meals to civil servants from
It also feeds prime ministers and high-ranking foreign dignitaries during their
official visits to
Its top chef is Francesco Mammola, a handsome 32-year
old from
Mammola had already been working in restaurants as a
teenager before becoming a t eacher at
"Catering for so many different palates is certainly a challenge. But
television has taught me that if your dishes have vivid colors, a pleasant
appearance and a good consistency, the job is already half done," Mammola told DPA.
But feeding Eurocrats is about much more than
appearances.
Daniela Piussi, Unijolly's
general manager, says that when council officials started searching for a new
caterer, they weren't just looking for good food, they
also wanted to promote a healthier diet among its civil servants.
"As we offer a low-fat, Mediterranean diet, we were well placed to win the
bid," Piussi said.
Since taking over, Mammola and his international team
of 37 chefs -- some of whom are French, Belgian, Slovenian, Spanish and German
- have replaced butter with extra-virgin olive oil and stock cubes with real
broth.
Grilled v egetables are now available far more
frequently than French fries, while pizza is about to make its debut in the
cafeteria of the Justus Lipsius building.
And while the antipasti may be typically Italian, Mammola's
team try to offer a truly European variety of recipes -- from Hungarian goulash
to Spanish paella. Their sausages come from
Overall, clients appear to have responded positively to the change.
Joal Miranda, a council official from
This correspondent found that the strozzapreti pasta
in a courgettes and bacon sauce was perfectly al
dente and remarkably similar to the one he used to enjoy in
Unijolly says the next step is to teach its clients
to appreciate the richness and variety of
"Too many bureaucrats grab the first dish they see and gobble
absent-mindedly while reading the newspaper. We want to change that," Piussi said.
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