Talented chef and FoodCycle ambassador, Danilo Cortellini, sprinkled his Michelin-trained magic to whip up a delicious four-course Italian feast to raise funds for FoodCycle.
Nearly 60 diners gathered at the Food Exchange’s Mission Kitchen for the Italian supper club designed to evoke one of FoodCycle’s community meals, with guests seated communally. The fun-filled evening proved not only to be a feast for the taste buds but also a resounding success, raising over £3,000 to help FoodCycle keep our network of community meal Projects running and tackle food poverty, social isolation and food waste across the country.
Reflecting on the night, Danilo said “The FoodCycle team and I have been talking about an Italian-themed fundraiser dinner for ages but only now we’ve been able to actually do it and to be honest, I think we have made the right call to wait. The venue was great, the atmosphere was perfect and the FoodCycle team and volunteers have worked like pros to make sure every guest was looked after properly.”
The menu featured mouth-watering dishes such as burrata with roast pumpkin, almonds, pomegranate, and balsamic dressing, cime di rapa (turnip greens) arancini with chilli and garlic oil, uovo in raviolo San Domenico with truffle, and amaretto and cinnamon tiramisu, perfectly timed to coincide with International Italian Cuisine Week.
Contributing to the success of the event, FoodCycle volunteers generously gave up their time to support, with some pulling on their chef whites alongside Danilo, while expert hosts ensured guests’ glasses remained topped up throughout the evening.
The evening was generously sponsored by Calastone. Additionally, all the food and wine were kindly donated by Danilo’s suppliers that included San Pietro a Pettine, Delitalia, La Latteria, Grana Padano, Vincenzo’s Limited, Filippo Berio, Riso Gallo, Prosecco DOC and Pasqua Wines.
Photo credits – Koray Firat https://www.instagram.com/shotbykoray/
