Ambrosian Refectory to serve leftovers from Milan Expo

Celebrity chefs in novel cultural project with Catholic Church

(by Emily Backus) (ANSA) - Milan, April 18 - The Milan branch of the Catholic charity Caritas this week announced an initiative to serve leftovers culled daily from the pavilions of Milan Expo 2015 to needy people and students through a novel food culture project. The Refettorio Ambrosiano (Ambrosian Refectory) will be set up in an abandoned theatre in the San Martino parish in Milan's northeastern Greco neighborhood to help people in difficulty, but it has also been conceived as an ambitious cultural initiative, uniting nutrition, gourmet food, art, solidarity and education, in keeping with the food-themed world fair that will take place in Milan next year. The Universal Exposition, which takes place next year from May 31 to October 31, is themed "Feeding the planet. Energy for life", tackling issues such as food security, hunger, and promoting environmentally, socially, economically sustainable global food production practices.

The Refettorio Ambrosiano will be active from May to July 2015. For one of those months, 40 of the world's best chefs will devote their talents to refashioning the leftovers for needy diners into gourmet meals. The project was conceived by leading Italian chef Massimo Bottura, whose Michelin three-star Osteria Francesca in Modena has ranked among the world's top five restaurants since 2010 by the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards, along with Expo event editor Davide Rampello, a leading Milanese cultural figure and former chief of the Triennale Museum, which exhibits design and contemporary art. The Refettorio Ambrosiano is being carried out by the Milan Archdiocese and the Milan Expo 2015 company. But after Expo ends, the refectory will remain in place, serving people who have turned to the city's social services for help, and will be managed by Caritas Ambrosiana, the Milan branch of the global Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis.

Renovation of the ex-theatre into a 90-seat refectory will be overseen by Caritas Ambrosiana following a project design by the Polytechnic University of Milan, which has a major architecture school. Donations of artwork and furniture designed by Italian masters are also being sought to furnish the refectory interior. Meanwhile, in keeping with the Expo's theme of ecological, sustainable practices, Diana Bracco, general commissioner for the Italian pavilion, this week announced two key partners for the centre-piece and major landmark of the Expo site, an area of more than 100 hectares near Milan's massive Rho Pero trade fair exhibition centre.

The Italian lighting, energy, and home-automation firm Gewiss will oversee energy-efficient use of lighting and power at the Italian pavilion with a three-million-euro investment. Lavazza is to be the official coffee of the Italian pavilion. The Italian coffee maker will lure and welcome visitors with delectable aromas and a spiral shaped coffee bar created by the well known, Italian contemporary architect and designer Fabio Novembre at the Italian pavilion for Expo 2015. Bracco said that the comprehensive project for the Italian pavilion, from its contents to partners, will be presented on May 30 at the Triennale Museum.