Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/836538
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 JUNE 2017 17 ITALIAN confectioner and chocolatier Gaetano Mig- nano visited catering and food preparation establish- ments in Malta with the aim of providing a fresh and in- novative perspective on how professional chocolate prod- ucts can be taken to the next level. The visit was a joint col- laboration between ICAM Cioccolatieri, for whom Chef Mignano is the international ambassador, and Goodies Ltd of Qormi, as their official dis- tributors in Malta. During his stay, Chef Patis- sier Mignano, who in 2008 won the first place in the Ge- lato World Cup – Sigep World Championship, visited Santa Lucia, Cateressence, Golden Harvest, and Chocolat d'Or. His visit was well received as executive chefs and their kitchen brigades tapped into the extensive knowledge and expertise of the chef who has won 16 awards during his ca- reer so far. "When designing new crea- tions, the starting point should always be choosing the fin- est quality ingredients. This is why I always recommend ICAM Linea Professionale products. Besides carrying the Made in Italy quality pledge, ICAM professional line prod- ucts embody important values that reflect my own identity, namely high quality, passion, tradition, good ethics and a striving for good taste," ex- plained Mignano. Born and bred in Naples, Italy, and finding inspiration from the great confectionery- making heritage in his family, Mignano studied the culinary arts under the guidance of Italian Master Confectioner Gennaro Volpe. The passion and experience Mignano gained over the years led to many accolades both in Italy and internation- ally, with the crowning mo- ment coming in 2008 when he was declared the world cham- pion at the Gelato World Cup. In 2012, he decided to take over the traditional family business setting himself the goal of promoting what he de- fines as "Chocolate Culture" both within his team and to- wards the public, renewing the entire series of products and starting over again from pralines, chocolate bars, mo- no portion and cakes that are part traditional and part more innovative and with a sophis- ticated taste. This change is of course based on the careful selec- tion of all ingredients and the use of superior quality ICAM chocolates, namely Grand Cru, Single Origin and blends of cocoa selections from the best plantations. Rachel Mercieca, sales man- ager at Goodies Ltd said: "Having a chocolatier of Mi- gnano's calibre visiting some of Malta's most popular con- fectionery manufacturers and sharing his expertise with them is a great opportunity. It is going to be quite interesting and exciting to see this inter- action and exchange of ideas and how these will be leading to new and exciting confec- tionary products to the de- light of customers in Malta." ICAM professional line products are imported and distributed by Goodies Ltd, based in Qormi. The com- pany has over 23 years of ex- perience in importing and dis- tributing quality chocolates, confectionery items, delica- tessen snacks and beverages to supermarkets, confection- ery shops and catering estab- lishments in Malta and Gozo. More information can be ob- tained by contacting Goodies Ltd on 2149 7800 / 7949 7800 or email: sales@goodies.com.mt. Events Renowned Italian chocolatier brings haute traditions to Malta Farsons beers score in international beer awards THIS year's edition of the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), the largest annual beer compe- tition in the world judging both draught and pack- aged beer, has just awarded silver to Farsons flagship brand Cisk Lager and Dou- ble Red Strong Ale, whilst Blue Label Amber Ale and Cisk Pilsner have been awarded bronze medals. All four beers are brewed at Farsons Brewery. Conducted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), the AIBA inspires and celebrates ex- cellence in brewing, beer packaging design and beer media. Providing brewers from around the globe with an essential benchmarking opportunity, the awards are open to breweries of all sizes, from boutique small volume to large-scale com- mercial production. Feder- ation University Australia is a major sponsor of the AIBA. This year's awards at- tracted over 2,000 entries from 358 breweries in 36 countries. "These awards are tes- tament to our brewing team's unwavering dedica- tion to the brewing process and the long list of awards achieved throughout the years are evidence of our commitment to excellence in quality. We are extreme- ly proud of our brewing tradition and heritage," Martin Polidano, Head Brewer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc said. Cisk Lager is not new to winning awards, hav- ing won numerous awards over the years. This, how- ever, is the first award for Cisk Pilsner, launched lo- cally just last summer. Cisk Pilsner is a premium Pilsner combining a tradi- tion of brewing excellence and passion with the fin- est quality Pilsen malt and Noble hops of the Saaz va- riety. Cool, crisp and im- mensely satisfying, with an alcohol content of 5.5%, Cisk Pilsner offers the dis- cerning beer connoisseur a remarkably crisp and well- hopped flavour with a rich white head, a delicate bit- terness and a superior aro- ma originating from the rich essential oils present in the Noble hops. The AIBA awards for Blue Label Original Amber Ale and Double Red Strong Ale mark the second rec- ognition for beers in the Farsons Classic Brews range, also launched last year. In November 2016, just a few months after their launch, these brews were recognised for the quality and excellence and awarded silver and gold re- spectively at the Brussels Beer Challenge. Blue Label Original Am- ber Ale is an amber-col- oured, top-fermented ale, hopped and mixed with a special type of mild malt that gives the richly col- oured ale a unique, smooth and mild taste. Double Red Strong Ale is an all malt and full-bodied strong ale with a deep ruby color and a pleasant hoppy bit- terness, balanced out by a malty and fruity sweet- ness. Cisk Lager is available in several formats including draught, cans and glass bottles, whilst Cisk Pilsner, Double Red Strong Ale and Blue Label Ale are avail- able in 33cl glass bottles, with the latter also being available on draught and in cans in the hugely popular Smooth & Creamy version. Alexandru-Andrei Matanie proclaimed Malta's top pizzaiolo THE third edition of the Arla Malta Pizza Challenge saw over 40 pizzaioli compete against each other in a purposely set up pizza tent at the Valletta Waterfront, where Alexandru-Andrei Mat- anie was proclaimed 'Top Pizzaio- lo' in this year's edition. Salvatore Bianca and Paolo Filangeri placed second and third respectively. For the first time ever, this year's competition fielded international competitors from Romania and Bulgaria. Passers-by could see all the pizzaioli battle it out for the best pizza in a culinary show of technique, skill, style and creativ- ity. Each participant was given a total of 20 minutes to impress a team of international judges – in- cluding David Michel Mizoni, di- rector at Train2bake Ltd, Luciano Passeri, national director at Ac- cademia Pizzaioli and Francesco Speranza, ACEEA jury president – with a selection of three piz- zas: the pizza classica, the pizza creativa and the black box pizza. A dough kneading challenge was held on the final day of the com- petition. The panel of judges assessed each participant and scored each step in the pizza-making process, including preparation, baking, taste, visual presentation, creativ- ity and even the overall hygiene of the contestants' workstations. The competition was spon- sored by 'Arla – Closer to Nature' through its famous Danish moz- zarella cheese, and included a number of prizes for the runners- up, with the overall winner taking home an all-expenses-paid pro- fessional pizza course at the Ac- cademia Pizzaioli in Italy. Chef Patissier Gaetano Mignano (second from left) at Santa Lucia Products Ltd Alexandru-Andrei Matanie, winner of this year's edition of The Arla Malta Pizza Challenge. One of the contestants at the Arla Malta Pizza Challenge 2017 preparing one of his pizzas for the contest.